3 Non-Holiday Ways to Wear Velvet This Winter

If you’re simultaneously obsessed with the latest micro-trends and too intimidated to test them out, you’ve come to the right place. This is Ways to Wear, a monthly series where editor Eliza Huber offers a dose of outfit inspiration centered on current trends that feel intriguing yet overwhelming at the same time. Consider it your guide to actually wearing the coolest items of the moment, no matter how puzzling they might appear at first.

Velvet is one of those tricky fashion items, like capri pants or leopard print, that can really go either way—chic or way too much—depending on how you style it. Alongside sequins and duchesse satin, it’s often considered a holiday fabric, which brings up problems. No one wants to invest in a trend only to end up looking like a preteen at Thanksgiving dinner. Trust me. That can happen if velvet is worn in the wrong way. Once you get a few pieces into your wardrobe and begin to experiment with them, it won’t take long to discover that adding velvet into your rotation is the key to luxurious and expensive-looking outfits all winter long—hell, all year.

Of course, I’d never expect you to just believe me outright with no proof or explanation. Fortunately, I’m prepared to give you all of that and more. Velvet’s been a slow burner for a while now, rising in popularity under the radar. Fashion’s most revered brands would include a piece or two in their collections, looks that always ended up being favorites among the style set. For example, earlier this year when Schiaparelli held its F/W 24 show during Paris Fashion Week, a handful of the 40 looks featured the lavish fabric, and people loved them. Creative Director Daniel Roseberry did his job with the material, making it appear both wearable and aspirational—a work of art, really.

When resort collections began to debut later in the year, Chloé, one of the industry’s buzziest labels right now, included a modernized take on the suit in its lookbook. The cropped jacket and matching Bermuda shorts were fashioned completely out of black velvet and styled alongside a boho lace blouse and folded-over thigh-high boots.