Velvet – Soft on the eyes; soft to the touch! A beautiful fabric, in the fashion world, used so much!
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short dense pile, giving the material a distinctive feel. By extension, the word ‘velvety’ means ‘smooth like velvet.’
Velvet can be made either from synthetic or natural fibers. Velvet makes a garment look fancy, elegant and classy!
Velvet Fun Fact: Velvet is woven on a special loom that weaves two thicknesses of the material at the same time. The two pieces are cut apart to create the pile effect, and the two lengths of fabric are wound on separate take-up rolls. Velvet pile is created by warp or vertical yarns and velveteen pile is created by weft or fill yarns.
Fill up your fashion fancy taste with soft, fun to feel, velvet!
Velvet is a fabric that looks expensive, merely by its portrayal of elegance and elan! Velvet was expensive to make before industrial power looms became available, and well-made velvet remains a fairly costly product. No matter the cost, velvet is a rich looking fabric!
Velvet garments look luxurious and appealing in all colors!
Velvet Fun Fact: Velvet can be made from several different kinds of fibers, traditionally, the most expensive of which is silk. Much of the velvet sold today as “silk velvet” is actually a mix of rayon and silk. Velvet made entirely of silk is rare and usually has market prices of several hundred United States dollars per yard. Cotton is also used to make velvet, though this often results in less luxurious fabric. Velvet can also be made from fibers such as linen, mohair and wool. No matter the fibers used, velvet always looks amazing and, as far as garments go, always a cut above.
Velvet Not So Fun Fact: Velvet is difficult to clean because of its pile, but modern dry cleaning methods tend to work well to clean velvet to its lustrous appeal!
Velvet pants! How wow is that? Thank you Victoria’s Secret!
Because of velvet’s unusual softness and appearance, as well as the high cost of production, velvet has often been associated with nobility. Velvet was introduced to Baghdad during the rule of Harun al-Rashid by Kashmiri merchants and to Al-Andalus by Ziryab. In the Mamluk era, Cairo was the world’s largest producer of velvet.
Velvet Fun Fact: In 1399, King Richard II of England directed in his will that his body should be clothed in ‘velveto’.
Velvet, a gorgeous material truly fit for kings and queens! Be victorious in velvet!
She wore whatever color velvet she preferred!
The girl can’t help it! She’s earned the right!
Due to velvet’s high class look and feel, the fabric makes for glamorous evening wear. However, velvet clothing and accessories also work for a casual, yet fashionable, look. Think a velvet blouse with skinny jeans and pumps. How adorable is that ensemble? The velvet dolls the look up, yet the denim jeans add a touch of office or daytime look to the outfit.
Can you say, “I’m dressed and velveted up to go pump gas, people! I’m a true fashion diva!”
The art of velvet weaving originated in the Far East, and it isn’t until the beginning of the 14th century that we find any mention of the soft textile. The earliest sources of European artistic velvets were Lucca, Genoa, Florence and Venice. The art was later taken up by Flemish weavers, and in the sixteenth century, Bruges attained a reputation for velvets that were similar to those from the great Italian cities.
Popular Types of Velvet Fabrics:
- Chiffon
- Crushed
- Devore
- Embossed
- Hammered
- Lyons
- Mirror
- Nacre
- Panne
- Pile-On-Pile
- Plain
- Utrecht
- Velveteen
- Voided
- Wedding Ring Velvet
No matter the color, no matter the type, when dressed in velvet you’ll look and feel just right! I understand the velvet hype!
Although there are other fabrics that are similar to velvet, such as corduroy and velour, velvet is by are a fashionable fabric that oozes glamour, royalty, richness and class!
Fashion strong? The answer has been velvet clothing all along!
“Sir, didn’t your mother teach you to keep your hands to yourself?”
“I merely needed to feel the material of your dress, see how soft it felt.”
“Much like when my little brother would get a buzz haircut and I would rub his head?”
“Exactly. Except that haircut feels prickly and rough. Your garment is smooth instead.”
“Yes. Velvet is easy on the eyes and feels marvelous to the hands.”
“Let’s give a hand to velvet. The finest fabric in all of fashion land!”
Velvet: Rich, elegant, luxurious and truly grand!
Wear velvet and take a winning style stand!
Nancy Mangano is an American fashion journalist and author of the Natalie North murder mystery book series, A Passion for Prying and Murder Can Be Messy. Visit Nancy on her author website http://www.nancymangano.com, Twitter @https://twitter.com/nancymangano, her fashion magazine Strutting in Style! at https://nancymariemangano.com, and her Facebook fan page Nancy Mangano https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nancy-Mangano/362187023895846
