We tend to assume that you get what you pay for, and this is often true. When it comes to fashion, designer clothes and accessories do tend to be of higher quality. The stitching is better, fabrics are softer, and in general, a designer item drapes better on your body and looks more polished than a cheaper item.

However, most of us can’t possibly afford an entire wardrobe filled with designer clothes. Our advice? Splurge on a single, classic designer item each season, and save on the rest, buying more affordable, mass-produced brands, or looking for heavily discounted designer items.

We believe that looking fabulous is very doable, even if you spend less. We’ve set out to build a fairly casual, yet glam “a night on the town” outfit, consisting of a nice black evening top, a pair of dark wash jeans, metallic heels and a statement necklace.

Below, you will find two outfits – we’ve splurged on the first one and saved on the second. The first outfit cost FIVE times more than the less expensive one. Is the expensive outfit really five times “better” than the other one? We don’t think it is! What do you think?

SPLURGE TOP
St. John
Sleeveless Sparkle Top
$295 at Saks Fifth Avenue

SPLURGE JEANS
J Brand
Boot Cut Jeans
$159 at Shopbop

SPLURGE HEELS
Badgley Mischka
“Ralph” High Heel T-Strap Sandals
$178.50 at Bloomingdales

SPLURGE NECKLACE
Vera Wang
Long Crystal Necklace
$650 at Bergdorf Goodman

SAVE TOP
Corey Lynn Calter
Onyx Beaded Jersey Racerback Tank
$78 at Bluefly.com

SAVE JEANS
GAP
Boot Cut Jeans (dark wash)
$69.50 at Gap.com

SAVE HEELS
Vic Matie’
Spring-Summer Silver Sandals
$89 at YOOX

SAVE NECKLACE
Express
Cube and Rhinestone Nested Necklace
$34.90 at Express.com

SAVE TOTAL: $271.40

As we said, it’s not that you should never splurge. Some classic items, that you know you’ll wear for many seasons, are worth the extra expense and you do want to make sure that they are of the highest quality. But for the vast majority of purchases, it makes a lot of sense to save. You will stash some extra money in the bank, as a smart girl should in these turbulent times, AND look fab.