STYLE
Find your
va va voom
From accessories and jewellery to suits and jackets,
velvet is back with a grown up attitude.
T
VELVET COVERUP
£165, ECLECTIC
MINI BACKPACK £110,
JIGSAW AT VOISINS
Words by Emma Critchley
hink of velvet and
you could be forgiven
for thinking of your
nan’s curtains. What
can I say? My nan has
very expensive taste when it comes
to curtains. However, you would be
wrong to write it off as something
for the elderly because velvet is
making a fashion come back (again)
and for good reason too.
I fi rst dallied with velvet in the
late 90s. I was a teenager and I
embraced the velvet trend with
the enthusiasm of an over-excited
puppy. Less is more hadn’t reached
my vocabulary yet and I went
out dressed head to toe in velvet.
However, a long black velvet skirt
and patchwork long velvet jacket,
complete with the then teenage
prerequisite Doc Martens, was
not the look my boss wanted
from his Saturday girl working
on reception. I was told to dress
more “appropriately next Saturday
because you are confusing our
elderly customers.” To be fair it
was an opticians so perhaps their
poor eyesight meant that they were
confusing me with the upholstery.
Th is trend is defi nitely not to
be confused with any form of
upholstery though. Th is is about
you fi nding your inner va va voom
with velvet. Whilst it may have
made a short lived comeback in
2016, 2017 is showing us a more
sassy side. Goodness knows we
could all do with more sass in a
somewhat depressing and rather
grey world at the minute.
Velvet has evolved and has
become more tailored thanks to
suits from Prada. For your more
casual look you have stylish bomber
jackets from Miu Miu - the perfect
way to fi nish your weekend outfi t
with fl air. Velvet is everywhere and
you don’t have to spend a lot of
money to get some fabulous velvet
bling. You can fi nd it in most of
your high street retailers and the
Jersey independent boutique shops
certainly have a good range too.
You only need one statement piece
to make an impact. Th ink ruched
skirts, velvet trousers, tailored
jackets or perhaps just a choker.
However, while I am not
suggesting you go all out for velvet
- unless you really want to (then
bravo my friend) or you are Kendal
Jenner, who can annoyingly pull off
the head to toe look with aplomb -
but at the very least I would suggest
stocking up on some key pieces.
Velvet has been all over the catwalks
as it is the perfect fashion trend for
those colder months. Forget the
90s goth look and think bright,
bold and beautiful - think stunning
peacock blues and statement yellow,
as in the sumptuous canary yellow
Cédric Charlier dress.
Velvet is capturing the hearts of
many a celebrity - Victoria Beckham
and Rita Ora to name a few - and
we need to be following their
velvet lead. Velvet shouts luxury
and opulence, and it is no longer
just reserved for the gentlemen’s
clubs. It’s now our turn. Our time
to embrace it for all it’s worth and
embrace it we should because it is
the perfect feel good fabric. How
could we not love velvet? It’s grown
up, I like this new formal side to
velvet - smart, sophisticated and
full of sass, this is just what we need
to bring a bit of velveteen sparkle to
the dying embers of 2017.
I’m ready to fi nd my new inner
velvet va va voom. ■
JACKET £85.50, GREAT PLAINS
AT DE GRUCHY
VELVET DRESS £175,
MARELLA AT VOISINS
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