The Midas Touch

Inspiration: where does it come from? We have to get inspired somewhere and many of us are inspired everywhere. Is there or isn't there a proper way to be inspired and interpret that? Why is it wrong for a western designer to be inspired by a eastern culture? Honestly, I'm a bit more upset that we lump everything up into "east" and "west" since this doesn't do justice to the variety of cultures in each.
Some designers seem to be inspired light years ahead of us(I saw other gold pants on the runway in addition to these):
I have a weakness for the mermaid hair on Jean Paul Gaultier's runway, but my heart was absolutely stolen by these umbrellas. They remind me of decrepit southern belles, maybe from a old elite family that is now impoverished. I have a tendency to develop a stories about pieces of clothing I like...