The old item provided protection for the baby to come. The item borrowed from another happy bride provided good luck. The colour blue was a sign of fidelity. The sixpence -- a silver British coin -- was a symbol of prosperity or acted as a ward against evil done by frustrated suitors. The superstition is known since 1883 when it was attributed to the county of Lancashire. An 1898 compilation of English folklore recounted that:
where did something old new borrowed blue come from
the county of Lancashire