Vena Cava Accuses Alice + Olivia of Design Steal

Instagram is the go-to app for sharing photos of Sunday brunches, sunsets, and, if you're Vena Cava, alleged proof that alice + olivia stole your designs. The Brooklyn-based design house threw major shade when they Instagrammed the above photo from their fall 2012 with the caption, "Please stop being 'inspired' by our prints from last season. Get a library card."

So, did alice + oliva steal Vena Cava's designs? One Instagram commenter was quick to point out that Vena Cava was inspired from a vintage dress that design partner Sophie Buhai wore in a 2009 Elle magazine feature. And another commenter pointed out that the vintage dress was actually inspired from Egyptian hieroglyphs. Okay, so, I'm kidding about the hieroglyphs part, but the truth is most fashion designs aren't protected under copyright law, so, even if alice + olivia did indeed copy Vena Cava, there's not much that can be done.

Well, except for battling it out on Instagram.

Image: Vena Cava on Instagram