Closet staples with tax day dollars ...

White linen trousers by LL Bean (www.llbean.com)

One of my favorite stores Wardrobe Rescue in Vienna, VA (www.mywardroberescue.com)

On tax day, April 15, I want to give a shout out to all those who got refunds and should be out shopping right now! I also want to give a shout out to all those who didn't get refunds (or worse, have to pay more taxes) who will not get to shop today. This blog's for you and includes a few tips to stretch your wardrobe. Now, I know I said in my introductory blog that I would never tell you what fashion was or was not. But what I am providing below is just a suggested "basic list" list of what I consider the main staple of an elegant woman's closet (you're welcome to disagree with me):

1. Black A-line skirt
2. Simple little black dress
3. White button down blouse
4. Bright colored blouse (think classic colors like red, blue, green, yellow, purple -- not faddish colors like neon, chartreuse or hot pink)
5. Beige knit sweater
6. Taupe or beige blouse
7. White trousers (preferably linen or cotton)
8. Black trousers
9. Black blazer/jacket (preferably wool)
10. Beige or white skirt

You notice I didn't mention jeans in there? That is because, in my humble opinion, an elegant lady reserves the denim for casual, sporting or weekend wear. Jeans are not considered office apparel unless your office happens to be at Levi's or your job entails manual labor (landscaping, construction, woodworking, etc.). And as much as I love my jeans, I don't think I can dress them up enough to pass them off as anything but casual street wear.

What I am suggesting above is a simple list of 10 items you can mix and match. There are more than two dozen looks you can create with the 10 pieces above. Toss in belts, jewelry, scarves, shoes, handbags and outerwear and you have even more looks you can achieve.

You can use your tax refund wisely, too. For example, one of my favorite consignment shops (Wardrobe Rescue in Vienna, VA) has a plethora of white button down, quality-made shirts for $20-40. And you can stop in Marshall's or TJ Maxx for a simple black skirt by a quality, name brand for less than $30.

And don't discount your friendly online stores as I find lots of things for my closet staple list at overstock.com, LL Bean, Neiman Marcus' Last Call/Cusp and Amazon.