So like a lot of people (I'd assume) lurking around MFA I'm looking to start cleaning up my act more. For a while now I've avoided going out in just t-shirts and jeans, sticking to American Eagle/Gap jeans, various 'mall' casual collared shirts, etc. which I think is still fine for weekends and whatever but I'd like to start transitioning to chinos, solid oxfords, casual ties, stuff like that. Does the following seem good?

Pants: I know as an absolute basic khaki chinos can't be beat, but I have some khaki dockers already which I'm not crazy about but can work in a pinch. The Gap had some nice looking grey pants which seemed nice, but one thing I've seen about Gap online is it's best to wait for their stuff to be on sale, and I've been watching their khaki's for a while and haven't seen much moving on them. Any other suggestions for where to buy? Maybe J Crew?

Shirt: I've heard a lot of good things about J Crew, so maybe the slim secret wash which at the moment is (I believe) 30% off, so about $45. I know Express has a bunch of shirts on sale right now but read a lot on Style Forum that their shirts don't last well after a few washings.

Tie: I have a handful of silk ties already, was thinking of getting a wool tie since it's winter and would add some nice texture. I also feel like wool is a bit more casual than silk. Something like what's at Express or maybe something from The Tie Bar.

Would all that seem like too monotone (grey slacks, grey tie) or alright if I get a tie with a bit of color like the ones linked? I know shoes are an important part to any ensamble but for the time being I have some cheaper black dress shoes that I can scrape by with or pick up some Converse (Chucks, maybe Purcells) on the cheap to dress it down a bit. I'm trying to save money for tuition next semester, so with the three items above I can probably put this together for a bit over $100 before shipping. I tried going to the mall today but Express, Gap, and J Crew were all pretty cleaned out after the season.

So what do you think, MFA, am I off to an okay start? Any advice on other decent sites to buy these kind of articles from on a budget? I started going through the 'Online Retailers' thread by R4mbo but it was a big mix of streetwear/denim and dressier sites and got a bit overwhelmed. Thanks for any advice and help!