The finest clothing made is a person's skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this. ~Mark Twain

Acumamakiki got me thinking about my favorite items of clothing I’ve ever owned. When you think about it, we all probably have closets filled with clothing, but only a few special outfits stand out for all time.

Here’s my list.

Blue spaghetti strapped nightgown: royal blue with a floaty long skirt. It fit me like a glove and I felt extraordinarily lovely every time I wore it. Where did it go? Did I tire of it or did it make its way to Goodwill where someone else might fall in love with it and become a princess every night that she wears it?

Raccoon coat: I have this in my closet. It is very old so I don’t feel guilty at all for wearing fur. It might be older than I am actually. Still the fur is lush and silky; the fit is just right and there is no warmer coat in the world so I always wear it for our annual family Christmas tree shopping outdoor party. I feel that I honor the fallen animals (who’d be long dead by now even if on feeding tubes) each time I put it on.

Navy blue power suit: It’s gone. I guess I thought it was out of style so I dumped it. When I come across any pictures of me wearing that suit I am impressed with the suit and the woman wearing it. I look successful and confident, worthy of hiring (it was my interview suit) and capable. Wish I had that suit back. It would be fun to put it on again and see if it still carried all the magic in its fine wool threads.

My black leather pants: They are a perfect fit and best of all they are warm and comfortable. I feel alive in these pants and sexy and able to conquer the world. I love the feel and smell of leather and it is empowering when I wear them. Plus my ass looks good in them!

My J Crew button fly jeans: I don’t care if they are in or not; they are so comfy, worn out in areas, but worn out by me not by a company purposely distressing the material. They aren’t too low rise and they aren’t too high. They aren’t too tight and they aren’t too loose. I can wear them with boots or flip flops and both looks great. The denim is soft and thin now but still they remain my all time favorite jeans. They also make my ass look good!

My Gap jean overalls: These are deceased. Many people hated them because they were an extra large and looked like clown pants on me. But I loved the thin fabric and the no binding at all feeling that I had when I wore them. I loved the red stitching and the big rolled cuffs. I still love them in my heart, but when they became filled with rips and tears and I got older, even I felt a bit foolish in these oversized overalls.

The yellow long sleeved nightgown husband bought me when I had our first baby: I wore this nightgown until the elbows were worn out and the fabric was onion-skin thin. I always felt loved and cozy and happy in this nightgown though it wasn’t much to look at in its later years.

Boys size 14 plaid flannel bathrobe: I bought this in Goodwill and loved the soft flannel and red and green plaid. I liked how warm it was while being very light weight. Husband disliked this robe and made many robe purchases for me attempting to dissuade me from wearing my little boy’s bathrobe. Eventually the robe’s elbows split and the hem was down and I decided it was pretty ratty looking so I threw it out but forever it will remain my all time favorite robe.

The French bra and panty set with the hand sewn seed pearls: These items were bought by husband when we were on vacation. Terribly expensive and luxurious – beautiful silk and lace with the precious little pearls adorning both the bra and panty. Talk about feeling beautiful! When I’d put this set on I could be wearing an old flannel shirt and torn jeans, but I’d feel like a million bucks because I knew what I had on underneath the old shirt and jeans!

Long sleeved silk dress: This dress also fit just perfectly and had movement and elegance I haven’t seen in another dress ever. It had a beautiful black and white floral pattern that wasn’t too busy nor was it too overbearing. It was buttoned down the front with small mother-of-pearl buttons and had a flowy skirt. It was a beautiful breathable silk that could be worn in the winter or summer…outstanding dress. It is a mystery to me where it went as I could wear it today and be in style.

My French blue crepe prom dress: Believe it or not, I do still love this dress and again, I could be wearing it now and it would be in style. When my peers were going for full skirts and ruffles and bows, I chose this sleek, sheath dress with scooped neck and straps. It was the same color as my eyes (I was told) and made me look tall! (This is hard to do at five feet zero inches).

I was the only girl at the prom in a sheath dress and I loved (and still love) being unique. I wore this dress 3 or 4 more times to formal events but eventually it was thrown out. I love the memories I had wearing this dress. I should have saved it for sentimental reasons if nothing else.

There are a few more items I could describe, but these have to be the top items of all time. What about your favorite items of clothing? Have any all time faves?

A dress makes no sense unless it inspires men to want to take it off you. ~Françoise Sagan