survival of the fittest: clothes

I said farewell this year to a T-shirt first worn by my mother in the late sixties, thus making it over 30 years old when it finally started to fall apart. It started navy blue and ended pale lilac.

I bought i grey sweater when i was 11 - worn by every member of my family a various points, has bleach and fat stains on it, still fits like a glove - 14 years old and looks pretty cool now

Oldest article of clothing I still wear: a black v-necked jumper that my mum wore in high school. This is over 40 years old. Frayed at the cuffs, but that means I can stick my thumbs through.

Oldest article of clothing I don't wear: a real fox stole worn by my great-grandmother. Over a hundred years old. They left the head and the feet and everything on, so when you wear it, it looks like you are being strangled by a fox. Even before I became a vegetarian, I was horrified by this thing. Yes, I know that this fox would be dead a hundred times over by now, even if it had been left in a field, but it still disturbs me cause it's got these lifelike glass eyes. Ugh!

I presume that we can't count family heirloom jewellery as clothes, either? I mean, we've got a silver shoebuckle from 1745 or something. (you can take the girl out of her class, but you can't take the class out of ... erm, never mind. Yes you can.)

strangled by a fox

more "sinister saki" answers

I have a big old hefty overcoat that's over 25 years, but it's a bit hideous and really hot and heavy, so I don't wear it much. It'll probably outlive me.

My Milk & Cheese T-shirt - "Gin makes a man mean! Everybody booze up and riot!" - dates back to well before I could legally drink, and certainly to before I could handle my gin. Full of holes now.

I had a Joy Division t-shirt (that I finally threw out in January) that I'd had for 12 years. I've got a couple of pairs of nice trousers I've had for 8 or 9 years that I still like and are still in good nick but my older and wiser waistline isn't compatible with.

Do ties count? I've got a few ties that are over 40 years old.

A black Lord & Taylor turtleneck cashmere sweater of indeterminate vintage that I bought at a thrift store. I've had it 16 years. The thing is indestructible.

My New Order shirt from 1989. Rather long lived, it is.