With the aid of this site (found it 2 weeks ago) and a budget of $500, this is what I've come up with. I should also mention that I used an existing $54 credit to Eddie Bauer and $50 BR gift card that are not included in the budget. In addition, I received 5 ties from my mom that belonged to my late step-dad (including two "holiday" ties) as well as a denim jacket, 2 shirts, and 2 ties that were Christmas gifts.
Bare in mind that I'm starting from very little, and this is a jump-start. Overall, my closet is nothing to envy since it's been 2 years since I've bought any clothes and most of my shoes had holes so big I could reach in and poke my feet. This picture represents the bulk of my new "initiative" into proper dress. I was just feeling pretty good about the haul and just had to brag a little - not so much about all the new stuff I have, but about how far I was able to stretch the budget. :-)
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/5197/haul.jpg
Results:
9 shirts
9 ties
2 sweater vests
2 sweaters
1 dark corduroy blazer
1 denim jacket
2 grey patterned pants
4 pairs of shoes (casual oxfords, black slip-ons, boat shoes, canvas sneakers)
1 leather-banded watch
Not pictured (on back order or more recently purchased):
1 pair grey wool pants
1 chino blazer
1 brownish herringbone blazer
Everything was bought from the following stores (except for the herringbone blazer from Goodwill):
Banana Republic
Eddie Bauer
Lands End / Lands End Canvas
Dillards
Nordstrom
Neiman Marcus Last Call
Comment