Mirror, Mirror On The Wall/What Is The Fairest Texture Of Them All? You Velvet, Are Fairest Of All.

The connotations I initially associate with velvet are words such as, traditional, royalty, extravagant, nobility. In retrospect, it looked grand and luxurious on Kings and Queens in history, King Richard II of England directed in his will that his body should be clothed in velvet and many a King and Queen have been seen perched on rich jewel coloured thrones. However it was seen as a frumpy choice of clothing in the 80's, this has been turned around by the likes of Proenza Scholer, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney and Erin Fetherson, turning the jewel colours, emerald, sapphire,and ruby into head turning sleek cocktail dresses, low waisted trousers and beautifully crushed shirts; it has been cleverly revitalised with glossy colour, pretty burn-out effects and graphic splicing.





I recently stayed at the Crazy Bear Hotel, the whole room was covered in velvet, from the walls to the cushions, to the long draping curtains, it had that magnificent grand feeling, and it made me start thinking about everything that has recently been created in velvet, bags, leggings, dresses, coats and so forth, the texture has that special ability to be able to transform something so simple as leggings into a eye-catching, individual creative look. Not only does it have its own unique look, velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short dense pile, giving it that distinct feel, that you cant help to touch.






















Its no surprise that velvet could claim its place as one of this seasons most beloved materials, it adds the dimension of texture and creates that heavy rich look no matter which form. Black velvet, I consider the easier option of slowly entering the world of velvet wearers, sleek and minimalist, however coloured velvets most associated with velvet represent the material traditionally, burgundy, forest green and midnight blue. Rebelling against these colours, give the texture a more modern look for the summer, outrageous neon if your brave enough?







Looking at the Fashion Houses that have chosen to incorporate velvet in their collections, its easy to see why, Prada stuck to the traditional reds, creating mid length dresses. Velvet has that unique ability to be worn by a vast audience, and each individual being allowed their trademark stamp to put on it and creating a completely different look, from say Anna Wintour in her Prada velvet dress. Chloe's black jumpsuit automatically jumped to a whole new level whilst adopting the new material, and once again Diana Kruger, managed to make it her own. And this is all from the high fashion status, velvet is being used everywhere and styled into trendy, individual looks, from casual to special occasions. And for all the characteristics of velvet that I love, I think the main one is that you can take this material in any shape or form and make it your own, where ever your going, whatever your budget, and whatever your style. It on its own creates something magical 'A throne is only a bench covered in velvet' Napoleon Bonaparte.







Long Live The Velvet.