It’s standard practice in the world of celebrity to lend clothes from designers for a major occasion such as an award show or red carpet. In fact, when you’re part of that elite group dubbed the A-list, couturiers around the world will fight to clothe you in custom duds, wagering that the press they’ll receive for doing so will be well worth forgoing their usual astronomical price tag. But every now and then, this practice can lead to designers getting burned, like when your star of choice suddenly changes their mind about what they’re going to wear at the last minute, somehow forgets who they’re wearing the moment they’re asked by the press, or in the case of designer Michael Costello and Chantel Jeffries, refuses to credit your creation by tagging you on Instagram.
Costello, who has created pieces for Beyoncé in the past, wrote on his own social media account on Monday, “Yesterday, I uploaded a photo of a text exchange between me and @chanteljeffries,” referring to a post that has since been deleted. “The image shows a conversation I had with her, where I confronted her about not crediting me or tagging me on her social media page the past few times she borrowed dresses from my showroom. She claims that because the dress was lended [sic] to her, she will not tag me. If it was given to her as a gift, she might consider it.”
+ Follow
He goes on to explain that while this may not seem like a big enough reason to call her out, “for myself and every single designer out there in the world, we deserve to be given credit for our creations. I remember every single dress I have ever made in my life – every stitch, every yard of fabric. I remember every single person who has ever worn a dress of mine, whether they are celebrities, social media influencers, family, friends, or clients.”
RELATED PHOTOS: All of the Kardashian-Jenner Fashion and Beauty Controversies
He also cites discrepancies in the story the DJ and her team told him about why she refused to credit him for his own creation. “At first, when I asked Chantel why she didn’t credit me, I was disappointed to hear that she didn’t think it was necessary,” he says. “Then, I was further humiliated by her manager, who told me that Chantel couldn’t give credit to me due to ‘pre-existing contractual obligations.’ For anyone who has been in business as long as I have, that’s just insulting. If she was under an exclusive contract with an individual designer, why did she even walk into my showroom, asking to borrow a dress?”
And finally, if all of that wasn’t enough to ruin Costello’s relationship with the Instagram model, he continued, “When I showed the world the receipts, she sunk to her lowest by posting my phone number for the world to see. I had to change my number for privacy. She also called me a “bully” and posted photoshopped images of me, defaming my character. (The teams at @Instagram and @Facebook have both confirmed those images are fake. Please feel free to reach out to them directly if you have any doubts.)” These posts also appear to have been deleted by Jeffries. The designer concluded, “Nothing makes me more mad than coming across people who think they are more famous than you and will try to take advantage of your creative abilities. Whether you are paying for a dress, receiving a dress as a gift, or borrowing a dress, you should always remember to give credit where credit is due. I stand before you with nothing but the truth, and I hope you can stand with me, and every single designer, artist.” Sounds like both parties involved will think twice before lending or borrowing a dress in the future.
What do you think of this feud? Do you think Chantel should have credited the designer or was she in the right? Sound off below!