Side-by-Side: This Ganni Leopard Print Top is Fire, but I'm Stanning My Amazon Version that Costs $200 Less

Cool girl label Ganni is from Copenhagen; its quirky styles have been sported by Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Middleton, and are notable for their just-slightly-off proportions and designs (jeans a little too baggy, a print a bit too loud). I covet most everything they make, but expensive imported Danish going-out clothing isn’t in my budget. However…I was hard-craving the Ganni Leopard Tie Blouse ($235), since it checks so many boxes—it’s trendy (PureWow’s fashion director is loving animal prints for fall), the puffy sleeves and babydoll silhouette are figure-flattering and the all-cotton fabric is lightweight enough for me to wear here in an 80-degree Los Angeles fall and easy to layer over a tissue turtleneck on theatre date in November in New York. The only problem is…at $235, the cost is daunting.

I’m usually not a fan of dupes, but when I saw an almost identical top on Amazon, my curiosity was piqued. The style came from one of those brands where the consonants and vowels, as well as product descriptions, are thrown together in unsettling bot-generated syntax, but from the pictures, the top looked great. The Dynict Leopard Print Tops for Women 100% Cotton Tie Front Cardigan Blouse Puff Sleeve Top Babydoll Peplum Top ($35) has the same three bows that the Ganni top has, the same gathered sleeves as well as all-natural fiber content. And best of all, it costs a cool two bills less than than the Ganni version. Oh, and it’s available next day via Amazon Prime. Reader, I added to cart.

And voila—the next day, I had my leopard top looking for all the world like the Ganni version, except flattened and a bit plasticky-smelling from being folded into a mailable bag. The cotton is poplin, not knit, so it holds the shape nicely in the same way that the Ganni top did. And the front ties meet closely but allow a slice of body to show through (the same way the cool salesperson at the Ganni store wore theirs). The only difference I can tell from the Ganni top is that the more expensive version has a slight sheen to its fabric, while the Amazon homage is matte. But both tops feel comfortable on the skin. Also, I ordered the Amazon top in a medium, as I usually do with less expensive clothes since too-tight and cheap are one demerit too many; in this case, my instinct paid off because I prefer the look of the slightly roomier Amazon-ordered fit.

One tiny distinction between the two items: the Ganni top has the brand name written in tiny handwriting in its leopard print, a small #IYKYK tell that in my opinion is not worth $200. I expect I’ll wear this item a lot this year, however an of-the-moment style such as this doesn’t need to be so well made that I’ll be able to pass it down to my descendants. So I feel a little fast fashion indulgence is okay. And the price? Since I purchased the top, it’s gone on sale for $20. So I’m buying an extra one for holiday gifting to a leopard lover on my list. While I’ll still be browsing, and shopping when possible the shiny goods of Ganni, in this case I’m happy to have their inspiration in lieu of the actual merch.