The one you put on like an old friend or for instant swagger.
When I was 21 and a goth, I owned a full-length black velvet cloak with silk lining. It truly was a remarkable piece of clothing. Later, when I first landed myself a well-paid job, I went out and bought a charcoal grey lambs wool Brooks Brothers coat - and nowadays I try not to remember how much it cost.
My favourite of all, however, remains my gold shoes. They don't fit me and I can never wear them, but they were very cheap in a sale and I like having them just to look at.
I have a $200.00 pair of ankle stiletto black boots that I got at Goodwill (A 2nd hand charity store in the USA) for $4.00. I will never be able to walk in them but I have them on a shelf so I can look at them. It gives me pleasure to do so.
Velvet silk lined coat. J. Peterman Company comes to mind.
@Countrywoman Epic win, even if you can never wear them! We are kindred spirits
For me it was a pair of socks with robots on them. Don't know why, just loved them.
An old Army issue field jacket.
Perfect for fall/winter outside wear.
Long gone as I wore it out.
I used to have an ankle-length Swedish Army officer's greatcoat with brass buttons bearing the Swedish three crown emblem, which I got for £10 from an army surplus shop (my ex called army surplus shops "Jnei traps" - I can't walk past one without going in and getting some cash out) - but I loaned it to a Rastafarian guy and he looked better in it than I did, so I let him keep it.
A ridiculously large and bright sun hat. It marks the moment I realized I didn't give a F what others thought, I'm more concerned with functionality.
The gym shirt I was issued my freshman year of high school. I accidentally received an odd shirt from the stack that ended up soft as silk after years of washing. My oldest absconded with the shirt when we found it 30 years later, and it became her favorite shirt, as well.
Blue chambray shirts I ordered from the marlboro country store long ago. I had two of them, wore them both out. My marlboro denim jacket also, wore it till the cuffs fell off and it fell apart.
My new fav is a pair of Corcoran Tanker boots, instant swagger.
Only "one" piece? Not possible. My favorite outfit is slim stretchy dark wash denim jeans, a stretchy v-neck t-shirt that fits and a pair if suede chukka boots. I'm ready to face the world now.
I have a blouse that I only wear on New Years Eve, It has metallic thread throughout, with many different patterns & colors. Very psychedelic. Scratchy to wear but once a year I endure. Then there is a dress I wore only once to a wedding but it is so lovely with paiselys & birds & colors I just can't let it go. It is 45 years old & I can still wear it. Then there is my dashiki from Nigeria that was a gift. It is black & gold & stays in style thru the ages. My Afghan coat.
Mine was a Seventies leather safari type jacket. I bought it in a vintage shop for £30. It got nicked on a night out in Leeds about ten years ago?
Hard to decide, I love all of my dresses.
It's all I wear, unless is a short skirt.
My favorite was a scarf which I wore all the time, even if it wasn't suiting my general outfit. It was a gift, but I really liked it and looked very cool as well. It's already old and I am not using it anymore, but I am still keeping it as a memory, can't find a decent replacement for it. I love the new trends as well, but the classic style attracts me more. I am using a lot of coupons & deals when I go shopping, so I can buy more clothes for the amount of money that I would spend without using any coupons.
Hoodie, whichever one I'm currently sporting.
I just posted yesterday on FB that hoodies are the sexiest things ever.