My mum knitted this hat in 1984, and it has been worn by me and my two siblings and now by my own two kids. I'm hoping to pass it on to my nephew soon! This is my two kids wearing it.

#getredressed #redressasia

This dress is not the only vintage piece I own, but it is definitely one of my favourites and as such, the story behind it is 23 years long and a bit exotic. This velvet piece belongs to those times, when, back in my country town in Bulgaria, most of my clothes were tailor made. Ever since I was a little girl, i got used to shop for fabrics with mom, fantasise over the design of my clothes, and, watch mom and grandma create beautiful skirts, tops and even hats and handbags for me…This was the most cost effective way for my mom to allow my sister and me to be unique and to enjoy beautiful clothes while paying the bills…The two yards of blue velvet became at first a long jumpsuit. After a couple of years I decided to shorten it to the knees. I think this is when transforming the piece became a mission and we made a dress out of it. However, the dress you are seeing in this picture is not the original version as, after a while, I changed the buttons. Changing the buttons gave new life to the dress and I wore it, once again, with confidence and gratitude. What’s next? Hm…perhaps a beautiful embroidery? Yes, I do have something in mind ;-)

How old is the oldest piece of clothing in your wardrobe? Do you still wear it?

When coaching my clients, we often talk about fashion consumption and what it means for the environment. In honour of #GetRedressed campaign The Hunt for the Oldest Clothing, I challenged myself in finding the oldest still in use piece of clothing in my wardrobe. This silk dress was my grandmother, it was handmade in her sister’s clothing store in Italy. It moved from Italy to Holland and to Hong Kong with me, I’ve been wearing it for 15 years, but it must be at least 50 years old. I cherish it and wear it every time I want to feel closer to my roots.

The jacquard jacket pictured here is by the Japanese designer Kenzo, which I purchased in 1989. Whilst it may not be the oldest piece of clothing in my wardrobe, it is my most treasured 🥰 Back in 1986, my love for Kenzo’s designs led me to rekindle a friendship with an old school friend from Hong Kong whom I met accidentally outside the Kenzo boutique in Brook Street, London! She had just finished shopping there while I was on my way in! We had lost touch after our A-Levels when she had left to further her studies in USA while I remained in UK. Little did I know then that this renewal of friendship would lead me to meeting one of her HK friends who became my husband six years later, and the reason why today I am living here in this wonderful city! The left of the picture shows me wearing the jacket in 1989 on my way out for a date night with my then boyfriend-now-husband 🥰 The right of the photo shows me wearing the same jacket last week, styled with a red / pink Kenzo scarf, purchased in 1987, and worn as a headscarf to show my support and solidarity with all women currently battling cancer, this being Pink October month as well!

Vintage dress made by my mother in the 60s, so over 50 years old. I'm one of 7 children, and my parents were born during the depression. My mom was always very frugal with her clothing. Making most of her dresses and only buying quality clothing. Worn by me to the Save the Children Gala Sept 2018. Mom finally decided during my summer visit in 2018 that she probably wouldn't have an occasion to wear it again (given that she was 94 at the time and not going out so much anymore🤣) and that I could have it. I modified it slightly, adding a belt and making the front V just a tad lower. The belt is a 7 year old belt from JCrew, which I had a to add, as my mother is smaller than me, so I couldn't pull the dress down fully, it had to blouse a little bit to give me more room in the bum. Received a ton of compliments. Just goes to show that well made classics never go out of style. 💕 Additionally, this year, starting in January, I took a pledge not to buy anything new for the year. I have been documenting this journey with daily pictures and commentaries on my FB page in the album 365 No New Clothing Challenge #GetRedressed #redressasia

This elegant cashmere coat, slim cut with 3/4 sleeves, was custom made for my mom back in the late 60s. Love it ever since I Found it in my mom’s closet back in 2000. It is not only still so relevant to fashion but also the only piece that my mom has kept from the old days. Note the label with the tailor’s 5 digital tel. No. It is 50+ years old!

My 18-year old cheongsam. I had it made during my first trip to HK (I grew up in Canada) when I was 15, and I wore it as my prom dress. We had it made at a tailor’s shop in TST, and the South Asian tailor spoke Cantonese and French! I remember that vividly, when my mom muttered to me in French about the price being too high 😆.

I have worn this dress 3 times in my life; once for prom, once for a black tie event, and now most recently for Mid-Autumn Festival dress up day at my school.

I’ve had 2 babies, and this dress still fits! 💪🏾 I can even pop open the snap buttons by exhaling #whatsyoursuperpower. There was not much sitting down on the day I wore it to school 😆

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It’s a woolen hat, that you can wear cuffed or slouched. It was my mom’s! She passed away in 2016 but she actually gave it to me around 2010. She thought it was funny I wore it “slouchy”. I’m not exactly sure how old it is, I have a picture of my mom wearing the hat in 1985, but it wasn’t new then, I guess it’s from the late 70s.

A simple navy Crop Top. This little piece was my Aunt's (mom's older sister!) back when she was young, she gave it to me when I came home from uni after noticing that crop tops were something I wore often and I've been wearing it non-stop all summer! It’s probably 20 Years old.

Ironically the (likely) most valuable item in my wardrobe is vintage #Dior that I got from a clothes swap in 2014 with girlfriends. It’s special as it’s high-necked (one of my fav necklines) and actually surprisingly conservative for an evening gown, which I wore to a charity event. This is the foxiest angle on it! I LOVE secondhand clothes and the stories they come with @GetRedressed #GetRedressed thankyou @kristinehavingfun for sharing it with me :)

It’s Autumn of 1995 (25 years ago) 🙈 and I was walking the streets of central London on a cold weekend. I am 18 years old and just started my first term at Uni away from home. I hadn’t really gone shopping on my own before that and was excited at the thought of ‘adulting’ on Oxford Street. I walked past Kookai and saw that they had a sale. Right at the front of the store were a bunch of clothing items and I saw this top for £2. It was so generic and could go on anything, and with a little bit of excitement I bought my first item of clothing on my own ☺️ since then, I have travelled the world and lived in different cities and homes and this top has always been by my side. You can wear it at home casual or as a throw on when we used to go partying or on an autumn day when it’s not too cold. #getredressed Redress Asia

My mother in-law give me this vintage dress, her best friend bought her this dress 29 years ago. This dress means a lot to her and pass it on to me because of my new found love for sewing and alteration. The story was that they went out somewhere in Sham Shui Po for lunch and my mother in-law saw this dress on display window and told her best friend what a nice dress. her friend then sneaked out and bought the dress for her. 💞