I've got my skinny jeans hanging on the front of the closet door (I should hang them on the cupboard door LOL). They're good motivation! I can't wait until I can get back into them!
I'm in my old jeans now and they are getting too big. Keep your "skinny" jeans and try them on every now and then to see the progress you're making.
Just as a side note I was watching a show on tv the other night about vintage jeans and I mean really old raggedy jeans that people are collecting and reselling for a small fortune. One guy sells them in his store for over a thousand dollars a pair. He has some that are over 100 years old (many $$$$) and others from the 1960s-hippie flower power jeans. The show said the Japanese are some of the biggest fans and collectors of vintage jeans. Who'd a thunk it? Old jeans worth more than new!
I had jeans put away for about a decade, for "just in case" I ever lost weight. Not only did they eventually fit, but they got too big...I gave them away in the end. Some of them weren't even in style anymore and came from the time before stretch jeans.
Right now, sitting in a closet, are two pair of identical pants. One is kakai and one is navy blue. I used to wear them when I worked full-time, some 18 years ago. They are a size 10 pants and used to fit me wonderfully. They have a small cuff (um, yeah it was the mid '80s ) and are the perfect length. They happenn to have some small pleating on the front too.
Were I to ever get comfortably into these pants again I seriously doubt I would ever wear them. They may be dry-rotted for all I know. BUT, one day I WILL be able to fit comfortably into them. They are two of a very, very few things I kept from when I was thinner.
Right now it probably seems to you like 'yeah, I'll never get into those jeans again' but just tuck them away and every 15 lbs., try them on. For me, it's one of the best motivators and reassures me that I'm doing it and . . .that it's working.
I would keep them, to see how I progress. I bet that if you try them on in a month, the 4" gap will be only 3" if not less. I have jeans that 4 months ago or so were too tight for me and now I can no longer wear them because they are falling off - and yes, there is a 3" gap at the waist but in the opposite "sense" - they are too big for me.
I'm about 60lbs heavier then I was when I started college 7 years ago. I've mostly gotten rid of the clothes I had back then but I did keep a few things that I REALLY loved. I don't expect to wear most of them again but I've kept them to see what does eventually fit. When I reach a reasonable goal (my weight back then is not reasonable) I'll see what fits and take the rest to Goodwill.
I got rid of most of my skinny clothes. Mostly because I didn't like the styles anymore even though it was only about 2 years ago that I wore them, lol. I love buying new skinny clothes! I'd get ridda them!
I have about eight pairs of jeans I can't fit (or look good in - muffin top!) but the sizes are staggered down to my ultimate dream skinny jeans.
So if I lose weight at a decent rate, I should have a 'new' pair of jeans to wear every few weeks... which is a good reason for me to keep them! Afterwards, I'll alter my favourites and take the rest to Goodwill.
haha yes that's happened to me.. I had a pair of skinny jeans I bought at around 152-153.. size 11.. then I gained weight to 180 and I was also wondering if I could ever fit into them again.. now it's getting to the point where they fit me too well and what used to be a pair of super-low darkwash skinny jeans now pulls up to my waist! =P Still, they were a great measure of my progress and everytime I tried them on and realized they were closer and closer to fitting, it just gave me more of a push to keep going.
I used my smaller clothes for motivation and I currently bought a few that I haven't worn yet as my goal clothes. I want to buy another pair of skinny jeans at goal and maybe a pair of red or ash-grey skinny jeans..
lol
) and are the perfect length. They happenn to have some small pleating 
on the front too. 
