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• November 10, 2008
• Trend Spotting

Velvet Crush

This plush classic fabric has a fresh appeal. By Kelley Hoffman

From left: Garance Doré, Paris; The Sartorialist for Style.com, Milan.

With its silky-soft texture and depth of sheen, velvet has some seriously intense appeal. It's no surprise the luxurious fabric has been recently springing to life on both the streets and runways with new inspiration. Channelling a May 1968 meets '80s Betsey Johnson feel, we've seen it on everything from dresses to trousers, be it colored or crushed, but always in a super romantic and spirited style.

The Sartorialist snapped Natasha Poly in a teal dress that recalled a frock of Isabelle's from The Dreamers, and a Garance Doré snapshot with gray Marc Jacobs pants reminded us of the Unconditional Spring '09 show, inspired by John Lennon and Yoko's Bed-In. A girl from Toronto wore black velvet styled in a way that recalled Gucci's bohemian Fall '08, and the Face Hunter snapped a Sydney girl in blue velvet leggings (they sure didn't write a song about it for nothing!) that look like a vintage pair by Betsey Johnson, perhaps from eBay. As the fabric of change and love, trust us, this velvet sure isn't staying underground for long.

From left: Lookbook.nu, Toronto; Face Hunter, Sydney.

From left: Marios Schwab spring/summer'09, Jill Stuart fall/winter '08, 3.1 Phillip Lim fall/winter '08. Images via Style.com.

This plush classic fabric has a fresh appeal.