According to Oprah, (and nicely summarized by Susan at Friday Style), every woman needs the following items:

1. Trench coat.
2. Black (or white) turtleneck.
3. Black trousers.
4. Tunic.
5. White jeans.
6. Dark jeans.
7. Black dress.
8. White denim jacket.
9. Black skirt.
10. Timeless cashmere sweater.

This has spawned a discussion, since this wardrobe doesn’t really work for every woman. Susan has asked us to create our own lists, and that fits very neatly into this month’s list theme.

I agree with some of these, and do own most of them. Here are my edits:

1. Trench coat.
   While I do have a long raincoat, it’s not at the top of my must-have list. A nice coat for winter, and a denim blazer for warmer weather get a lot more use.
2. Black (or white) turtleneck.
   Yes, I do often wear a black turtleneck under a cardigan. But a black top with an interesting neckline is much more flattering.
3. Black trousers.
   Agreed. Though, I mostly wear my black pants as part of my choir uniform, they make it into work wear occasionally as well.
4. Tunic.
   Long tops generally don’t look good over my curvy butt. But I’m always on the lookout for cute patterned tops that add more interest than solids.
5. White jeans.
   The only reason I have a pair is because they were $15 on the Gap sale rack. I like them, but am terrified that I’m going to spill something dark on them, so I don’t wear them often. More useful to me is a nice pair of jeans, hemmed for flats.
6. Dark jeans.
   Agreed. I know I just said jeans above, but I wear jeans several times a week. Also, I need another pair hemmed for heels!
7. Black dress.
   Agreed. I have several in a variety of styles.
8. White denim jacket.
   I have a white cotton jacket that I love. I think it gives a cleaner look than white denim. I also have lightweight jackets in off white and olive green.
9. Black skirt.
   My office is very casual, I would feel too dressy in a black skirts. Again, I have black skirts for choir concerts, but otherwise I never wear them. I’d rather see a denim skirt on this list.
10. Timeless cashmere sweater.
    I acquired three this year. Love.

Thanks for the list idea, Susan. Also, thanks for making me take photos of all my outfits so I have examples!

Now, notice all of these items are clothes. Does Oprah think we don’t need shoes?

I think tomorrow, I will be posting a must-have list of shoes!