Once you have classics, you can go anywhere. If you buy pieces that are well-made and in good fabrics, they'll wear better, feel better and, of course, look better on you. The fabrics to look for are lightweight wool gabardine, silk, cotton, linen, cashmere, and textured microfibers. Go that extra mile and make sure everything fits, especially tailored pieces. Go to a tailor if something needs to be altered. It's worth money. Now for those of you who are not "classic" type, you can still do your own thing. Try a Chanel jacket with jeans or a leather bomber with a chiffon skirt.

If you're downtown hip with a touch of "goth", just add a leather jacket to classics along with leather pants and animal print accessories.

If you're artistic, creative type, throw on some ethnic or artful pieces to give classics your own special style. Think Peruvian hand-knit sweaters, chunky bracelets or African necklaces.

And because we help women of all shapes, sizes and economic backgrounds, we know that bargain shopping is a must for a lot of women. New clothing is a luxury they just can’t afford.

However, economics aside, every woman, no matter how little she has, wants to buy herself something new. So, read on and learn how to enjoy splurge with none of guilt.

Here are five ways to look like a million on a minimum wage.

1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Let us marvel you with our psychic powers. How much prep time do you put in before you go shopping? We know what your answer is going to be. Zip. Right? You just get that primal urge or that extra space on your credit card and off you go. All we ask is that you take two seconds to take a deep breath what you need, how much money you have, what’s in, what’s out

Your first step is to go shopping in your own closet so you can make a mental or written note of what you want to add to it. See what needs to be replaced or if there are any basics you’re still missing like tops to go under blazers or shoes that go with everything. You know drill. Then try to think of a few classic pieces that might help to stretch what you already have like a white shirt with a French cuff or a little black dress.

2. KNOW WHAT TO BUY

What should a shopper look for when buying a “bargain”? Check merchandise carefully. Is it well constructed? Are seams stitched properly? Are there loose threads? If there is a pattern, does it match at seams? If a store is selling seconds that are slightly flawed or irregular, there should be a sign or a tag from manufacturer telling you so.

If merchandise is marked down, make sure you know why. Check for rips, tears, dirt or make-up smears. If you find a problem that’s easily cleaned or repaired, check with sales people to see if you can have item at an even bigger discount.

3. TIMING IS EVERYTHING

The best time to find bargains? Discount stores offer bargains all year round. But you can catch great buys at your favorite retail watering hole faster than you can say ... holiday. And there’s a slew of them. If you can time your urges, try to make them coincide with following dates.

HOLIDAY SALES -- President’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter/Spring Week, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, The Day After Thanksgiving(A big one!), After Christmas and After New Year’s.

And there’s more! In addition to racks that every store keeps permanently stocked with sale items, each individual store or chain has developed their own schedule of advertised sales.

STORE SALES — Liquidation Sales, Fire Sales, Manager’s Sales, Summer’s End Sales, Winter’s End Sales, Anniversary Sale, Inventory Sale and Closing Sales. (Some stores use “Going Out of Business” banner to get you in for jacked-up prices. Some have been going out of business for years.)