What is your oldest clothing item

Skweek1, would that have been Esslemont & MacKintosh where your parents clothes shopped?

I still have my wedding dress, from 1972, but can't get into it now. Dh has a pair of Spanish custom-made boots from 1968. I have a green wool jacket from Laura Ashley that predates my Dd, who is 19yo. I wear it in Autumn and Spring.

We also have The Family Jumper. It was bought from M&S while I was expecting dd1, who is 28. It's navy blue knitted cotton. My dh bought it and wore it for years. Then our oldest son pinched it from him to wear to senior school. Ds2 helped himself to it when ds1 left school. Dh had it back for a while and now it's in dd1 sticky mitts. I doubt it will go to dd2, she is tiny so it would swamp her.

I have a friend (60 ish) who still wears a proper Scottish kilt she had when she was 12. I suppose as they wrap it's slightly 'forgiving' but I find that very impressive ! I presume she's a bit taller than she was then but she has very good legs so can get away with a short skirt

A silk padded jacket (reversible) bought in Hong King in 1985. It went to University with DD1 and I now have it back. I can't fasten it but it's still wearable .It's bright pink one side, black with flowers the other. Beautiful. Cost about £15 I think
A Gap denim 'bomber' jacket worn by DD1 (now 30) when she was 12 . They don't alter much. I wear it I over summer dresses to give them a bit of an 'edge'
An M and S grey tweed jacket (once part of a suit) that is also older than DD1.

Ok, I am not sure how to put on a photo here right now. It looks similar to this one here but more dressy and with bolder pattern. www.nomadsclothing.com/delya-embroidered-tunic

I have an old cotton floral tunic type dress and a maxi dress in a similar pattern bought from an old clothing shop in Truro. I purchased that dress in 1972! I'll see if somebody can help me upload a photo.

Moorland boots! Before they came on the scene we all suffered from chillblains in winter.
Evidently the first boots they made were for the pilots in WW2 Battle of Britain.

I have a reversible coat which my mother owned before she married in 1950. I wear it still, every winter.
I have a knitted skirt from the early 1970s which I wear every summer and my youngest daughter wears a number of my clothes from 1972-1976(!).
... but MY Moorland boots wore out eventually. I still miss them!

My guernsey sweater. 35 years old. Daughter has her eye on it. But I'm not giving it up yet.

Re - reading this thread, there are some really interesting items on here.
If we all lived near to eachother we could put on a good display of retro clothing.
Another thing I have, and still wear, is a skirt I made in the 90's from some beautiful flecked mohair tweed, which was said to be surplus from the Alexon factory. I made a jacket too, but that never fit properly, I gave it to a charity.

I've one or two pairs of shoes that go back at least twenty years and that only come out occasionally.

However, I have an auntie who still wears a skirt that used to be my grandma's, and she died thirty years ago! It might not be so bad if it fitted her, but she is a completely different size and shape from my grandma and it looks awful on her.

I didn't think I had much really old stuff until last week when I was scanning in some old photos of when the children were little - 35 years ago - and there I was wearing the same cardigan I had on!

Among my oldest clothes is my Wedding Dress. A registry office ceremony it was a short green gros-grain silk dress that I made myself in 1955. It has been 'let out' in the later years (always useful to keep the unused material). And I still wear it for 'party' occasions.

A pink velvet trouser suit bought in USA in 1967. I don't wear it but daughters forbid me to throw it away. Also my wedding dress, bought in 1965 (17 guineas), a lovely silk dress from Anoukhi in Cambridge, 1980, which I do wear and my MIL's mink jacket, don't know how old but think 50 or 60 years. Can't wear the last one either, obviously.

Everything I have is old! New items nowadays are only shoes, lingerie and jackets and jumpers - everything I am wearing out - don't keep anything for 'best' anymore!

my bithday suit....is a bit stretched in places,and some of it is threadbare,but is the most comfortable thing I own

A tiger patterned skinny jumper bought in the 70`s and a cheesecloth hippy style top . I love them both but I can`t even get the jumper over my head now and the cheesecloth top is miniscule too !!

An Antartex sheepskin jacket, which is 35 years old. It is a short, boxy style, with brown, longish wool on the outside, as opposed to inside. I loved it, but quickly discovered that it was very heavy, and made my neck sore! I loved the style, very chic, so kept it. My youngest DD was into more retro styles from a young age, so I held on to it, thinking that one day, she'd call me and say, " Have you still got that sheepskin jacket?" At 38, she still hasn't. I have 3 DGS though!!

As a kid my thrifty Aberdonian parents bought expensive clothes from the local snobby department store which I'd "grow into" - I always wanted just one fashionable item of clothing - in turn, a cancan petticoat, a mini skirt, a maxi skirt (midis were the right length for me, but hated them!). Now I buy my own clothes I live in jeans and tees and buy cheap but comfy clothes from Asda, which I wear till they wear out and then they go in the bin with no regrets! I went mad this Christmas - invested in a lovely burgundy dress for Xmas parties and concerts which set me back £45 and then I decided I was sick to death of hand-me-down parkas which I'd been given over the years and all of which let in the rain. So treated myself to a brand new one costing £85, which will probably last me for ever!!! I feel really guilty at wasting such horrendous amounts of money, but if I can't treat myself to something new, what's the point of living?

Morland sheepskin boots bought in 1966 and still worn in bad weather. Hot pants from the same era but like the miniskirt just kept for sentimental reasons. Two aran jumpers I knitted in the seventies are still worn regularly. I wonder what will be on this thread in fifty years time?

I've got a pair of wellies that I bought just after moving to Bristol in Autumn 1968. They cost me 27/6d and are still in perfect condition and still worn. With pointed toes as well. That is a bargain I reckon

Hand-crocheted (by me) single ply mohair stole. Took me two weeks to make it, in 1975, working at it every spare minute to have it ready for a special occasion. Come the day, I got flu, couldn't go!

I have a Liberty woollen woven shawl which I wear nearly every day under my coat. It looks as good as the day I bought it in the early 1980's. I also have my wedding dress (still fits!) which was worn in October 1979.

An Austin Reed black jacket bought in 1985, can get it on by a bit tight, an Aquascutum coat bought in about 1987 - both I can't do up but as I rarely do up coats and jackets it's OK. And a Burberry wool gabardine trench coat, 1988 which I still wear regularly. All the above were expensive but have had massive use and still look perfect, so in fact very thrifty buys! I also have a beautiful chevron pattern cashmere tank top from 1971- I can't wear it but can't bear to give it away.

A blue velvet jacket Reldan bought in 1978 and still worn occasionally, though not for three years. Today I am wearing a M&S skirt with a 1991 label on it, prince of wales check which has been turned up and is warmer than denim.

Thanks Janeainsworth - I will when we get a warmer dry day