What’s Your Prized Possession?

“Heirloom” can feel like a stuffy word. It calls to mind something precious, out of touch, that you don’t use that much in real life—a dusty wooden chest that’s too heavy to move from one side of the room to the other, a necklace that sits in a drawer, waiting for an occasion that never seems to come. But we’ve been seeing heirlooms in a new light lately at VBHQ. Inspired by our vintage jewelry edit earlier this month, we got to thinking, what are the special objects in our lives that have a history, a present, and a future? From keepsakes handed down through generations to treasures discovered on our own, heirlooms can (and should!) look different to everyone. Sharing their stories is what gives them meaning. So below, find some of the heartfelt, quirky, sentimental stories behind the VB team’s favorite heirlooms…

For my 13th birthday, my parents gave me a ring with “AMORE” engraved on the side. I’ve worn it every single day since—and now my ring finger on my right hand is much smaller than the one on the left because the ring kept it from growing! My parents have both since passed away, but I carry a piece of them with me every day. Oh, and the engraving is hidden, so it feels like a secret I wear on my finger that I am loved by my parents even when they aren’t here with me.
- Jordan, Creative Team

My modern heirloom is a sexy vase I found at the Paris flea. I saw her and then continued on my way, but couldn’t stop talking about her. Eventually, I decided I needed to go out of my way to get the vase, and spent half an hour retracing my steps to the vendor. If my apartment was on fire, it would be the one thing I would save.
- Hilary, PR Team

I recently discovered a pair of my grandmother’s boots from the ’60s—knee-high, chocolate brown, pony hair (so chic)—in my parents’ basement. My grandma and I share the same name, but not the same shoe size. Miraculously though, these boots fit me, which I choose to see as a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-esque twist of fate. My grandma passed away before I was born, but getting the chance to literally walk in her shoes makes me feel that much closer to her.
- Carol, Copy Team

When I graduated with a Master’s in fiction writing, my mother gave me a quirky Hugo Guinness linocut print. We had seen it one day on the wall at John Derian in the East Village, and the randomness of it made us laugh. It hangs in my five-year-old daughter’s room now, in hopes she’ll love the written word as much as I do.
- Halsey, Brand Marketing Team

For my wedding gift, my grandmother hand-stitched 12 linen placemats and napkins to match my Lynn Chase china. I’m not a believer in saving special things for special occasions, so I use them all the time. They are some of my most prized possessions and I hope my kids will appreciate them one day too.
- Allison, Events & Giving Team

My grandmother had a pair of heart earrings that she always said represented my sister and me (and a brooch made up of three hearts for my three cousins). After she passed away, my dad made each earring into a necklace for my sister and me. It always makes me think of her when I wear it.
- Sasha, Merchandising Team

My grandma was so elegant but couldn’t care less about clothes, and my grandpa was the one with amazing taste (he would always take me shopping when I was little!). He gave her an incredible fur coat that I’ve since inherited. On the inside, he had the lining embroidered with my grandmother’s name and rose vines. Somehow, it feels to me that this single piece of clothing tells their entire love story.
- Miranda, Visual Team

My maternal grandmother, Carol (also known as “Puddy”) made this very ‘70s mushroom needlepoint, with the year and her initials in the design. She sadly passed away when I was just a baby, so I never got to know her, but I love having a piece of her in my apartment. My mom is also an avid needlepointer (pillows, belts, ornaments, you name it!), so I have a feeling this is just the beginning of my collection… I even bought my first needlepoint project on a recent trip to Paris, so having Puddy’s piece hanging up on the wall is definitely a good motivator for my own creative pursuits as well.
- Helen, Social Team

When I was born, my great Aunt Mae made me a baby blanket, which I slept with for my entire childhood (and will not disclose the age at which I actually stopped). When it turned to rags and started falling apart, I sewed a quilt together with its pieces for my daughter. Now she sleeps with it every night.
- Emily, Styling Team

In 1967, my grandfather took out an ad in the New York Times for his jingle writing business. He passed away when I was three, but my grandmother has preserved so many pieces of his history, including the original print of the ad. I asked—borderline begged—to keep the print so I could frame it and hang it in my apartment. Now that I work in marketing myself, I think he might be bewildered by today’s tactics and landscape. But when I read the ad, I feel undeniable connective threads to the tone, levity and passion to bring his vision to life in a meaningful way.
- Julia, Influencer Marketing Team

I collect all of my mom’s little paintings she does for me. She paints everything—flowers, hearts, dresses, palm trees—all these tiny whimsical watercolors. Every time she comes over she leaves me with another one along with a little note.
- Veronica Swanson Beard

I’ve been collecting vintage forever, and my daughters love to go shopping in my closet. If they want to borrow something, they have to literally check it out on a piece of paper so we have a record. I have so many fun things in my personal archive, but some of my favorites have to be the first VB pieces we designed in 2010. I’ve held onto our original dickey jacket (with the original script label) and all the early dickies—the striped one Gwyneth famously wore, our first hoodie dickey with a big funnelneck you could zip all the way up to your nose, and so many more. Having physical reminders of where it all began, and how far we’ve come, is very special for me.
- Veronica Miele Beard

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