I forgot my late father’s Harris tweed blazer, from when he lived in the UK after WWII. It’s from sometime before 1959. Doesn’t fit me but did when I was slimmer, and I might be able to wear it again if I reach my target weight.
Yes and, except for the wedding dress, I still wear them.
Vintage can be 20+ years ago. So from late '90s-early '00 counts, too!
I have a chiffon pleated black shirt dress with pearl buttons down front. I bought it at Bergdorf Goodman in the 80s. I gave it to D2 few years ago. Recently she wore it with a pair of black boots. She looked great in it.
I have one gorgeous sleeveless floor length, fitted Hawaiian muumuu from the late 60s, early 70s. Its Hawaiian barkcloth, and fully lined, the floral pattern is in deep aquas and greens. I want to take it to O’ahu the next time I go and have the owner of Bailey’s (the best vintage Hawaiian shirt store) take a look at it. I’m willing to sell it, but not giving it away.
I wore my Dad’s Marine Corp jacket the other day. I used to wear it on Vietnam War marches. 
Most things that I’ve hung on to have been purged over the years. Sometimes I feel a tinge of regret and sometimes not.
A mid-80s blush pink bomber style leather jacket with major shoulder pads. My DD has custody of it.
Is it off thread if I ask if anyone BUYS vintage clothing?
That was my interpretation of the thread upon seeing it because I am not a clothes saver and don’t have things of my own!
I worked retail at a couple of women’s clothing stores in the mid-80s.
I still have a couple of “really nice” (to me at the time) things from that era, including a Jones NY jacket in my favorite colors with big shoulder pads that I hardly ever wore even then.
My mom died 3 years ago this month, and I would venture a guess that she kept the first Gunne Sax dress I ever had, for my first junior high dance, until close to her death. She could wear it, and she had a really hard time letting go of things.
I have at least one Disney sweatshirt because my mom used to buy and wear so much of that stuff, and it reminds me of her.
I have my wedding dress from 1987, and I also have the outfit I wore for my second wedding in 2001.
I have more clothes than I should from 20ish years ago.
I have done multiple sorts/dumps of things in the last year or so, and I’m getting more ruthless each time.
I am trying to channel my inner @Hoggirl, and let go of LOTS of things I wouldn’t want to take to the retirement destination (if there even is one).
I have a lot of old clothes of my own. (Sometimes I notice them in my kids baby albums… then become more keen to keep.) Some of them my grandmother sewed (for me or my mom_… I’ve convinced myself it is ok to give away some, as long as I keep a few favorites.
I also have some vintage 50s dresses from my mother in 1950s. The orange polka dot one is fun for dressing up as “Lucy” on halloween. The pretty dance gowns have not been worn. Last year I did give away many pairs of dressy gloves but kept a few.
When we were prepping our house for sale last year I bit the bullet and donated almost all the stuff I’d been hanging on to. One of my work colleagues who’s into clothing was aghast when I told him I donated a bunch of 1990’s Boss and Armani suits.
The one thing I did hang on to is a 90’s Issey Miyake windcoat which has a funny story behind its purchase for me and W, and it’s actually worth some real cash.
W has a couple dresses from her mother that she actually wears every once in a while and always gets compliments and people asking where she got them.
Is last year considered vintage?
I have three vintage designer dresses of my grandmother’s including one that she wore to my mother’s wedding (and my mother wore to my sister’s wedding and I almost wore to my S’s wedding 
). It was featured in an ad for Bergdorf Goodman back in the day and my mom gave me the clipping. Another I wore to my sister’s rehearsal dinner and the third has been worn by my D. On the other end of the spectrum I have two vintage t-shirts from my college days - they are in tatters but hold a lot of memories.
And then, sadly, there are the mink coats. I have my mother’s, which she got in 1966, and my MIL’s – I don’t know when she got it. I’ve never known what to do with them. I did wear my mother’s, in late 1984 and early 1985, when I was pregnant with S1 and then had S1. I absolutely froze that winter, which is why I wore it. Turns out I was extremely hypothyroid, which is why I was so damn cold. The mink coat was wonderfully warm.
I also have my mother’s mink coat, probably mid 60’s also. It doesn’t fit me, it’s really pretty. I won’t get rid of it because it was hers. I had thought of turning it into a vest, it hits at the hip. But nah,…
When my husband’s grandmother died his mother asked if any of us wanted grandma’s mink stole. We all just shuddered and declined. After a few years I think I would have had it made into pillow covers . Those poor minks were long dead, nobody would be influenced to buy or to not buy fur by the bedroom toss pillows.
@1214mom - While I certainly hope to be inspiring, I am a firm believer that everyone should have/do what they want. If keeping certain things makes you happy, you should do it. It took me a LONG time to get on the downsizing bandwagon.
Someone upthread pondered why we keep this vintage clothing. Really, it could be absolutely anything at the end of that query: “Why do we keep ____________?” There can be many valid answers, but one reason out of necessity is that we have the physical space for them. I absolutely filled up the majority of the space I had in all our previous homes. I have never been a cluttered person, but cabinets, closets, etc got filled because I had the room.
I am certainly no minimalist when it comes to clothing - it’s definitely my weakness, but I don’t have vintage items. I think it’s cool that many of you do.
EDIT - I will add that my mom held onto all kinds of things - clothing included - forever. She also had a wide range of sizes in her clothing because her weight fluctuated. So. many. clothes. Cleaning out my parents’ 4,000 sq foot home was no fun. I do think that sometimes our past experiences influence the direction we take. That experience has made me less inclined to hold onto things (any things), in general.
For a long time I held onto a few silk shirts with cutout embroidery bought in HK and made in China in the 70s. The workmanship was lovely. I have a dress made and worn by my great grandmother, who was an Iowa farm wife. Lots of sweet pintucks and gathering and I could wear it age 19 or so. I bought and wore a lot of vintage clothing in the '70s, dresses made with beautiful detailing from the '40s through the '50s. About the only thing left is a crushed silk velvet dress that did fit at one point post children, but not this point. That velvet is a pleasure to touch.
I have a dress I wore as a toddler. My mother always said these things were expensive and I’d be glad to have them for my girls. Nope, It sits on an old doll stuffed on a closet shelf. Umm, next to my Betsy Wetsy doll from maybe 1st grade.
Have the all-lace dress my mother almost wore to her wedding. Designer, early 1950’s, falling apart. Inappropriate for a wedding, lol. Maybe if someone was playing Miss Haversham on stage they’d wear it. Low on the shoulders, with the big bouffant skirt that fans around it.
The other treasure is a black silk with lace trim dress, I always thought my grandmother made her for some formal, probably college aged. I wish we could share pix of all our old keepers. Then there’s the black felt cloche hat, from Paris, mid-40s.
My mother tended to buy great looking pieces at upscale stores, on sale, never wore most of them. I kept some of her silk or silky pants suits, lovely and wearable. Now just need someplace to wear them! Dang covid.
Btw, Jane Fonda said she no longer needs to shop, just goes into her own closets. As for my own 70s and 80s things, including college clothes-- I can never find them just when D1 needs a retro outfit.
Losing weight complicates letting go. All sorts of things now fit.