V is for Velvet

Ah, finally, after that day of dressing like the Woman that Time Forgot, I was free to cast off my artifacts and embrace a current trend! Not just current, but blazing, smoking hot (and also warm!)

It's velvet!

Every fashion publication from here to everywhere has been hammering into my head that velvet is the fabric of the season. Fortunately, they started said hammering way back in the summer, giving me plenty of time to stock up on two new velvet dresses from Swap.com and a skirt from the thrift store (in addition to the blue dress I've had forever—I'm such an early adopter!).

Today, I'm wearing the first of the new dresses—a highly ornate velvet shift with slightly flared sleeves, in black and various shades of red.

Had fate not intervened, that would have been the extent of my velvet getup, but then I found the JustFab Black Friday sale. I filled up my cart with my olive ankle-strap flats, one more mystery shoe which I'm sure you'll see soon, and these burgundy crushed velvet sandals. They also came in blue, which I wanted so bad, but since I've somehow filled up my closet with red things this year, I thought the burgundy was a more sensible choice. I figured I'd wear them for a more formal occasion (where sandals make sense, even in the middle of winter), but then V-day came around.

Nothing would have given me greater pleasure than rocking a velvet sock boot (they're everywhere!), but alas, I haven't found one in my price range yet. So it was velvet sandals or bust. I tried them with tights and I tried them with thigh-highs (even for the sake of fashion, I won't sacrifice my toes to the gods of winter!), but eventually I decided sandals over knee socks was the cutest (although admittedly unconventional) way to finish off this outfit.

An Aside: Were you, like me, an avid fan of The Velveteen Rabbit when you were a kid? Did you ever wonder just what the heck velveteen is and what makes it different from velvet? And, for that matter, what velour is? Well, wonder no more, because I did the research for you! Most of the answers I found were quite confusing, which is why I felt like this answer on Quora (which admits that they "defy categorization") was the most satisfying. Basically the only thing that's constant about any of it is that velveteen is made from cotton, feels stiff, and has a short pile. As for the others, anything seems to go, so, in my expert opinion, you are safe referring to any shiny-ish fabric with a short furry pile as either velvet or velour, and no one would be able to contradict you unequivocally.