$450 on a face cream. $850 for a pair of red-soled shoes. $4.50 for a cup of Joe. We in the western world sure seem to drop decidedly large amounts of dollars on some seemingly un-necessary items.

When we do, we justify them as "luxuries" or "splurges" and rationalize the "necessity" until we're blue in the face (or red on our bottom line) but somehow, somewhy, many of us just love to spend and the more "name brand" or "cool" we perceive something, the more we think we'll have -- at long last -- kept up with the Joneses by making it ours. So, we do.

READ: 9 Most Expensive Skin Care Creams

Psych majors can have a field day (and often do) with the emotional drivers and resulting ramifications of such purchases but let's leave the head shrinking to them and take a look at what made this jaded, prone to way too high Amex balances, reporter's jaw drop: $1,290 stockings.

Stockings as in those nylon things that inevitably sprout runs by the end of the day and you toss into the trash can on your way to remove your makeup. Stockings: those flesh binding, perspiration inducing leg coverings that I personally haven't worn since the Clinton era (ok, so I live in Southern California). Stockings, people. Twelve hundred and ninety smackeroos.

Of course, they are name brand -- Saint Laurent to be exact -- and they do not come crumpled inside a plastic egg. Nay, the Saint Laurent Crystal Fishnet Pantyhose are only to be had at Barney's. Natch.

"Saint Laurent lets you move from conference room to cocktail party with a simple change of tights. Made in Italy, these fishnet pantyhose are dappled with sparkling Strass crystals," reads the product blurb on the BNY website.

Ohhhhh, why didn't you say that in the first place? Makes them much more easily justifiable. In fact, now that I know they'll transition so seamlessly from work to play, I'll take two.

READ: What's in a $900 Face Cream Anyway?