Smooth velvet: the luxury fabric making a comeback

Описание: (16 Jan 2017) LEAD IN:
It's a fabric associated with traditional luxury and opulence - and velvet is now making a comeback as one of this season's hottest trends.
From evening dresses and smoking jackets to sofas and even dog beds, fashion insiders say velvet's popularity is soaring.

STORY-LINE:
If you want your fingers - or your toes - on the fashion pulse this season, a touch of velvet is the way to go.
From bejewelled Christian Dior shoes, to dresses and bags, velvet is hard to ignore in the boutiques and department stores of LA.
It's even a major trend in home furnishing and interior decor, with sofas and coffee tables decked out in the plush fabric, matched with mirrored surfaces and rhinestones.
LA-based celebrity stylist Alison Levine says the quintessentially 90's fabric has made a definitive comeback.
"Velvet is the comeback trend of the season from dominating the runaway starting in Paris, coming all the way back to New York, we know runway as our life inspiration, so from the runway, life follows. You're seeing opulent fabrics everywhere, texture, luxe. Velvet is everything and it is in full force," she says.
At Bloomingdale's in Century City, California, velvet items take centre stage in almost every department.
Levine says the key difference in this season's velvet trend is that the fabric is no longer restricted to evening wear.
"It used to be just for dressing up and now the fun part about it, it's being used for casual wear, women's wear, men's wear, furniture, home decor, velvet frames in a bedroom, you name it, velvet is being used. We're even hearing from the Business Journal from 2015, that the velvet sales have gone up online 200 percent up to 2017 now, so velvet is here to stay," she says.
One of the key pieces is the velvet blazer, like this AQUA x Maddie & Tae Velvet Gold Button Blazer (148 US dollars).
Over at Whistles, there's a burgundy velvet dress and this crushed velvet smoking jacket - a Bloomingdale's exclusive (420 US dollars).
For the brave, there's the top to toe option: Theory's stretch velvet blazer and matching flared trousers (495 and 295 US dollars respectively).
Velvet is not just a women's wear trend either: the Hugo Boss dark burgundy velvet shawl jacket (645 US dollars) is a classic formal look.
In the shoe department, velvet is equally hard to miss.
Gucci's velvet and lamb fur Princetown slipper shoes combine luxe with comfort, for 850 US dollars.
Christian Dior's velvet slipper shoes embrace the rhinestone look, while SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker keep things simple, but not cheap, at 350 US dollars a pair.
Ferragamo men's party velvet formal loafers, meanwhile, will set you back 680 US dollars.
Personal stylist and image consultant Laurie Brucker has advice for those keen to attempt the velvet trend.
She suggest mixing velvet with lighter fabrics that have a sensuous feel to balance out its rich texture.
"Velvet can be challenging to incorporate into our wardrobes especially if you do it the wrong way, so you want to start with one velvet piece as your focal point. By doing that you style it with more modern items. Think about balancing it out. You balance a little bit of vintage and a little bit of modern, but it also goes with the plush fabrication, so you have texture in velvets, so pairing it with more simple fabrications like chiffons and georgettes and leathers and denim really gives it a new twist to an old trend."
It's not just velvet clothes and shoes that are topping shopper's wish lists, furniture and home decor is being influenced by the trend too.

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