This Alexander Wang t-shirt comes with a $737 price tag. 
Technically the Alexander Wang draped T-shirt is not a basic yellow t-shirt. It has a draped effect . A basic t-shirt doesn’t have any draping going on. And it’s made of a triacetate/polyester blend. A basic t-shirt is usually made from cotton.
But the top is described as a t-shirt nonetheless. And aside from the draped effect and the more opulent look to the material, it looks enough like a basic yellow t-shirt.
So would you pay $737 for this Alexander Wang t-shirt?
Editor’s take: I’m starting to feel differently about certain high end items. There are designer shoes and bags I’ve seen that I think I’d buy if I could afford it even while knowing the price is unnecessarily high. The same goes for designer dresses and certain other styles of clothing. But for this particular top I don’t know that I would fork over $700 to obtain it. It looks like it’s a higher quality item than your basic yellow t-shirt; but even so, it still looks a little too basic to convince me to pay $700 for it. I’d have to wait for it to go on sale at an 80% discount.
This is a basic yellow t-shirt from True Religion. 
With the exception of the signature logo, it’s closer to what comes to mind when one envisions a basic yellow t-shirt. At $160 retail it’s still a bit pricey. It doesn’t look particularly more opulent than this $9 t-shirt.
The True Religion tee is 100% cotton while the $9 tee is 60% Cotton, 35% Polyester, 5% Spandex. The True Religion t-shirt is probably a better quality; but it’s still a t-shirt.
So which would you buy the $160 True Religion tee or the bargain basement priced $9 tee?
Editor’s take: It would be a lot easier to buy the bargain basement priced tee and live with the loss if it turned out to be a waste of $10 than to buy the $160 True Religion tee. But knowing how little concern bargain basement brands place on the quality of the merchandise they put out, if the funds were available for purchasing the $160 t-shirt, I would go with the $160 t-shirt. It would seem to be the most economical choice provided the t-shirt is of a decent quality. It would, presumably, last longer than the cheaper top.
This Philipp Plein t-shirt comes with a $419 price tag.
This is not a “basic” yellow t-shirt because it’s a print t-shirt. Because it’s a print t-shirt it’s almost easier to overlook the $419 price tag. You’re paying for the print art and the brand name combined. But the Philipp Plein dress to kill print t-shirt is still just a t-shirt. And $419 for a t-shirt is pretty steep.
So would you buy is $419 Philipp Plein t-shirt?
Editor’s take: When it comes to buying expensive high end merchandise the most important consideration should be how you feel about the item. If something moves you and you really want to have it, as long as you can really afford it then by all means buy it. If I could afford to spend $419 on a t-shirt then I would buy this $419 Philipp Plein t-shirt because I like it and I would love to wear it. I wouldn’t buy it just because it’s a high end brand name and comes with a lofty price tag.