Velvet is always a luxury to wear and this season there is a lot of it about, including this selection from Arnotts, writes Deirdre McQuillan
Velvet, traditionally the stuff of opulence and luxury, is a rich fabric with a pile as soft as fur. It demands to be stroked, and responds almost magically to light and shade. It's back in fashion again after its devoré moment in the late 1990s, when burnt out patterns were commonplace, John Rocha was painting it in bold brush strokes, and others such as Etro were embroidering it, adding even more luxuriance to its decadent lustre.
Today, its revival coincides with the new romanticism in fashion, expressed in modern takes on Victoriana and Edwardiana, used as a trim on a winter coat, as an inset on a pleated skirt or in softly tailored jackets, often tied with ribbon rather than buttons. In New York, one of the most sensational items on the catwalk was a bold ivory and black patterned geometric velvet coat by Ralph Rucci. Vivienne Westwood has long championed its cause.
Men are not adverse to a velvet jacket either, whether worn formally or with jeans. Velvet has other dressy applications. Accessories such as richly embroidered velvet belts and cummerbunds can lift an otherwise plain dress or update simple streetwear such as jeans and a T-shirt. Two much velvet can be heavyweight, and there's nothing worse than cheap imitation cotton velvets, which are flat, lifeless and have none of the natural lustre or fluidity of the real thing. Vintage velvets can be remodelled, and a velvet trim can be an inexpensive way to liven up a slimline coat. Colette Dinnigan, the Irish Australian designer, decorated a plain brown wool coat with a leopard-print velvet belt, giving it an instant feline focal point.