You did it. You scored of of the coveted Biglaw jobs out of law school. And now you think you need to look the part, but you don’t have much money. Here’s what you should do. (For non-lawyers, Biglaw is the name given to the biggest law firms in the world. These high-paying jobs are the most demanding lawyer jobs straight out of law school. Having these jobs is also a miserable way to go through life.)

First, don’t go hog wild and spend a ton of money on “a new wardrobe.” You will fail at this. Instead, plan and prepare. This is going to take a bit of time.  The most important thing to consider is fit. Fabric and material quality is the second most important factor. Go slow. Research and find experts to help you. Okay? Calmed down? Good, now proceed.

Second, shoes. I suppose you could try to buy just one pair of dress shoes, but they will get very beat up and not last. Unfortunately, that means you’ll need two pairs. Save up your coin and go to Allen Edmonds or a similar store. You will buy one pair of dark brown, conservative shoes. Your goal for these shoes is to buy a pair should be a shoe that would work in any decade.

Then you will buy a second pair of lighter brown, “fun” shoes. Make this second pair more modern. These shoes will be for days when you don’t have client meetings and will be grinding away on a brief all day.

Two pairs will run you about $600. Floored after converting the price of two pairs of shoes into cases of Keystone Light? Well, we’re not done here yet. Never buy good shoes without cedar shoe trees. These suck up your gross foot sweat and stop the leather from creasing. Buy good shoe trees for about $25 a pair. Oh, and it’s non-negotiable that you wear a belt that matches your shoes, so that’s about $150 more. Shoes and belts: $800.

Running total: $800

Third, three pairs of slacks. A gray pair. A khaki pair. And a blue pair. Mine are from J.Crew, J. Crew, and (gulp) Target, respectively. Despite what you think, the blue pair is least important. Blue pants are tough because matching them with a blazer is rough since most blazers are blue, and you can’t wear a blue blazer with blue pants. You’ll wear your gray slacks most often, so feel free to trade in the blue slacks for a second, different gray pair.

I know khakis are controversial, so most guys simply avoid them. And trust me: not wearing khakis is better than wearing ill-fitting khakis. Most guys wearing off-the-rack khakis look hideous, but I am a firm believer that a nicely fitted pair with a blue blazer rocks. $240 on slacks.

Running total: $1040

Always, always make sure your socks match your trousers, not your shirt. And certainly not your shoes.

Fourth, socks. While I’ve made good decisions on the other clothes, I consistently fail here. I have foot sweat and odor issues I can never seem to solve. I have tried everything. Cheap, polyester socks? Sweat pours through and makes my leather shoes stink. Thick, super nice cotton socks from Brooks Brothers? Worn through within a couple months. I also own dress socks by the dozens upon dozens and cannot solve this problem. Here’s my best solution so far: Instead of wasting all that money, buy eight pairs of dress socks that are 70% or greater wool. While wearing wool socks seems counter-intuitive in defeating foot stench, it works. Always, always make sure your socks match your trousers, not your shirt. And certainly not your shoes. So, base these socks in blue, gray, and khaki. Socks: $80.

Running total: $1120

Fifth, dress shirts. Here, the main focus is fit (as it should be with slacks and blazers too). Buying off-the-rack dress shirts is a fool’s errand. So understand that you’ll have to spend some money here. Too many guys pick a shirt from a department store because they like the look of it without ever even trying it on. But department stores sell shirts for the broad American public–that is to say: shirts for fat men. Off-the-rack shirts look like parachutes. Even the Calvin Kleins of the world make shirts with a ridiculous amount of excessive fabric. This means you’ll need to have the off-the-rack shirt tailored. Tailoring one of these shirts will be an almost complete rebuild (you’ll even need to have the forearm fabric “brought in”). On a $70 shirt, you’ll need to spend at least $50 and more likely $75-100 to get it to fit right. Now your $70 shirt costs almost $170. And with all the tailoring cuts and rebuilds, it won’t even look good.

Because of this, I really recommend finding someone who makes custom shirts. You can get high quality shirts for the same price (or less) as the department store rebuilds I noted above. I use a tailor who flies into the Minneapolis for fittings. While I’ve been happy with his product, there’s a top tier custom suit-maker about five blocks from my house. I aim to take my business there as I become more successful. These shirts will cost under $100 each if you’re smart.

I think the average guy needs five of these shirts. Add in two sweaters, two lower quality shirts (that you already have), and casual Fridays, you’ll have enough shirts to make it through two weeks of work wearing a different shirt every day. An eventual goal is should probably be to own ten properly fit shirts. But, spending over $1K at one time on shirts in not the right way to do this. So start with five new shirts before your first day. Shirts: $450.

**Bonus tip for shirts: have one or two of the shirts made with French cuffs. Then buy yourself a set of cuff links. I’ve found some good ones at estate sales and bought one brand new pair. I like this because it doesn’t scream LOOK AT ME. I can dress conservatively and still stand out to the discerning eye by personalizing your look ***

Running total: $1620

Sixth, blazer. Go spend $250 at Brooks Brothers on a blue blazer with gold or silver buttons. You can spend more, but I found a wonderful blazer at their outlet store. Get if tailored. That’s probably $350 total.

Once you’ve got the standard (but awesome-looking) dark blue blazer, time to have some fun. I’ve found one or two cool used, brand name blazers at secondhand stores in upscale towns for under $20. Find two you like and have them (washed and) tailored to fit. One should be charcoal and classic. Have fun with the other. Total cost for three tailored blazers: $500.

Running total: $2120

Seventh, you’ll need a few sweaters–especially if you live in the North Country like me.

I wear a blazer to work most days. But once or twice a week I wear a sweater over a dress shirt. You likely have at least one usable sweater in your wardrobe. Your grandma probably gave it to you for Christmas. In addition to that, buy on cardigan and one other zipper sweater. Sweaters aren’t a necessity, but you don’t want to be the schmuck not wearing a coat or sweater of some sort when you leave your desk. Sweaters shouldn’t run you more than $150.

***Ironclad rule: don’t button the bottom button of your cardigan. Don’t ask questions. Just don’t do it***

Eighth, ties. Tie styles change over time. A lot. In the 80s and 90s, picture Gordon Gekko in his pleated, cuffed slacks with suspenders and a gaudy tie. No dice for you. Now picture some Hollywood heart throb in an impossibly skinny tie. I say again: no dice. Remember, part of living a good life is moderation. We want be be within the two extremes. Since the style is skinny nowadays, trend to the skinny side, but don’t go all-in skinny. Buy a tie with blue in it. Buy a tie with red in it. Yellow accents are good. Purple if you like. You need three good ties to start. $200.

Running total: $2320

Ninth. Assuming you bought a suit or two for your on-campus interviews, no need to buy any more. Happy? $0. Seriously, I think you should have two suits for back-to-back days of client meetings or court appearances. I have never needed three straight days of suits. But also, make sure you learn your firm culture. If your firm is more dressy, you may need to augment your suits, but no one I know working at Biglaw firms in Minneapolis needs more than two very nice suits. No change to the running total.

Tenth, buy yourself a watch. Assuming you’re not independently wealthy (you’re not, because if you were, you never would have gone to law school), drop under $500 on a watch. Make it a dark, leather banded watch. Someday you’ll spend a few thousand on a watch, now’s not that time. Under $500. Something like this:

Pay attention. Be patient, and you’ll find a fine watch for under $280.

Running total: $2600

Eleventh, you need a briefcase. Do not be the guy using a backpack. Buy a leather briefcase. Make sure it’s not black. I actually found a used briefcase for $6 at an estate sale. It lasted for two years. If you can’t find one like this, plan to spend around $600.

Running total: $3200

Finally, your firm will have probably have Casual Fridays (or the occasional donate-a-a-few-bucks-and-wear-jeans day). Lots of guys will tell you to go spend $150 on a nice pair of jeans, but I think Levi’s are great. Maybe when I finally try the $150 jeans I will laugh at this advice, but for now I’m sticking with my Levi’s 541. Make sure the jeans are dark blue and have no pattern to them. $70.

Running total: $3270

So, it looks like outfitting yourself for the first few years at a Biglaw firm will run you almost $3300. But, remember, you can cut corners on some of this. And some of these things you likely have. Expect to spend $1500 just to get ready for your first day. The rest of the purchases can wait until your first few paychecks. Sound ridiculous to spend this much? I agree somewhat. Look for my upcoming posts on working at a Biglaw firm. I have had very mixed feelings on this type of work, so for now: “congrats” on the big job.