Our much-loved clothes from yesteryear we won't part with

Elaine Eager of Gomersal wrote: ‘I have a royal blue wool Planet coat that I bought from Lewis’s in Leeds in about 1981. It is better-made and better material than any of the coats you could buy today. I bought it in the sales, still wear it and still like it.’

Elaine Eager in her much-loved coat from Planet

Shirley Thompson wrote: ‘Buttons from my late and much-loved mum's cardigan have been removed after the cardi disintegrated and have been re-used on more cardigans than I can count.

A dear - very slim- friend was gifted a lovely grey cashmere jumper which was two sizes too big for her so she passed it to me. I wore and washed it for three winters until it had shrunk to fit my friend - I then gave it back to her. She wore it for several more winters until she passed it to her smaller niece. It may still be going strong.

Another friend sent me an email reminding me of when we first met 26 years earlier, on holiday, and attached a photo of that occasion. I realised I was actually wearing the same cotton top I had on in the picture. I continued to use it until the seams gave out.

On that same holiday in Cornwall I visited a flea market and bought a long, very thin cotton shirt in bright rose pink, decorated in batique sprays of yellow and green flowers. The stallholder said she had bought it in Bali and wore it over her swimwear on the beach, so I did the same, and still do. It has had the collar, yolk and sleeves removed as they faded to grey and straps were added to the now gathered top. It's a much-admired sun dress which I took back to Cornwall with me this year.'

Shirley Thompson's sundress that used to be a shirt

Adds Shirley: 'I did a quick check of my wardrobe and realised that nearly everything has a long and distinguished history and that, without realising it, I appear to go to great lengths to preserve, adapt and re-use the things I love. Just about everything is over the 20year mark and I love them all: a little velvet jacket from C&A and a glorious mid length white fun fur from Etam among them.

"I suppose I could have a field day and boost my pension on Vinted if I only knew how to go about it, yet somewhere in my heart I harbour the dream that one day I'll have an excuse to wear them again.'

Maureen Robinson of York still I has dresses which she bought in the early 1980s ‘but only one fits me now,’ she writes.

‘They were bought for family weddings and two were bought for Christmas dances. One of the dance dresses I bought in 1981 in London, it is 1920s’ style, all the others were bought in York, two from Vivien Smith shop in the 1980s; the earliest dress I bought in Marks & Spencer in 1979. The oldest dress I have is 62 years-old - it’s my wedding dress. Are clothes better-made nowadays? That is something I don’t really know as I now buy very few clothes.

A selection of Maureen Robinson's dresses from the late 1970s/early 1980s

Maureen, wearing one of her favourite dresses that she still owns

‘ I also have all my stilettos - I have tried to put a pair on but my feet will not accept them anymore. My shoes are in a suitcase and just two pairs are on the shoe rack in the wardrobe. They are heeled shoes which I used to wear to go dancing. I certainly would not get rid of them as they bring good memories back of my younger days.

Maureen Robinson in 1981, wearing a favourite dress and stilettos

Maureen's shoes, which she wore to go dancing

Bill Shively writes: ‘I bought a white vest from Top Shop back in 1985 to wear on holiday in Rhodes that year. I still have it and it still fits, although I tend to save it for holidays and 80s’ dos. It brings back great memories of a holiday with good friends.’