What is the oldest thing in your wardrobe that you still wear?

I have a blue panne velvet evening dress I bought for a school dance when I was 17. And a black cashmere polo neck, sleeveless column evening dress from Jaeger that I wore with black over-the-elbow gloves. Love these dresses, I can still fit in them, tho admittedly less ‘lissom’ than I was, but then I’m 72!

I've got a pair of shoes from 1977. They have been re-soled and re-heeled, but I rarely wear them now, being unsure whether it's still possible to have shoes like that mended now.
My other old shoes are the Bruno Magli ones bought for DD's wedding in 1998, super-comfotable that day and for her silver wedding in 2023 as well as other occasions including our golden wedding.

kimono and a pair of bellbottoms from the navy

local kids like them want to know where to get them

I have a pair of leather boots, slightly western style that I bought when expecting my first child 36 years ago.

They've been re-soled but still look good.

A pair of brown leather ankle boots.

I bought them in the United States in 1999 whilst on honeymoon.

Rather like Trigger's broom they have been resoled and re-heeled many times but the leather uppers have remained intact through the stitch lines, they have never parted company with the sole and the two zips on each still work perfectly

A lacy cotton scarf I bought in an Oxfam shop in either Wallingford or Oxford in 1974.

A M and S blouse bought 17 years ago will be coming out again when weather changes. Still love it.

I have a beautiful warm 'puffer' type jacket purchased in Canada over 40 years ago, still looks pristine and does the job. Also have a long fitted grey coat with removable fur collar purchased 30 years ago - still going strong!

Wide legged jeans from Monsoon, at least 25 years old. Still as good as new, but have lost some weight and they fit again. They were a favourite item, hence the hanging on to.

I’m wondering how well made they must be and what material they’re made of to have lasted as long as they have. I have to replace clothes every few months.

My Dad’s college scarf…..Dad was born in 1917! It is black and blue striped.

A Clothkits (remember them?) shawl which came in a kit with a skirt. I don't wear it much because I have developed an allergy to wearing wool, but can't bear to part with it because it reminds me of the time when so many of us made our own clothes. Still in the wardrobe is the outfit I bought in Burano (Venice) for son's wedding 25 years ago which is silk with lots of lacy bits. I have a friend who recently used her wedding dress (50 years married) to clad a scarecrow for a scarecrow festival.

I will be wearing a dress to my grand daughter’s wedding later this year which I wore for her mum’s wedding in 1996. I have lots of ‘old’ clothes that I wear regularly… rather like Princess Ann!!!!!

A pinkish-purple crushed velvet dress, I think from Edinburgh Woollen Mill, about 35 years ago when celebrating Christmas out with my colleagues from my new job. I went to the loo and when I came back one of my (male) colleagues sidled up to me at the bar and asked "Is having your dress tucked into your knickers a new fashion?"

We became the best of friends even after I left for a new job with promotion.

I have several other elderly clothes that I still wear cos over my 40s and 50s I put on a lot of weight and couldn't fit in several items that were still very wearable, but when I lost the weight in my 60s I was pleased to be able to get into them again.

Long navy Laura Ashley wool coat from early 80s cost a fortune but still wear it for funerals & reference services. Looks as good as new, love it .

A pair of skiing trousers from 1961. Thick heavy wool. Still fit me!

I still have the dress I wore for my wedding, not a ‘wedding dress’ though. It was ankle length, long sleeved, cream, very fitted, with a delicate pattern of blue flowers, and touches of green, with cream lace at the neckline and cuffs. My long-gone GM, bless her, said, ‘You couldn’t have found a prettier dress!’

But I was then a small size 10, probably an 8 by today’s standards, so for a very long time it’s been in a suitcase in the loft.

I still have my wedding dress which I bought from an Oxfam shop for £6.00 in the early 1970s. It is cream silk and it is a genuine Victorian dress.

A friend, who knows about these things, thought it was possibly a hundred years old back then.

It is tiny and I wouldn't have a hope of getting into it now so it hangs in my wardrobe in a garment cover.

I did offer it to a local costume museum but they "Have too much of that sort of stuff already."

My daughter thinks it looks awful.

I don't have any very old clothing, but my daughter wears a rather nice t-shirt that once was mine: loose fitting, thin-ish white cotton jersey with 3/4 sleeves, a slight boatneck, and two slim vertical inserts down the front made of the same fabric but ruched. Simple but flattering on anyone with less than a C cup (alas not me nowadays).

I bought it from, I think, Dorothy Perkins, when I first started working in London, 45 years ago.

Casdon, just by the way, I was living in Hong Kong 33 years ago - started me thinking...........

A cream thick chunky long line cardigan my mum knitted for me 35 years ago (it doesn't seem that long ago).
Still perfect and precious.

Apair of ski trousers I bought from C&A in the 80s! Repaired them so so many times, but still doing the job!

I have several winter tops from BHS from that time too!

The paisley print Biba dress and square toe shoes I wore the last time I went out to dinner with my Dad, in 1974. Memory of a lovely evening only weeks before he died.

A leather jacket lined with what looks like roadkill. I plan to bequeath it to my granddaughter.

A red Marks and Spencer fleece jacket without hoodie. Jnr is now 35 and I wore it around the time he was born. It’s still like new. If it had a hood it would have been dumped years ago.