As winter begins to approach, lurking just around the corner, the temperatures have begun to plummet. And this time of year always brings with it internal conflict. See, I hate winter almost as much as I love it. I hate the cold, I hate the lack of sun hours, I hate the aftermath of snow when it becomes all compacted, icey and slippery. On the other hand, I love Winter fashion, winter fabrics, the temporary cheer from November through to December, the fact that people find it acceptable to wear shiny glittery clothes.
But my favourite thing about winter is Velvet. It oozes class and opulence as well as providing a bit of much-needed extra warmth.
A couple of weeks back I was scouring eBay for a velvet skirt. I could feel the days getting shorter and the air getting colder and felt like I needed something to look forward to, to help me deal with the forthcoming doom and gloom. I found a little more than I had bargained for: I found this beautiful two piece set. It's a black velvet skirt with matching top, but these are no ordinary pieces. No, the set was definitely out of the ordinary. If Topshop or Asos were selling it, it'd be sold-out in minutes.
What makes it so extra-ordinary? Well, the golden, Baroque-style embroidery that lines the bottom of the skirt and the edge of the sleeves is what truly sets this apart. I couldn't recall having ever seen anything quite like this before, certainly not on velvet. Topshop had a very nice velvet range last A/W, but in truth it was just a little plain. This though...
The skirt is one of these 'fit and flare' types, but unlike the very loose and flimsy skater skirts, the velvet feels a firmer with much more structure to it. The embroidered sleeves are also flared outwards, also quite firmly but in a wavy, frilly style. The outfit doesn't scream opulence to me, it looks down it's nose at me and says:
"You ought to consider yourself fortunate that I'm allowing myself to be worn by you."
I've found myself just staring at it trying to figure out what could have influenced the design, but the more I look at it, the more I see! Overall the piece looked at first as if it was a Black, Velvety take on the traditional Red, Silk Chinese dress. Then the shoulder outline created by the flaring out of the sleeve reminded me of Spanish Matadors! I couldn't even begin to place the style in any era, it looks so luxurious it could fit into any era. Timeless.
Velvet Baroque Fit & Flare Skirt & Matching Top - eBay
Gold Studded Skinny Belt - Gift
Lace Body Suit - Topshop
Gold Arrow Braclet - H & M
So, what do you think? Also, check out that necklace! As soon as I saw this on Kenza Accessories site, I thought 'I have got to have this!' Then when it arrived through the mailbox, I was taken aback. It had this look to it, I could imagine that if the Ancient Egyptians were still around today, their style would have evolved into something a bit like this.
Hope you're all having a lovely weekend, I'm still recovering from Vogue's Fashion's Night Out in Manchester. It was great to see an event like this happening up North, and judging by the girls I saw out, we've got every bit as much style as the girls of London!
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