Last time the column focused on the clothes we will never get rid of, and why.  Turns out there’s a lot of folks who feel the same, as pointed out by Reader Joey  (“..a wool pantsuit from Marshall Fields. Navy blue slacks and plaid jacket with a velvet collar. I just can’t seem to let it go…”).

There are many reasons why.

For The Memories…

Arlene Z.  has some lovely memories in her closet…

Loved your article! I do enjoy clothes but do seem to enjoy comfort lately. In my closet I still have my wedding dress for sentimental reasons. I also have an old raccoon coat that used to be my baby sister’s. She passed away a few years ago and I miss her terribly. I also have a beautiful sequined dress that I wore to my niece’s wedding in Manhattan years ago. My late husband came with me to Nordstroms and bought it for me. A sweet memory.

But she’s by no means the only one…

I have a jumper my mother made for me – she made all my clothes growing up, and into my early 20s before she could not see well enough to sew…

-Patti

My WHOLE closet is a shrine to younger me.

-Cleta B.

…For hope…

I am keeping my size 6/8 pants “just in case”. Cause twice I had the flu, lost 5 pounds, and could fit into them.

-Joanne M.

…For Aesthetics…

Some clothes are just too beautiful to toss…

…Laura Ashley! I have saved two of the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever owned , one a pink damask linen and the other a holiday red velveteen with gold thread. I saved the for the beautiful fabric , thinking that someday I could make something else with them. That has not happened but they are still hanging in my closet.

Robin W.

The Last Word

Finally a reader offers a viewpoint we can all learn from:

…I enjoy being a Girl!  Pretty dresses, loud colors… I dress every day even if it’s just to go to my Chair yoga class at my Senior center and I look and feel fantastic! Anything that makes you feel joy –  I say go for it!

-Lori

That’s Aging with Attitude…and dressing with attitude as well.

YOUR TURN

How about you? Keep the comments coming and share your favorite clothes and their stories!

In case you missed it, here’s the…

ORIGINAL COLUMN

I was at a party a few years ago chatting up a gal I’d known for a while and I asked her one of my favorite icebreakers:  “What are you looking forward to?”

The answers I’ve gotten over the years range from the cosmic (“World peace.”) to the practical (“that the landlord fixes my heat”) to the poignant (“A clean bill of health.”)  But this gal stopped me short with this one: “I can’t wait to find out what the new makeup colors are for fall.”  (This gal, I later learned, waited for Fashion Week like kids waited for Christmas.)

I didn’t even know that makeup colors changed at all, let alone seasonally, and let alone that it’s something people actually wait for, especially a woman in her sixties – but then I’m not really fashion forward, especially now.  When I was younger I bought whatever was in the stores that appealed to me and looked good on me and didn’t give it a second thought.

In my thirties I got more with the program, probably because my workplace at the time was across the street from Bloomingdales.  I bought a new pair of shoes with every birthday. (My late husband couldn’t understand why I needed more than a pair of black, a pair of brown, a pair of boots and a pair of sneakers.)  One time I bought five hats in five different colors.  Since my husband was a minimalist, I kept them in my office and wore a different one home from work a week a time.

As I’ve gotten older (and let’s admit it, heavier) fashion lost its grip on me. I spend my days in black jeans and sneakers because now I dress for comfort not for speed. I wish I could trim down as much as my closet has…

My Fashion Folly

…except for one spot.  My closet still has a section that’s a shrine to younger, fitter me, with clothing I will never ever get rid of, whether I’ll someday fit in them or not:  two custom made peplum suits I bought in the Eighties (a blue pinstripe and a muted shade of purple) and the suit I got married in.  (It had bugle beads, aurora borealis beads and seed pearls on the shoulders and lapels.  My little nephew at the time thought they were real). 

I’m a reformed clothes horse, but those duds are never leaving the stable, no matter what!

YOUR TURN

But that’s me.  How about you? Are you a fashionista? What clothing items are you holding on to no matter what – and why? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Want more Virge?  Listen to her Aging Rewired podcast interview with Senior Planet’s Sex and Relationships contributor, Joan Price.  It’s a frank and enlightening discussion about intimacy in our later years.

Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog “Don’t Get Me Started” puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City. Send  Open Thread suggestions to editor@seniorplanet.org.