Two style Instagrammers are caught up in a copycat scandal

Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, but two fashion Instagrammers from Chicago clearly don’t see it that way.

Jennifer Lake and Rosie Clayton are currently slinging accusations over the similarities between the photos posted on their respective Instagram accounts.

The two fashionistas, who boast more than 100,000 followers each, both pose against colourful murals wearing equally bold outfits.

When viewed side-by-side, several of their images are almost identical in location and styling. Like these ones:

Even the captions are eerily similar.

Lake came out swinging in a recent blog post, claiming she had been “systematically” copied by a peer on Instagram over a period of three years.

“I’m not talking about just a dress, a pose, a wall, etc. (although there’s that too). It’s about ongoing examples of copying (exact looks, images, and ideas),” she writes.

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While the alleged copycat wasn’t named, fingers were quickly pointed at Clayton - a former close friend of Lake - on social media.

Speaking to local publication Chicago Mag, Clayton is adamant she's not mirroring Lake’s work.

“Because I have less followers it looks like I’m the one copying," she argues.

Chicago Mag took a close look at the two Instagram accounts, and noticed the evolution in style didn't occur on quite the same timeline.

For instance, while both women now wear sunglasses in almost every photo, Clayton began doing this three months before Lake.

Clayton - who joined Instagram a month before Lake - also insists she was the first to start using the pun-laden captions that have become standard on both accounts.

WATCH: We meet a less controversial Instagram star.

This isn’t the first time Instagram has been hit with a copycat scandal.

In late 2016, Australian travel blogger Lauren Bullen claimed her photos were being recreated by an Instagrammer named ‘Diana’.

While the details in the photos were near-identical - right down to the sumptuous overseas locations, poses, clothing and captions - suspicions quickly arose as to whether or not the scandal was real.