Dressing heirlooms and handme downs

[SophiaRose]

My sisters and I had to put my elderly mother into an assisted living home recently. While boxing up her nick knacks and various other articles of her wardrobe I found a few sets of clip on earrings I remember her wearing since I was a kid. It was a bitter sweet moment for me since I knew no one else in the family would value clip-ons from our mother the same way I would. So, I added them to my collection without making an announcement about them or feeling any guilt. I also came across her wig from the 60s I remember sitting atop her bureau over the decades. It was in great shape and of course I tried it on. I didn?t grab it since it was a curly bob that made me look a little too much like she did ironically. Weird. I didn?t realize the emotions such small items could elicit. Do any of you have any cherished heirlooms or hand me downs as part of your dressing collection? How does it make you feel when you wear them?

[KrissyTN]

Lost in a purge, years ago, but the item was a Playtex "all in one" girdle with open bottom & garters. Until I discovered this item in an abandoned pile of clothes in the basement and repaired one of the garters on it - I had no idea or at least it had not occurred to me there was such a thing. My mom, who's clothes I had "borrowed" included pantyhose, but no stockings. I was around 12 or 13 I would say when I discovered the girdle and I kept it for years -enjoying and loving the look and feel of it, especially the satin panel in the back.

But, alas, it was purged and I truly do miss it - for the item it was and the connection to my grandmother who wore stockings pretty much every day. A long gone era....

[Debbie Denier]

My mothers full length slip. Sadly lost in a purge a long time ago. Unlikely to fit me these days.

[bridget thronton]

I have some of my mom's and grammie's necklaces. Some were made by my mom.

[JulieC]

My mom is long gone, I have no conscious memory of my grandmothers, and I've had no sisters. So if there was anything, it would have been my mom's. But, circumstances around her death got a bit...difficult. It's a long story. I don't think I would have felt right wearing anything of hers anyway. There were some fabulous dancing/ball gowns she had, but they never would have fit me.

I went to an estate sale a couple of years back. The family was running it; it was their parents' stuff acquired over many decades. That must have been hard for them, but they seemed in pretty good spirits. Their mother's fashion sense was locked in from the 50s and early 60s, an era of fashion I really enjoy. I was tempted by several items of hers and she was even close enough to my size that I found some things that would have fit, but felt a bit awkward about buying these things in front of the family. I passed up the opportunity.

Another relative is nearing the end of her time. She has an absolutely enormous wardrobe, and a fashion sense that runs the gamut. But, even so, I don't find much of her wardrobe appealing. So, that will be a pass too probably. :/

[Kris Burton]

I have just one item - a ruby/gold ring that belonged to my Mom, a gift to her from my Dad. Quite nice actually on many levels. When dressed up en femme, I wear it frequently.

[JayBird]

I found several sets of clip on, they were more popular in the 60s and 70s for sure. A couple of them I remember and I do like wearing them for style and to remember her. She didn?t know about Jay, but maybe suspected?. Probably thought I grew out of it.

I also have two purses and two necklaces. The purses are great, one casual leather that I use mostly and the other beaded fancy, which I have used going to jazz clubs.

The necklaces do not have a pendent so I wear them a lot more in male mode than femme mode actually. I get compliments on them in both male and femme mode and are definitely my most cherished pieces.

[alwayshave]

When my mom died she had a lot of jewelry, I had my sister give me a a bracelet, ostensibly for my wife. It is an amethyst tennis bracelet.

[chrissy111]

I have my moms engagement ring, which lucky enough I was able to get it sized to fit me.

[il.dso]

Many, many powerful and treasured memories of wearing my mother's and sister's clothes.
Have a precious lipstick of my Mother's, everything else lost to history...

[Rhonda Jean]

My mother didn't get her ears pierced till she was about 40. I was about 9 or 10. She gave me a half dozen pair of her clip-ons which I kept until sometime in my 20's and threw them out. I wasn't wearing them anymore and at the time they just seemed like cheap jewelry. Not many years later I regretted getting rid of them. I'd love to have them now, just as a keepsake.

[Cheryl T]

I have none.
No siblings and mom was much shorter than I. Nothing of hers would fit me.
Some things I bought years ago and loved and wished I had now are gone thanks to one of my early purges. A beautiful dress and a few pair of shoes are what I wish I had kept. Funny how styles return and those would have been right in fashion now.

[MsEva]

Yes, I have two rings that were sort of passed down to me. One ring had six birthstones so I guess it was Grand Mom's as she had six kids. Another was a cocktail ring with another birthstone that I treasure. I wear them all the time as it makes me feel sort of connected to my mom and family. I also have a blue Newport News Pantsuit that my MIL used to wear all the time when traveling on a plane. My dear wife gave that to me on her passing. I don't know why she would wear that for traveling as you nearly need to strip all the way down to use the restroom but she did. It has a matching button down sweater to complete the look. She was about my height about six foot. She used to look so pretty in it. With my recent choice of gray hair, I could pass for her offspring. She also had a full length leather coat that was so pretty. I used to wear it a lot, but alas with the estate my SIL took control of that and I think she sold it. I so miss that beautiful coat. Oh well be thankful for what you have not what you have lost right?

[nancy58]

My mother died in 2023, and yes, I took a couple of pairs of clip-on earrings and a golden dogwood brooch. My wife died 8 weeks ago, and I plan on adding a few items from her jewelry box to my own before passing the rest on to my daughter and nieces. I am certain that my mother would be horrified, and my wife would probably be semi-disgusted (but I hope not). I loved them both, and these mementos are treasures to me.

[JulieC]

Nancy, whatever your wife's reactions may have been, I think you're entitled to a few items of hers not despite her disgust but because she's a person whom you love. It's a way to cherish her, even if it's not in a way she would have liked.

[NancyTO]

I have a few costume necklaces and bracelets from my Mom that I wear occasionally. As well as two fur coats, that of course are a no no to wear these days.

[JesseVF]

My wife gave me a necklace that had been given to her by one my sisters who passed a while ago.
I would like to have something of my mothers but another sister has all of it and of course has no clue.

[Maria 60]

I wrote about this a few years back. My aunt was selling her house and moving to a retirement home and needed me to do some repairs to her home before she put it up for sale. She was packing her whole house and she asked me to look around if I wanted anything because she had to move out most of her things. When I was repairing something in her bedroom washroom I passed her bed and seen her slips. I remembered them clearly because when I was younger I stayed at her house many times and probably tried on most of them and especially enjoyed her cleaning and vacuuming the house just wearing a slip and pantyhose. I told her I wasn't interested in anything but I really was going to regret letting those slips go and I even walked out the door just to take a deep breath and get courage and I knocked back on her door. She asked me if I forget some tools there and why I came back and she asked me why I was so serious and nervous. I took a deep breath and in Italian I asked her if I could have some of her slips? It was funny she just looked at me with a grin almost like I didn't surprise her at all with that question. We went to her room and she asked me which ones I wanted and she seen my embarrassment and told me she wasn't taking any of them with her and if I wanted I could have them all. I believe I just nodded my head and she put them in a bag and told she put them in a hardware store bag so when I get home my wife won't suspect anything and she gave me a wink and a big huge and told me to relax. I still have them till this day, she was a very elegant women and always wore nice stuff. I'm really glad I got the courage because I really would have regretted it.

[Monique65]

I recently purchased a new flannel night gown and when I put it on my wife said all I needed were some pearls to go with it. The next morning I greeted her wearing the gown and a string of pearls that belonged to my mother. She said I looked lovely and when I offered to take them off, she insisted that I keep them on, as she liked how they looked. I haven’t worn them since, but I felt a strong connection with my mother, as I remember her wearing them when she dressed up.