I think women should have what they determine to be a staple in their closet, because who's to say that my staple is someone else's staple? I'm this tall, and I live in this city, and I have to walk the kids to school, and I don't tend to drive as much - my life requirements are radically different than yours or hers or his. Staples are: What do you need? And then, what do you want? "Need" comes first, typically; "want" gets taken care of occasionally.