If you want to make a statement, velvet is one sure-fire way to do it.
An otherwise simple dress can become a spectacular gown in velvet, creating an interesting dynamic between fabric and cut.
Princess Diana understood this when she turned up at the White House in 1985 in a blue velvet Victor Edelstein gown and her dancing shoes before throwing some shapes with John Travolta.
Julia Roberts knew it too when she chose a vintage velvet Valentino dress to the 2001 Oscars and accepted her Best Actress Academy Award for Erin Brockovich.
Velvet makes an elegant choice for special occasions – a more grown-up alternative to sparkle and frills.
This is why it starts to make an appearance when party season is just around the corner – but there’s also a more practical reason.
Velvet is warm, making it perfect for autumn/winter as it acts like several layers in one, reducing the need to spend the entire season looking like the Michelin Man.
This season velvet is appearing in dresses, of course, as well as blazers, trousers and tops.
Dries Van Noten and Yves Saint Laurent both pushed velvet handbags down the runway, so stand by for this luxe, tactile material in all sorts of accessories.
Velvet was once only accessible to the wealthy, owing to its source material, silk, and the technology involved in producing it.
The first velvet is said to have been made in Baghdad in the Eight Century, although there were earlier, more low-tech versions of it in China and Ancient Egypt.
Velvet was made on a special ‘double cloth’ loom that makes two pieces of fabric at the same time.
These production techniques eventually made it from the Middle East to the Mediterranean and Europe.
The Renaissance saw advances in loom technology and Florence gained prominence for velvet manufacturing.
The velvet loom was so complex, even Leonardo da Vinci spent time studying it, but it was not until the Industrial Revolution that the process was mechanised and the material became available to the masses.
Now everyone can dress like a princess or Hollywood royalty at their next big event.
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