So, I have a bit of a dicey question. How much do you spend on clothes? Or on shoes? I’ve been inspired by your columns and am starting to upgrade my wardrobe, but it seems to involve such major investments of cash. I don’t have thousands to spend- I might not even have hundreds to spend during one season. I’m just not sure what the range of reasonable is.

I love this question, because it gets right to the heart of what I believe about having a really functional wardrobe — a working closet, if you will. Having the right clothes isn’t about how much you spend, it’s about how you shop, but shopping costs money, and in this economy, having a strategy for your spending is crucial.

I am hesitant to put a dollar amount on my shopping, or to say that I spend X each month or year. I don’t have a specific shopping budget, nor do I track what I have spent. Instead, I constantly assess and reassess my closet, looking to see what is and isn’t working, and I don’t buy anything that I can’t easily incorporate into my current closet. I keep a running list of pieces I could really use (honestly, I only rarely NEED anything, but there are always gaps) and I shop off that list.

I do a lot of pre-shopping online, looking to see what’s new and what’s on sale. Because I tend to wear the same brands over and over — J. Crew and Gap primarily, with the odd piece from Old Navy or ATLoft or Banana Republic for variety — I have a good sense of what size I wear and when pieces will go on sale. I also have a good sense of WHAT will go on sale — which pieces will still be available after six or eight weeks (which is when most markdowns occur) and which need to be grabbed up at full price.

I’m not opposed to paying full price; I buy very few things, and I prefer to spend a little more to get good quality. But I also love a bargain, and have been known to grab up a $10.00 skirt or some $15.00 ballet flats, and wear them into the ground, often with more expensive pieces (because the idea is that EVERYTHING works together). And then there are the pieces that I refuse to spend much on — tank tops, for example, which only last one season no matter how careful you are with them. I buy the cheap ones and toss them at the end of the summer.

Having a wardrobe that works for you isn’t about how much you spend — it’s about having really functional pieces. But, as Kate’s question points out, getting those pieces can be expensive. So how do you know where to start, and how much to spend?

Make a list. I say this all the time, and I mean it: clean your closet and make an actual list of what you do not have. Prioritize the list; start with pieces you will wear all the time (jeans, for example) and work out to pieces that you need but will wear less frequently (little black dress). If you are watching your budget, make a point of shopping for more versatile pieces first.

Do some research. When you’re shopping on a budget, you need to know what things cost. Jeans are a good example; you can spend as little as $25.00 or as much as $250.00. Surf the internet and see what your options are, then go to the mall and try things on. It may turn out that the $200.00 jeans don’t fit you at all, while the $40.00 jeans are perfect. Or it may work the other way. But until you know what is out there and what fits, it’s hard to say how much you will spend.

Make good choices. Having said all that, keep this in mind: do not EVER buy anything that doesn’t work for you. Don’t buy the cheap jeans if they don’t really fit; don’t buy the expensive jeans if you can’t afford them. When you are shopping for basic pieces, you are looking for things that you will wear and wear and wear, this year and next year and the year after that. Choose pieces that fit well and are made well, even if that means saving up to purchase something, or only buying one new piece in a season.

Invest some time. The thing about building a wardrobe, as opposed to filling a closet with clothes, is that it takes time; you’re not going to dash off to the mall on a Saturday and come home with everything you need. The place where most of us go wrong is succumbing to the impulse buy — the piece that you grab because it looked good on your best friend, or because everyone has one, or because it’s Tuesday and you’re having a bad day at the office. Plan to build your wardrobe one piece at a time, at whatever pace works for you; this could mean one new thing each month or each season.

What is a reasonable amount to spend on your wardrobe? That depends on you — on your circumstances and your needs. Shop carefully and thoughtfully, and spend only what you can afford; buy pieces that work together, for more than one place or situation. That’s all it takes.