Renew, restore or keep and cherish is strategy for fashion these days

That news you can use tells us these days it's good to know those women who keep that little black dress forever and a day are right in line with most women and stay in fashion too.

Research in the fashion industry has found 6 million women hang onto their favorite little black dress.  1998 is the vintage year for most clothing people hang onto, with items cherished on average for 12 years.

4.5 million people surveyed by M & S Money held onto their favorites for over 25 years.

So if you want a good fashion tip, that's it.

That behavior is occurring more and more these days due to recession concerns.  A new study reveals that attitudes towards old favorites have simply become more entrenched with some people refusing to go out and replace something that works perfectly well, in this case decorating the body or making someone look good in an instant with just a little tweaking, perhaps.

The study by M&S Money to mark its 25th anniversary looked at attitudes towards old favorites and found not everyone throws things away easily. We are happy to re‑use our belongings if they’re in good working order, still in fashion or they just make us feel good.

Homes and wardrobes are dominated by our favourite things; for one in 10 of us these date back to the 1980s. Almost nine in 10 (86%) admit to harboring an ‘old favourite,’ like that little black dress.

So what are some of those favorites:

Men
Women

1. T-shirt
1. Shoes

2. Jacket/coat
2. Jacket/coat

3. Special mug
3. Jumper/top/cardigan

4. Jeans
4. Handbag

5. Shoes
5. Jeans

When asked why they have kept these things for so long, good quality that lasted the test of time was overwhelmingly the winning factor (74 per cent). And, rather than just upgrading for the sake of it, over half (57 per cent) simply said they keep these things as they don’t need to be replaced. One in six of those in their 50s even say their favourite item looks better now or has actually improved with age.

These days people are more apt to renew, restore or keep as a favorite these special items, which helps save money during financial stresses.  There are numerous strategies people can use to spruce a tired dress, but one that fits well and seems never to go out of date.  The same is true for men's clothes.

This trendy way is the way these days, along with jeans that appear to be fashionable for many events and are now being seen by seniors as much as by teens.  That is democratizing and also saves money and energy as well. Colin Kersley, chief executive of M&S Money: “Millions of us hold on to our old favourites, and are not prepared to just throw things out for the sake of it. Some are sentimental about the item, some practical, believing in the old adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, but for others, they value quality and the simple fact that their own old favourites have truly stood the test of time. One in three in our study even said their preferred item is still as fashionable as it was when they first bought it!