by Catherine Kim

Created on: December 29, 2006   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Not everyone has a million bucks to spend on a million dollar wardrobe. I'm sure I don't.

But my coworkers always ask me, "How do u afford the clothes that you wear? I'm sure you make about the same salary I do, but you're always shopping, and you always have nice clothes."

The secret is all in the planning.

The number one, most important rule to follow is: invest in designer jeans. Designer jeans have awesome cuts and great quality fabrics. Not only do they look a lot nicer than the cheap Levis, they will probably last a lot longer, too. Designer denim probably costs several times as much as the jeans you'd pick up at Target, but it's worth it, if only for the fit. Most department stores offer complimentary tailoring/hemming, guaranteeing you the best fit possible.

Nowadays, clothing-savvy people have hawks' eyes for designer denim. You'd be surprised at how many people can just look at a pair of jeans from afar and identify the brand. Sevens, True Religion, 575, and Rock & Republic all have really great jeans with really great fits.

For awesome deals on designer jeans, check out sample sales (thewarehousesale.com or planetlulu.com).. you can get some of these couture jeans for over 80% off retail! It's sort of a drag, sometimes, to go to these sample sales and dig through the labyrinth of jeans, but it's SO worth it knowing that you scored a pair of $300 jeans for only $80. Does $80 still seem expensive to you? Well, rationalize it to yourself. JEANS LAST FOREVER. THEY NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE.

So now that you've spent all your hard earned cash on ridiculously-priced jeans, how can you afford the rest of your wardrobe?

CLEARANCE SECTIONS... don't fear them, embrace them, especially the ones at higher-end department stores. Dept stores like Nordstrom, Saks, and Bloomies have sales all the time. During off-sale times, the clearance sections offer great deals on clothes!

Then get even cheaper and head to stores like Forever 21, Abercrombie&Fitch, Express, and such. These stores generally offer relatively affordable clothing. But if you rifle through the clearance section in these stores, you'll almost always come out with at least one cute piece for half the original price.

What's key to building a nice wardrobe on a small budget is to remember... staple items (jeans, jackets, coats, sweaters) are investments. It's worth it to invest a little more on these pieces. But when it comes to tops and such, stick to clearance and sale items at cheaper stores. You can mix and match any of your cheap tops with nice jeans/jacket, instantly creating an outfit that looks well put-together and posh, without the hefty price tag that goes with it.

If you want to go the extra mile, invest in higher-end purses and wallets to spiff up your outfits an extra notch.

NEVER EVER spend too much money on shoes and accessories, because no one can read those labels, trust me.

The rule of thumb? Focus on one or two expensive pieces of clothing/accessory, and then build the rest of your outfit around them with cheaper, more affordable pieces. No one needs to know how much everything cost, but guaranteed, your audience will pick up on the expensive pieces of your outfit and assume that your whole outfit is designer.

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