Do you miss any clothes you no longer have?

[IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads]

When I was in 6th form (1980!) had a cardigan from Next - when Next were only a few years old and were a good quality, slightly above average shop for thinking women's workwear. It wasn't that amazing, but it worked really well for me.

It was lambswool. Boyfriend style (except it wasn't called that then, it was just a v neck cardy then). Not too thick for summer, not too thin for winter. It was just the right shade of cornflower blue to make my eyes pop, and made me just look amazing. It was long enough to reach the top of my trousers (I have a long back, this is my holy grail in tops). Slightly oversize. Slightly oversize, but not chunky, pearl buttons. I wore it to pieces, literally.

I have tried to replace it so many times over the years. Nothing is ever quite right. Woolovers did a good blue a few years ago, but the cardigan was too short and the buttons too fiddly. Two or three other "cornflower" or "bluebell" pieces have proven to actually be drab, smokey, RAF blue. It needs to be lambswool. I'm can't wear synthetics without stinking! I'm too rough for anything delicate like merino or cashmere. (TBH, I'd settle for Shetland wool if everything else was perfect).

I do miss that cardigan.

The cardigan sounds awesome.

I miss all my grunge/hippy/ indie kid phase clothes. I remember one of those tight retro style Adidas t-shirts in light blue with dark blue stripes, worn with a blue and white check wrap skirt and blue sambas! I wish I had those still.
I also had an amazing tie dye rainbow t-shirt with sequins on it?
And my first pair of platforms, from miss selfridges. I was pestering my mum for ages but finally got them aged 12.

I also wish my mum had saved all her cute clothes from the 60s and 70s. But she said back then they just never thought things would come 'back in' as she hated her mother's dress sense!

I had a marvellous pair of very short surfer shorts which I bloody loved.

Tragically, 20 years on, i no longer have the thighs to wear very short surfer shorts even if I could find a replacement.

Maybe that's what so marvellous about a lambswool cardigan, it doesn't require a hot-bod. I'm probably more suited to it at fifty something than I was as a teen.

I had a great cardigan about 20years ago it was a proper length and it had a zip it was fab I think I got it from Bay trading 😀 and it was the comfiest cardi, I.had to bin I'm because it was falling to bits.

A tan (real) leather trench from Dorothy Perkins, bought around 1999 or 2000. It was really retro and I loved it, no idea why I ever got rid of it but have always regretted it.

Real wool coat from Dot P, Peter pan collar and big buttons, 60s style. Really beautifully cut. Nicked from a cloakroom. Bastard.

You don't often see fully natural materials at that price point now.

God, so much stuff! I bought a whole new wardrobe when I lost weight then gave it all to charity when I put the weight back on.
Now Im back to the same size and Im kicking myself! (but I really never thought I would be able to lose that much weight again so Im not mad!).

What springs to mind is a gorgeous pair of tweed wide legged 1940s style trousers, also a denim Penny Lane coat that I would love to own now.

I had a real suede trench coat from river island in light beige i never worn it much as worried about getting it dirty, my biggest regret is a midi brown suede skirt , mind you I don't think it would fit me now I'm a size bigger.

A white mohair full length coat I got in a charity shop for £4 in about 1999 - it was dubbed the polar bear coat by friends. So warm and cute, I went to get it out of the cupboard two years ago and I think I donated it in a cleaning spree that summer- why would I do that?

A black, fine jersey dress I bought in 1986/87. It was fitted above the waist (no stretch), then four wide skirt panels descended from the waist to just below the top of my calf. Big shoulder pads. Long, straight sleeves to the wrist bone. It moved beautifully and didn't crease. It cost £5 from a shop on Tottenham Court Road. I wore it countless times and loved it because it fitted as if it had been made for me.

I miss a pair of patchwork leggings I had when I was at uni.

They were incredibly expensive but so badly made that every wash exposed a new seam that needed fixing, I must have re-sown the whole thing eventually.

God I loved them (not they'd go anywhere near middle aged me these days...)

How long have I got? Ok I'll try and focus: All the broohaha about the return of boho has reminded me of two long, bias cut Ghost skirts (original Ghost), with elasticated waists so no issues about whether they'd still fit 20 years later, but that I let go because I was a bloody idiot and listened to Trinny and Susannah when they said I was the wrong shape.

I'm too rough for anything delicate like merino or cashmere.

That really made me laugh, as you sound exactly like me just never thought of it in quite that way, but your wording sums it up perfectly.

Yes I had 2 pairs of DM boots in the 90s that I really really wish I'd kept!

Also a beautiful purple velvet jacket - probably wouldn't fit me now but maybe with the buttons open!

I had a pair or two of beautiful Next black wide leg trousers with a turn up. I'm sure I'd love them now.

I still have it, but clearly on it's last legs. Cowl neck, drapey cashmere short sleeve sweater in beautiful sky blue. Super flattering, goes with eveything. Can't find a replacement, they are all either too thick, too thin, too thin or too baggy.

After I finished uni in the late 90s and brought all my stuff back home, I had a bin-bag of clothes I hadn’t finished unpacking. My dad thought I didnt want them anymore and took them to the charity shop! There was a gorgeous long floral print Oasis dress in there that I loved, a 70s suede jacket that was amazing, and other things besides - I could have cried, in fact I did, a lot! Suppose I should have been quicker with my unpacking…

I don't want anything back, as in to wear but I often wish I had photographed certain things for nostalgia reasons as it would be fun to look back on my childhood/teen clothes now.

I had a navy blue French Connection fine lambswool dress, this would be about 1990. I also wore a two piece lilac French Connection skirt and top. Plus I had a. mint Green top and skirt, designer unknown that I loved and a suede chocolate brown mini skirt from Naf Naf. That’s skirt got ruined when I fell over in beer sludge at The Moseley Dance centre in about 1995.

I have kept a fake fur mini skirt and see through bright turquoise Naf Naf top from 1990.

A man's corduroy jacket given to me by a schoolfriend. I think she had got it from a charity shop. I wore it all through uni and then got a job in the City and decided it no longer fitted my putative lifestyle. Turned out the City lifestyle (and the job) wasn't me and I could probably still wear it now!

Yes, lots of clothes I miss. I had a gorgeous lilac crepe de chine dress from Bus Stop. Most posters will be too young to remember the label but it was considered very chic in the 70's. I also had an Afghan dress brought back by friends who did the "hippy trail". I wore it to the Glastonbury festival in 1971. Then there was the amazing Victorian silk shawl embroidered with birds of paradise that I bought in a second hand shop.

I had a pair of genuine 1970s flares, bought from the Birmingham rag market in the 90s. I did literally wear them to death. I have never worn anything that suited me so well, or felt more 'me'. They fell apart.

I also had a brown leather duffle type fitted jacket with a hood, that got stolen in a burglary when I was living abroad.

A pair of dark indigo purple wide flares from miss Selfridge circa 1998. Skin tight to the knee. They were just the right amount of stretch vs structure. Low rise… but didn’t expose your bum when you bent over.

They were a size 10, but not a generous 10 at all and unfortunately I outgrew them within a few years…

But they were so awesome (both in my memory and as a 15 year old!).

A floaty Indian gauze cotton boho dress in the mid 70’s. It was beautiful! Green with embroidery and I’m the same size so I wish if kept it, I’d float about in it again, but this time without the perm!
Also a beautiful floral cord fitted shirt dress from Laura Ashley. I wore it so much that it worn thin and had to be thrown away.
Back in the 70’s I only ever had a couple of couple things at any one time, these 2 were my favourites. I’ve only got a photo of me in the green one sadly

Mid 90s. A cream shirt from Pilot with a long cuff and a big collar. It tied at the waist so showed a bit of my tummy but not too much. I was 24, clubbing every weekend and looked amazing...
These days- no chance!