Velvet Goldmine

Velvet is back. You might remember it from the late 80’s/early 90’s and cringe, but this time around, the fabric is getting a new lease on life. It’s not as frumpy as it once was, as designers are reworking the fabric into new shapes, colors and styles that look fresh and vibrant. The bright jewel tones don’t hurt, either.

Here is a triptych of some Fall/Winter 09 runway looks using a modernized velvet.


As you can see, the usage of velvet in these dresses is nothing like the chunky look that you might be used to. The asymmetrical neckline on the dress on the left (Calvin Klein) is an on-point trend for 2009, and I like the way that the dress still looks sleek, even though it is made of a typically thick fabric.

The second dress is by Christopher Kane, who apparently tore apart every preconception about velvet and pieced them back together. He literally poured acid on the fabric to give it that sheer, spliced-together look. I also like the geometric patterns of the dress, which I have never seen on velvet garments of any kind.

The third dress by Marc Jacobs is a fierce little thing! The color is amazing, and it has a certain Martian quality with its Jetsons-like neckline and shoulders. The black belt adds a nice balance to the chartreuse color.

In terms of shopping for velvet, I have picked out a few options for you. Some are pretty pricey, but they give you an idea of some of the shapes and colors that are out there. You can keep these in mind when shopping for knockoffs, or when looking for vintage items that you can update with a bit of ingenuity.

I am just crazy about this velvet vest by Alexander Wang. He has made the soft velvet fabric somehow look tough. Crazy cool!Yoox has a few coats by Aspesi in gorgeous dark tones such as this one:


And this is a very funky horse graphic top by Manoush that reminds me of Chloe from back in the day:


For some less expensive treats, check out Urban Outfitters. In particular, I dig this top by Silence & Noise:
that reminds me a bit of the Christopher Kane dress with its shadow-striping. There are some other velvet options here.

My biggest fear with velvet is that it will add weight to my frame, and I don’t know about you, but I am just not into that at all. That’s why I’m happy to see these new techniques used to slim down a bulky fabric. Now go get you some!

PS – I used to have a green velvet dress just like this one.