The Test of Time
A collection of stories about the most cherished and oldest items in our wardrobes
Hi — Happy New Year! I don’t normally make New Year’s resolutions, as I already keep goals and lists going for myself throughout the year. It’s funny that I did sign up for a Pilates app on New Year’s Day though.
When
asked me to contribute my 2025 style resolution for her newsletter, (a fun read, full of inspiring style resolutions from an incredible group of Substack writers), it gave me a chance to reflect on how I want to approach my personal style and wardrobe this year. Over the past few years, I have been much more intentional about each item I purchase and wearing what I already own, which led me to dig into what my oldest, and more cherished items in my closet are, and the reasons why I’ve held onto them, and why they are meaningful.I always love pieces that stand the test of time, maybe because the designs are classic and timeless or the materials just get more beautiful over time. They are treasured, mark a significant moment in time, hold special stories from each occasion they’ve been worn, or may be the items that are always thrown over a chair to be worn in a multitude of ways throughout the week.
I was interested in hearing more of these personal stories, so I asked friends, Substackers, and those whose style I admire to share their favorite time-tested pieces of their wardrobe, and about why it’s stayed with them over the years. I love all of the personal stories they each hold. Hope you enjoy!
Jac Cameron, Rùadh Founder and Creative Director
Some of my earliest memories are of my mother pottering around her garden in rural Scotland in a pair of high rise light wash vintage wrangler jeans.
My mother lives in denim, refuses the concept of a legging or sweat pant which I admire and which might have fueled my obsession with denim from the onset.
I procured this jean from her when I was roughly 17 and claimed them as my own, styling them with my vintage military jacket and bucket hat I picked up at Beyond retro in London.
My mother bought them in the 70's, wore them so much she destroyed the knees, I love them because they are a true testament to the longevity of a garment carefully cared for. They also show the passage of time in a beautifully undeniable way.
They have been with me since the day I "borrowed" them and still make an appearance from time to time although I am very careful with them for sentimental reasons.
I have collected many jeans over the years and use them as jumping-off points when I am designing however these are the most personal, the details and fit are on point to this day!
I bought this Ann Demeulemeester dress the day before leaving for a new life in NYC in the Fall of 1998. Having never felt I belonged in Blake, the Chicago minimalist boutique that carried cutting edge designers, I mustered the courage to finally enter that day — it couldn’t be harder than moving across the country solo, I mused. There were no cell phones or selfies to commemorate this, my first luxury purchase — it's what fashion editors called a fashion UFO; a grey wool sheet with five holes. In the 26 years I’ve lived in, and loved, this garment it’s been worn a half dozen ways thanks to the accompanying sketches and oversize silver pin. I will never relinquish it as it represents not only the best in avant-garde creativity, but a moment of fierce independence and courage. My dream of breaking into fashion in New York came true. I will always believe this dress had something to do with it.
When you asked me, I knew immediately which piece it would be! In 2009, I was shopping in Soho and walked into the now-closed Sportmax store at Prince & W. Broadway. I immediately fell in love with a silk ombre dress with large silk covered paillettes sewn onto the bottom half. It was from the brand's S/S 2008 collection and I felt like my best self in it! I loved the delicate sheer ombre, the clack of the paillettes, and its overall ethereal quality. I soon found out that sitting down in that dress without bending the paillettes was challenging! But, no matter: from 2009 to 2013-ish, I wore it to a dozen or so weddings and other events, including twice as a bridesmaid. I wore it exactly like it was styled on the runway with a gold chain belt cinching my waist. My lifestyle changed after I had kids in 2014, so the dress sat in a dustbag for the next eight years. In 2022, I pulled it out again and have worn it a couple of times since. Interestingly, wearing it belted doesn’t feel right anymore so now I wear it uncinched. I keep it because I still wear it, but also because buying the dress felt like a milestone moment. It was my first big purchase and in doing so, it felt like I entered a different stage of my life. I lent it to a friend and, sadly, her dry cleaners shrunk the silk sheathes so they’re not circular anymore. But, c’est la vie. I’m not too precious about my clothes, even my most special pieces.
One of my most long standing wardrobe items is a vintage Grateful Dead T-shirt. In truth, it is my husband’s, but I have a what’s his is mine, what’s mine is mine mentality. It’s a cherished possession, not just because — much to people’s surprise — I like the Grateful Dead, but because he was wearing this t-shirt when I met him 22 years ago in Seoul, Korea. The t-shirt is holding on by a thread, but I feel like there is nothing worse than a fresh pristine band tee. The piece will always be sentimental to me, because it was the conversation starter that turned into us dating, getting married, and raising children together.
Melissa Caminiti, Visual / Creative
Ok so it's my Gucci bag. I got it when I was 24 bc my friend worked at Bottega Veneta, and she got 50% off one bag for a friend. The bag was $1,000 retail so I got it for $500.
At the time it was a huge sum of money for me but I knew it (or thought) it would be my only chance to have one in a lifetime! Almost 20 years later with the GG's slightly worn down by only me I love it even more. The chain is so heavy and nicely made. My new Gucci doesn't even compare. I'll keep it til I'm an old Nana and pass to Penny when she's old enough to treasure it.
Olivia Villanti, Founder of Chava Studio
One of my very first Chava samples remains a favorite and cherished piece to this day. It’s always hard for me to pick favorites but when I first tried this sample on I remember thinking “this is something I will never, ever part with.” Even if it gets frayed and gray. Ha!
I bought this Kate Spade skirt at 17 at a resale store in Des Moines. I wore it here for a college karaoke party and last year for NYE! I paid maybe $30 for it and it's proof that a staple doesn't have to be boring. I compare any other skirt I think about buying to this one x
I bought this black, silk dress from Club Monaco in 2015 (I haven’t shopped there in ages, but they used to have the best dresses!) It’s kind of a magic dress that doesn’t require a bra (love), is lightweight and comfortable, and somehow always fits perfectly despite all of my body changes over the years. I love the neckline and there are small cut outs on the side that nip my waist in just the right place.
I wore it to two weddings that year and have hung onto it ever since because you never know when you might need a great black dress, and it will never go out of style.
The piece I cherish most in my closet is a Metallica graphic tee from Hot Topic, a gift from my best friend during our high school days—junior or senior year, I think. It holds a special place in my heart because it came from someone who truly saw me, and I hope they felt the same in return. Over the years, the shirt has accumulated its fair share of rips and tears, to the point where it’s barely wearable, but I could never part with it. It’s a tangible reminder of our connection and one of the few pieces of clothing that has traveled with me since I left Virginia about seven years ago.
I’ve admired my mom’s Cartier tank watch for as long as I can remember (I think she got it in ’79 around the time she became a big-wig in advertising)— To me, it represented glamorous, chic women living exciting lives just like her. I love how it’s a classic, never feels flashy and looks right with anything. And even when I’m dressed way down, it makes me feel a little fancy, but most of all it always makes me feel close to my mom every time I have it on.
I have more vintage denim jackets than I’d like to admit, because they’re all different in their own special ways. One of my all-time favorites is my boys’ Maverick— You can tell from the fade, light stains, and repairs that I’ve gotten a lot of wear out of it. I love it as as a shirt or a layer under a nice coat or blazer. And it’s as soft as any PJs. Maybe even softer.
I have cherished this vintage beaded cardigan because it belonged to my aunt (dad’s side of my family!) she was a pretty well-known (in the Chinese community) Chinese opera performer in San Francisco who lived a very glamorous life but spent her last years as a Buddhist monk in New Mexico. I always wonder what special events she wore this on so I always think of her when I wear it.
While we’re on this topic, can we discuss the clothes we hang onto that don’t get worn anymore? Prime example: my 2008-ish J.Crew Schoolboy Blazer. While the fit is much too shrunken for the year 2025, I cannot fathom getting rid of it. It sits in my underbed clothing storage, and whenever I see it I’m reminded of that scary exciting time when I was finishing college, felt like a grown-up already, and had unbridled (yet, in hindsight, vague) ambitions. My J.Crew blazer felt, to me, the perfect way to communicate all of that feeling to the world. It’s like a piece of my personal history.
My Lauren Manoogian sweater(s) are my favorite. Every year, I cannot wait to pull them out of storage. The one I'm wearing in the photo has been my go-to this season. I have 5 of her capote coats and cardigans in my collection. LM pieces are my go-to because I don't like wearing big coats. I much rather layer over long sleeves and hoodies. Also, the socks I'm wearing are by Imogene and Willie. I've had them for a long time. They make me happy, have no holes after YEARS, and haven't gotten lost in the wash and gone to sock heaven. In my mind, this makes them my good luck socks. LOL.
I am fortunate enough to own several items that mean so much to me…but perhaps one of the most cherished clothing items I own is this classic tweed Chanel jacket that I purchased from The Real Real back in 2015. It was my first “major” designer purchase and an item I researched and wanted for over a year before I finally found the perfect one. A Chanel jacket is about as classic as it comes, so it’s a timeless outfit completer. But even more importantly than that, it’s a piece that always reminds me of how hard I worked to own something I wanted for so long!
The things I keep are one of two categories—things with sentimental value and basics. I get the gift of cherishing things from my late mother—a woman some would call a hoarder, but I would call an archivist. There is a clear distinction in my mind—archiving things involves things that hold memory and experience and sometimes even sorrow. I wrote about how I drycleaned much of her wardrobe when she died for Vogue last year. While it feels nearly impossible to select a single item (given the sheer amount of clothing I own) I’ve selected something that I haven’t worn in almost two decades. When my mother was 12 she hand stitched patches onto a pair of shorts, a logo from a gas station, fabric from her brother’s Hawaiian shirts, Snoopy, a stop sign at the crotch. I grew out of them when I was 10. During a recent exercise of moving everything around my apartment, I framed them and hung them above my mirror. Even though I can’t wear them, they are emblematic of the pieces in my closet that are the most treasured to me, which are things that have my mother’s hand stitches in them. Like this red dress that she made from a pattern in the 80s that I wore for my friend Daniela’s visual piece called Inheritance.
I realized that the things I’ve kept over the years are all sorts of bags, leather shoes, and heaps of denim, which are the same things I’ve always loved most. As I’ve been using my old LV duffle from over 20 years ago, and it was fun thinking back to when I first bought it.
I had just finished my first design job, working for Marc Jacobs, and before starting a new job designing for Michael Kors, I treated myself to this Louis Vuitton duffle. I felt like it was a classic and beautifully made piece that I would use forever, so it felt justifiable to splurge on a luxury item, even if it meant having to eat instant ramen for the next several months. It marked a time in my life where I felt like I could buy myself something fancy, with my own money, and it made me feel proud to do that.
I loved smelling the vachetta leather trim, feeling the texture of the coated canvas, enjoying the luxurious brass zipper, imagining I’d one day pass it down to my daughter.
Ever since I can remember, I loved painting patterns or colors on everything - from bags, to sneakers, to Birkenstocks, and even my denim. It was an easy way to personalize things, add something that felt special and unique to otherwise ubiquitous things.
To my mother’s dismay, I started painting polka dots on it as soon as I got home with the bag. She didn’t understand why I would ruin such a beautifully made bag. I really loved the white dots against the iconic LV logos.
I remember bringing it into the office years later when I was working at Madewell, and as I was riding up the elevator with @jennalyonsnyc she said she loved my bag.
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This was SUCH a fun read!!! God I love Substack haha. I never wanted this newsletter to end!!
Loved the introduction to other women who are on Substack, really enjoyed the read. Thank you.