It feels like a cuddly toy and, in the worst case, can be bulky. In the best case scenario, you will fall in love with life a little more with the help of this material. We’re talking about velvet. Dresses made from this lush, royal material are the opposite of jeans and winter parkas. Velvet always stands out. A woman in velvet is not somehow dressed, but – a woman in velvet. And a man in velvet – if in doubt, is a spiritual brother of James Bond. Actor Daniel Craig wore a raspberry-colored double-breasted tuxedo jacket for the premiere of the latest 007 episode “No Time to Die”.
But be careful. Velvet shimmers like the promise of luck and turns an ordinary Tuesday into what feels like a Sunday. It looks good on the hanger, after a ball, unpacking Christmas presents and the bang of champagne corks. But dressed? Then velvet can mean the unwanted fashionable crash, because next to cord it is the most dangerous fabric of all. Instead of exuding ethereal, intellectual Bloomsbury chic, dresses made of this material easily slip into the look of the horizontal trade or are reminiscent of the style of a finely crafted handicraft teacher.
First appearance in a velvet suit: Gwyneth Paltrow at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards
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Image: Getty
Velvet leaves no one indifferent, like leopard prints and red shoes. As a relative of velor and plush, it officially has the shortest pile – only two to three millimeters long – but dangerous reflective variants such as panne velvet, which you should be absolutely stylish when using.
Fashion is rediscovering velvet
Almost all the big fashion brands are daring to wear velvet again this winter: it can currently be seen at Gucci, Saint Laurent, Max Mara and Prada, but also at checkout-friendly labels such as Benetton and the British online retailer Boden, who makes velvet hair hoops, the ultimate preppy -Accessories of the nineties, relaunched. The Californian casual wear label Les Tien is making hoodies made of velvet this season, with which you could go from the home office to the party. And Tom Ford has platform sandals made of velvet that require an acrobatic exam. Velvet seduces you to the extreme.
Old acquaintance? In November, Gwyneth Paltrow wears a red velvet suit for the Gucci show in Los Angeles.
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Image: AP
This is also due to the fact that its history was connected with practice and the idea of luxury, and this continues to radiate into the last shreds of cheap copies made of synthetic fiber. In the Renaissance, the precious silk velvet was the status fabric for interiors and robes, starting with the kings. Italian and French style icons of both sexes made it the festive basic equipment of the upper class in pre-revolutionary times. Even with English dandies, velvet vests, velvet morning coats and velvet slippers were, of course, part of everyday life. But how do you manage to look as effortlessly chic as the painter Frida Kahlo, who portrayed herself in a wine-red velvet dress with a patterned shawl collar in 1926?
“Never put velvet and cord together”
The Bielefeld designer Maria Grefe warns against wearing velvet in a festive setting like the theater. “It quickly looks stuffy – especially in blue or black,” she says. The current hit in her collection is a yellow velvet blazer combined with cognac-colored nappa leather pants. “It is best to wear a white T-shirt, turtleneck or just a bra.” Velvet also has a special attraction for its customers: “Many people want to try velvet, especially if the colors are more unusual.” Grefe sees den as an alternative to velvet Cord, which comes from the same family of materials, but warns: “Never put velvet and cord together, that’s an absolute No.” She also advises paying attention to the quality when buying a piece of clothing made of velvet. “The shiny, thin panne velvet with its iridescent sheen quickly looks like a circus. And stay away from synthetic fabrics. ”She also sees the patterned brocade velvet as a particularly difficult candidate,“ that quickly moves towards sofa cushions ”. The royal road for them, as the nobility once took to heart, is silk velvet.