Walk into any Forever 21 and you will a number of pieces that are almost exact replicas of designer clothing, plus an additional collection of pieces that were clearly inspired by the runway designs that came before them. While fast-fashion trends can be fun and inexpensive, they do pose an issue regarding sustainability and over-consumption, but that is a topic for another article. Right now I just want to exemplify the crossover between high-fashion and fast-fashion as seen below, showing you how you can get a high-fashion look for less.

1. Peach Drop-Waist Dress

Above are two drop-waist, blush pink dresses. The first is by Chloe ($1,495) and the second is a bohemian-inspired dress of the same cut from Forever 21 ($32.90). I saw both of these dresses in person and I can say that the Chloe dress is far superior in quality–just the heaviness of the fabric makes it that much more substantial and grand. The F21 dress is aesthetically pleasing as well, but you can feel how thin and poorly made it is just picking the dress off the rack.

2. Red Flounce Dress

The St. John Collection dress ($1,595) above is a more formal version of the off-the-shoulder midi F21 dress ($22.90). They both sport a gentle flow in the skirt of the dress and a flounce-layered neckline.

3. Sheer Black Maxi

The Alice + Olivia dress ($440) above leaves slightly more up to the imagination with the slip underneath, designed with a more colorful embroidery than the Forever 21 dress ($32.90), which is sheer all the way through, with more structure to the body of the dress.

4. Beige Peasant Blouse

Both of these off-the-shoulder tops in a beige rose/peach color have a certain amount of detailing in the pleated neckline and embroidery, but the peasant top by Chloé above ($1,850) shows far more detail and layering, making the top fully 3-D, whereas the Forever 21 ($14.90) crop top is more simplistic.

5. Black Lace Top

The Forever 21 striped knit lace top ($86) is almost a dead ringer for the Oscar de la Renta lace-inset chiffon blouse above it ($2,290). The silhouette and detailing is more intricate in the designer top, which is only to be expected, but the F21 top hits fairly close to home.