I've worn a blouse that's 110 years old today

[LaurieFairyCake]

It's a very simple ecru blouse with white work and very fine lace and taupe thread

Anyone else wearing (very) old clothes?

I also ironed all my silk nighties for the summer weather (most are 1920's/30's/40's) - some are too fragile for night sleeping as I'm menopausal and move around a lot but I use them as slips under dresses

[quote Time40]@Catabogus

Sorry to derail, but is there somewhere which accepts/preserves antique clothes - maybe a museum or something? I have a very old family wedding dress from around 1800 that I have no idea how to look after and would love to find a better home for. Thanks a lot!

You could try the Bath Costume Museum, perhaps, if you'd rather give it to a museum rather than sell it. In your place, I'd sell it![/quote]
I never even thought of selling! Is it worth something? I think I’d rather donate it - especially to somewhere where I could go and see it. I have no idea if a museum would want it. I’ll check out the Bath costume museum though, thanks!

@Time40 the V&A do

@Catabogus

Sorry to derail, but is there somewhere which accepts/preserves antique clothes - maybe a museum or something? I have a very old family wedding dress from around 1800 that I have no idea how to look after and would love to find a better home for. Thanks a lot!

There's a costume museum in Manchester too and of course the V&A although I've no idea how selective they are. They were restoring a suit of Jim Lea's (Slade) on telly the other night!

@Catabogus

Sorry to derail, but is there somewhere which accepts/preserves antique clothes - maybe a museum or something? I have a very old family wedding dress from around 1800 that I have no idea how to look after and would love to find a better home for. Thanks a lot!

There was a BBC programme about the V&A who have a collection. Really interesting. Maybe get in touch with them.

X post @Floisme

Ooh lots of suggestions! Thank you so much. I will check them all out.

@JaneJeffer

X post *@Floisme*

I love that programme - it's my fantasy job

Those people are amazing. I would probably wreck everything

The only really old clothing we have in the family is a christening gown which looks much like the material in the OP.

I would too Jane - I've not got the patience in real life, but I can still dream

Funnily enough I've been wearing a batik maxi dress today that was my mum's. It's about 65 years old and was bought for her in Indonesia by a sea captain she was dating. I always get comments on it. It's starting to come apart at the seams now so I need to do some restitching!

@Catabogus

I never even thought of selling! Is it worth something?

It's very possibly worth something, yes. Try to find an auction house that sells antique clothing, or a specialist dealer. Personally I wouldn't use Ebay for antique clothing, because buyers on there don't seem prepared to pay what things are worth (I've had antique stuff on Ebay, and it's failed to sell).

There is a great vintage market called Frock Me that runs at Chelsea Town Hall. Some of the dealers who exhibit there might be interested.

... I'm not suggesting that you ought to trail to London with the dress, but you could look up the exhibitors.

Oh, how beautiful! I'm a vintage fan too but don't have much earlier than 60s/70s (a couple of the very early Laura Ashley bits) and maybe a few 50s dresses I'm not 100% sure about! The condition of that top looks amazing!

Beautiful blouse and l would imagine the material kept you cool. I love vintage and and antique clothes - it seems my 1980s Laura Ashley dresses, which I have had since they were new come into the vintage category now. 😂I bought my petite daughter a mid-1960s knee length dress a few years ago and she had lots of compliments as it suited her perfectly and I have recently treated myself to a black patent 1960s box style handbag.

I have a lilac silk blouse that was my grandmothers. She bought it in 1924 on a trip to New York. It is so beautiful and fragile and tiny! I wouldn’t really be able to get it closed through the chest and shoulders.

I used to have some gorgeous 1920s clothes - sequinned and feathered skullcaps, a white satin dress... but got rid of them in a clearout a few years ago. Slightly regretting it now! I still have quite a good collection of 50s and 70s dresses though.

I have a very old broach, no one can remember quite how old, but it's beautiful. Would love some vintage clothes.

@Catabogus

Sorry to derail, but is there somewhere which accepts/preserves antique clothes - maybe a museum or something? I have a very old family wedding dress from around 1800 that I have no idea how to look after and would love to find a better home for. Thanks a lot!

The V&A would be delighted with it.

Beautiful! I love a loud 80s garish shirt

I don’t have any vintage clothes, but have a huge collection of jewellery: Victorian and also lots from the 40s and 50s including lea stein brooches. My dad started collecting them for me years ago and they were quite cheap then.

I read an article by the costume designer for Downton Abbey, and was surprised at how many original garments they wore! Obviously stood up to the rigours of filming!

The costumes were the one thing that kept me watching after I became so irritated by the absurd story lines. Pleased to find some were original.

We have a couple of family christening gowns, one late one early Victorian. The older one is very fragile now but lovely to look at. It wasn't originally made as a christening gown though - it was one of a set of day dresses for the baby! Lots of handmade lace and embroidery.

My children are wearing some of their grandparents' clothes back to early 1960s/late 1950s. My 18 yr old daughter loves my mother's old guides jacket - thick wool belted waistlength jacket with a lovely lining. I used to wear it in my early teens but grew out of it; she's going to be wearing it a lot longer I think. Her brother can wear my father's first suit.

Oh I love vintage clothing, sadly I am too big for most of what I have now.

My absolute favourite item is a pair of emerald green 1920s silk shoes with crystal buttons. Incredibly comfortable too. They belonged to my grandmother, I wore a pair of her shoes as my something old when I got married too.