Life — August 24, 1911 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Dastardly Attempt to Steal Our Designs" This satirical article mocks French fashion designers for copying Life magazine's exclusive costume designs. The illustration shows a caricatured figure (appears to be a French spy or designer) stealing from an ornate pedestal labeled "LIFE." The text claims that Life designed an original costume for elderly women featuring a "white batiste Mother Hubbard" and elaborate details. A French spy allegedly saw it before publication and began copying it for Parisian fashion houses. The satire ridicules the irony that France—traditionally the world's fashion leader—now depends on stealing American designs. Life boasts that their Fashion Reform League will protect future designs through strict security measures and wax molds, preventing imitation. The piece humorously presents American fashion innovation as worthy of industrial espionage.