You may be paying more to propel your career skyward than you have to.

We're talking about the money you spend on your at-work image, a surprisingly influential factor in your corporate rise.

Make no mistake, there are no free rides to the top jobs. It'll cost you. Yet, what you spend on your office image is a cost rarely assessed with a calculator and an eye to your future. Fact is, you can achieve your goals while paying a lot less than you think you have to.

You wouldn't dream of spending full-price for an airline ticket, when it takes little or no effort to score the same seat on the same flight for half price. And you'd take your dry cleaning to Jim if he charged $5 a suit while his competitor Bob charged $10 for precisely the same cleaning.

So, why spend more than necessary to have your bosses see you as an up-and-comer -- someone who understands both style and value and recognizes what is classy vs. what is simply expensive?

Success has its price
"Working at being a professional success does cost," notes Lisa Cunningham, a New York-based image consultant with corporate and personal clients. "But the cost is even higher if we don't work at it -- stalled careers, unfulfilled potential and unrealized goals and dreams that can lead to frustration and depression.

"Now, this is not to say that you have to buy the most expensive car and clothes, and throw the most lavish dinner parties. In fact, these can backfire, working against you as much as having a wreck of a car, shabby clothing or throwing tacky affairs."

The key is to spend wisely, not lavishly.

"Here's one rule of thumb," states Cunningham. "Each year, spend three-quarters of a month's take-home pay on career clothes and one-quarter on sports attire, to look your contemporary best."

Nobody likes a showoff
Turning up at the office wearing something that yells "look how much I just spent" or lunching at that new, ultra chic, but tres expensive, sushi place won't launch your career, they'll simply drain your pocket.

"Nobody likes a showoff," says Miriam Biddelman, a New York psychotherapist. "Throwing money around, flaunting designer labels and flashing gaudy jewelry will mark you as uncouth socially and possibly suspect, professionally. Why on earth all that ostentatious display? At the very least, showy displays reveal poor judgment -- maybe not for the idle rich, but certainly for working men and women -- and a lack of class that will hinder, not help, career and social aspirations."

So, how to succeed in business without really paying through the nose?

"Think like the rich," advises Biddelman, whose clientele includes some of New York's top movers and shakers. "Style and savvy count more among those in the know than displays of cold cash."

Realize that you impress your superiors more by the thought you put into your image than what you paid for it, say the experts.

"Less is often more," adds Cunningham, "especially when it comes to style of dress. I coached a young executive whom a Fortune 500 company wanted to groom for CEO. But because of overly fancy clothing, a gold Rolex and flashy cufflinks, he created his own problem: being perceived as too 'slick.' He needed to tone down, before he could become a success."

Tone down to shine
Well-cut tailored classics in neutral tones are best bets for both men and women, says Cunningham, adding: "Don't just look at the price tag. Estimate the "CPW" -- that is, the cost per wearing. Often a well-made item in a durable fabric and timeless style -- such as a navy wool blazer -- will be a better buy than a much cheaper trendy jacket in, say, a bright pattern."

Speaking of patterns -- ditch them. The experts concur that an item in a solid color looks far more expensive and classier than its twin in a print.

Simplicity saves money but packs more classic image power into every image dollar spent.

Also, lose the idea that off-price retailers are the only way to go to get that special office outfit, business trip suits or office-affair evening wear

"Saks Fifth Avenue has had spectacular sales, particularly in men's wear," notes Cunningham.

So do thrift or consignment shops. It's local Manhattan lore that Jackie O used to send her elegant ball gowns and tailored daywear to a ritzy resale shop on upper Madison Avenue, where working folks would snap them up.

Creative imaging
Shopping the wrong department can be the right move -- if you're a woman. A navy wool blazer, for example, that may run $300 in the women's department can be $150 in the boys'. And ladies needn't be the skinniest of Minnies to fit into boys' sizes -- a women's 11/12 is equivalent to a boy's 20 top, 32/33 pants. For women who want roomier fits, the men's departments often feature shirts that would be 30 percent to 50 percent more in the distaff section.

And while you're at it you can ditch outdated stereotypes about materials. The most haute of couturiers now use polyester -- and if you have any doubt that good-quality poly feels better than low-grade silk, do the touch test yourself. Ditto for well-crafted vinyl vs. poor-quality leather in handbags and briefcases.

Always keep in mind that what you pay isn't the most impressive thing about your image when you're at work. You boss is thinking about the way you think.

The wrong hairstyle can wreck even the best-dressed look. But when salons can charge $100 or more for an au courant cut, what's a working man or woman to do?

Simple. Check local hairstyling schools to find out scheduling for free services. Generally, a carefully supervised student will tend to your tresses, using the latest methods. Even the elite salons, which work hard to stay on top by practicing the latest styles, often have free, or greatly reduced-fee, services at special times. Doesn't cost a thing to ask.

Want to be seen with the right social set or mingle with the sort of people the boss mingles with, but can't afford the opera or theater on opening nights? Be charitable. Charity events, especially for humane organizations, often draw prominent folks and provide a great opportunity for social and professional contacts. Museums and libraries also have no- or low-cost events that draw a top crowd. Book readings have become trendy see-and-be-seen occasions and cost zip.

Classic equals class
Also consider making your next new car ... an old car. A new auto depreciates about 28 percent in the first year, and nearly 50 percent by the third. But a quality car driven an average amount still's got a lot of life in the old gal -- and more status than a shiny, off-the-assembly-line Tinker Toy.

An old Mercedes or Volvo -- makes that tend to have very long engine lives by the way -- are generally much better at making you look enviably savvy, smart and successful than something new, expensive and looking like everything else from Japan or Detroit.

Think of cutting back on your image spending as a sign of growing wiser. In the long run it is your judgment that is most important to your superiors. When you realize that flashy is noticeable but not impressive, you begin to make more of an impact on them and on your own savings.

Laura Shanahan is a freelance writer based in New York
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-- Posted: March 7, 2000