Okay, being honest….

When this trend popped up again last year, I fought it tooth and nail at first. I’ve always liked velvet fabrics, but as a trend? I just didn’t want to be into it, you know? First off, I thought that velvet had to be super pricey if you wanted it to look good, making it not accessible enough to be a real trend. Secondly, I always end up fighting trends in general, or anything that’s getting tons of attention all of a sudden. Usually anything that is crazy over-hyped won’t be around long enough to justify filling my closet with it. The other thing was that it felt so 90’s (and then I remembered that that isn’t always a bad thing…. um 90’s baby, HELLO). Fast forward to today and here I am pairing velvet with velvet, like who am I?

Here’s one of those times when I think clothing quality can really get in the way of embracing something new. It almost did for me! I would love to say that you can always find a really cheap alternative - but sometimes you really can’t, or just shouldn’t. Velvet has a fanciness about it that made me think only good quality, “shell out serious cash for” pieces would be worth my while. But, despite what I thought, velvet is not one of those fabrics nowadays; so by all means go look for cheaper alternatives! This top was from Old Navy ($20ish), and the shoes are Steve Madden from DSW ($50ish). [I wrote this a while back and unfortunately these items in particular are no longer available on their websites to link for you, sorry] I definitely do still have some expensive velvet tops that I would never be able to play down enough to wear casually (mostly because of the cut or style), but the cheaper alternatives on the market make this trend accessible for everyday.

The other thing that convinced me to just go for it was tapping into my younger mind. When I was a kid I had these velvet shoes, and I still remember how much I loved them because of how good they made me feel when I wore them. They totally made me feel like a girl (which was really important to me at the time; I was a bit of a tom boy when I was really young and hated when people mistook me for a boy when I wore my 101 Dalmatians baseball cap. I loved that cap and could never understand why it made people think I was a boy, but whatever). I wanted to feel secure in my femininity even at a young age, and without thinking about it at the time, styled myself to boost my confidence.

Styling your outfit in a way that feels true to who you are is the easiest way to put a confident foot forward. This fabric has been a styling tool of mine since I was young and I didn’t even realize it! Basically what I’m saying is that regardless of the hype surrounding this trend, I think it there are some really timeless velvet pieces out there. With all of that in mind - Maybe the hype is only there because velvet is SO GOOD.

I love to mix things up and pair items that are expected with something less expected. For instance, matching colors in your outfit is something that is to be expected, but matching fabrics (ie multiple pieces of the same fabric) is not. Texture is a great mode to use in this styling concept, and that’s probably why I caved and ended up not only liking, but loving velvet so much. Check out the outfit in this post for a fun example of this concept. It is super common to pair purples together for a look, but it is much less common to pair two velvet items in the same outfit; so mixing the pewter colored velvet shirt with the wine colored velvet tennis shoes was unexpected, but made for a total outfit win.

Taking this further - remember that certain fabrics have expected cuts, or styles, too. Mixing a fancier fabric, like velvet, with a casual cut, like the boxy t-shirt design you see below, can change the look and create an unexpected playful feel. I think wearing unexpected combinations is one of the easiest ways to put it out there to the world, without saying anything, “I’m someone who isn’t afraid to break the mold. I’m someone willing to do things a little bit different”. Taking this even further - another fun way to do this is to mix something ultra feminine with something more masculine. Like I talked about above, velvet has a certain femininity and fanciness about it, so incorporating a velvet piece in a more androgynous outfit can really change up the look.

Basically, what I’m saying here is don’t be afraid to go for it. Try something even if you aren’t sure at first if you will love it; try something unexpected. You may not know it, but that style could end up being your jam (or maybe it always was and you never even realized it!). Surprise yourself. You could put something on that makes you feel totally fierce and ready to put your best foot forward - so why not take a chance!