Counterfeat: Balenciaga Knockoffs on Zombie Attack

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For the shoes in his Fall 2007 Balenciaga collection, Nicolas Ghesquière busted out with rollerblade and lego references to make even the most avant garde fashionistas swoon. Exactly a year ago, a whole season after their runway debut, knockoff masters like Steve Madden were proudly lining their window displays with the fruit of their copying efforts. By summer of '08, however, it seems that these fakes had finally disappeared into the backs of closets, only to be brought out again for Eurotrash-theme club nights or for donation.

We would have only been so lucky, as the Balenciaga knockoffs have been resurrected with a vengeance, and they are totally out to eat your brains. Case in point: a recent outlet shopping trip revealed not one or two, but three styles liberally stolen from this shoe and this shoe.

So now, when and if you hit up the shoe outlets, don't say we didn't warn you about the zombie Balenciagas; brains are a good thing to have when it comes to avoiding these traps.