Have you ever wondered why designer clothing is so much more expensive than, say, something youd buy at Topshop or H&M? Some reasons for the price discrepancy can be fairly obvious in the quality of the actual fabric or even in the way a garment is made, but do those things really add up to hundreds of dollars of a difference?

We analyzed a $540 satin midi skirt from Helmut Lang and a $55 satin midi skirt from Topshop to better understand what that extra $495 gets you.