Velvet for the Holidays? Say Less—30 Luxe Buys to Elevate Your Winter Wardrobe
Unlike spring/summer or fall/winter—fashion seasons that see significant shifts year after year as trends change and designers test out new creative concepts—holiday collections don't often jump around or change significantly from one December to the next. There are always a few Fair Isle sweaters, some sequins, and, of course, lots and lots of velvet. It's a tradition I personally back 100%, specifically in regard to velvet.
The undeniably holiday-friendly fabric does evoke some images of my childhood, but when everyone and their sisters wear the same red or black velvet fit-and-flare dress this time of year, it also makes me immediately think of pure luxury. The clothes, shoes, and accessories outfitted with the textured material in 2023 are even more lavish than those that usually bubble up in my consciousness whenever the first signs of colder weather show face. Think bold-shouldered blazers and pencil skirts at Saint Laurent, dark-romance slip dresses at Rodarte, and body-con, well, everything at Alaïa.
Below, shop the single most luxurious holiday-fashion trend of the year.
As someone who's tried this Tory Burch dress on, I can say with certainty that it's genuinely perfect.
Taking a mental image of this outfit so I can copy it multiple times this season.
Liberowe's jackets are the epitome of elegant. The quality is truly beyond.
Now that I've accepted ballet flats into my life, I don't think I can ever go back.
All you need in there is an oxblood-colored lip stain and your wallet—and maybe Rhode's Peptide Lip Treatment.
I'm calling on whoever styled this perfect look to come forward and share every detail.
I keep stumbling upon this jacket from Free People, and every time I do, I'm just as wildly impressed as the first time.
I've been eyeing these Alaïa gloves for a while now but haven't quite worked up the financial courage to make the move. While I save up, I'm buying this $27 Urban pair.
Please—I beg of you—wear this dress with the above velvet gloves. What a look.
The touches of red take this skirt from a want to a need.
To be dressed up with a sleek skirt or down with casual Levi's.
I'd be layering this over slip dresses if it were sitting in my closet. Just saying.
A dress this easy shouldn't be allowed to also be this chic. It'll monopolize the holiday-fashion world.
This post was published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
Eliza Huber is an NYC-based senior fashion editor who specializes in trend reporting, brand discovery, and the intersection of sports and fashion. She joined Who What Wear in 2021 from Refinery29, the job she took after graduating with a business degree from the University of Iowa. She's launched two columns, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, Gracie Abrams, and Sabrina Carpenter; and reported on everything from the relationship between Formula One and fashion to the top runway trends each season. Eliza lives on the Upper West Side and spends her free time researching F1 fashion imagery for her side Instagram accounts @thepinnacleoffashion and @f1paddockfits, watching WNBA games, and scouring The RealReal for discounted Prada.
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