Velvet cloth is a unique, smooth, and soft fabric that is mostly used in winters.  It appears to be beautiful and shiny due to the presence of pile fibers. It is also thick and heavy which makes many people carefully handle and carry it to retain its beauty and shape.

In the winter season, many people want to look for heavier fabric to keep their body warm so velvet is a customary cold weather fabric as it is warm and fashionable in clothing.

ORIGIN OF VELVET CLOTHING

It is thought that velvet was first originated from eastern culture using wool, silk, and linen. At that time, the process of producing velvet was too complex that velvet was only available to the royal class.

It was so expensive at that time. Some other samples of velvet were found in china going back to 400 BC but it was not a common technique so there was little production. After then, during the renaissance period between 1400 to 1600 its production was at its peak.

Due to its soft quality, Europeans also introduced it and started to trade it along the Silk Road. The first industry of producing velvet was introduced in Italy but still, it remained only for rich and wealthy people. In the time of the industrial revolution, its production gradually improved and it became commonly available.

Evening gowns and dresses were more commonly made from this fabric. Embroidered jackets, suits, gothic gowns were also designed using this fabric

PRODUCTION OF VELVET CLOTHES

Velvet is largely produced in China. As velvet is produced by two types of textile i.e. silk and rayon. And both these textiles are largely produced in China. They also follow India as Indian silk is of higher quality.

TYPES OF VELVET CLOTHING

• Chiffon Velvet: This type of velvet is very lightweight. It can be folded in different ways. It is also known as transparent velvet and is most commonly used in skirts, lingerie etc. It can also last long and should be washed with cold water.
• It should not be ironed as this causes the fabric to become out of shape. It is also used in warmer weather as other types of velvet are heavy and are used for cold weather. Other than that, chiffon velvet is also used in scarves, hats, purses and other accessories

• Crushed velvet: When velvet is wet, it is folded, twisted in a variety of ways after which we get crushed texture. It appears to be shiny and unique. In most cases, this type of velvet is stretchable. It was common in the 60s and early 70s.

• Embossed velvet: In this type of velvet, different types of symbols, images are designed using heat.

• Hammered velvet: It appears to be crushed and extremely shiny. It is carefully pressed.

• Lyons velvet: It can be called silk velvet and is much heavier than other fabrics. It is one of the luxurious types of velvet and can be used in coats, hats, etc.

• Panne velvet: This type of velvet is mostly crushed. A hundred percent of polyester is used in this type of velvet which causes it to be wrinkle-free. It is lightweight and is used for designing dance costumes, stylish loungewear, tops, dresses, and children’s apparel.

• Utrecht Velvet: It is not trendy and has gone out of style but is still used in dresses and party wears. It is also used in home textiles and décor.

• Voided velvet: It is almost similar to embossed velvet and a number of designs and shapes can be made using this velvet.

• Ring velvet: This type of velvet is fine and light-weighted like chiffon velvet.

• Cotton velvet: It is not as luxurious as other types of velvet and its colors are also light, faded, and not deep as others.

COMMON USES (who can carry it?)

Velvet clothing is most commonly used for party wear and special occasions. It is also incorporated into our daily wear. It adds a glam touch to our personality. Different people i.e. older women, college girls, little girls can rock velvet clothes too.

It looks elegant on all of them. It is almost trendy every year and is styled in different ways. As velvet is soft, so it is used in designing fabrics that are close to the skin for example lingerie. It is also used for room decors, for example, it is used in curtains, pillows, bedding, and blankets e.tc.

ADVANTAGES OF VELVET CLOTHING

One of the advantages of velvet clothing is that theists don’t easily fade. It remains undamaged even if it is given exposure to sunlight. It will be still soft to touch, comfortable, and breathable.

It makes us have a royal feeling. Secondly, it can be used in cold seasons to keep us warm. Furthermore, it gives us a luxurious look and possesses an aesthetic value. It is easily available for everyone and creates a distinct and unique look.

DISADVANTAGES OF VELVET CLOTHING

As every rose has its thorn, there are also some disadvantages of velvet clothing which can damage its appearance and function. Primarily, the fabric is dust absorbent. It is difficult to clean in comparison to other fabrics.

It is expensive but depends on the quality. It may be expensive because velvet takes more time to be produced. It is passed through several steps and due to silk fibers used in it, it is usually high in price. But, the disadvantages are negligible compared to the advantages.

PREVENTION/ CARE NEED FOR VELVET CLOTHING

If you are not taking care of velvet properly, it can shrink, flatten, and can lose its design which ruins its beauty. So, to keep velvet clothes in their proper condition, we need to be careful of following things.

1. We should not iron them. Instead of this, we should use steam to remove wrinkles.
2. We should hang them in an open ventilated area after wearing them.
3. If they are wet then we don’t need to apply pressure on them.
4. We should need to clean them regularly after wearing them.
5. If they get a stain then take them to a professional cleaner for stain removal as this will not damage the appearance of the velvet cloth and will retain its royalty.

In this way, if we are careful and are taking proper care, velvet clothes can preserve their beauty for years.

CHANGES IN VELVET CLOTHING OVER A PERIOD OF TIME

It is observed that velvet clothing has come across several changes over the period of time. At the start, there was a time when men, women, children wore velvet clothes that were extremely heavy and was difficult for people to fold.

But then gradually there came a general movement which promoted the use of lighter velvet and with small designs. In this way, they became popular, especially for jackets used by men’s and women’s dresses. Ordinary people also started to use smaller qualities of velvet as it became easy and cheaper to produce.

Then it became less popular after the Second World War. Now, it’s again common and has been revived and comes in trendy styles. Due to machine inventions, velvet has become cheap and easy to produce. But the velvet that we use today may not be as pure as the velvet that was used in the past times.

VELVET CLOTHING TRENDS NOWADAYS

 Velvet clothing had always come in several styles. It had a great collection and is the best fabric for cold weather. It captures the attention of many young girls and they are more concerned about new velvet dresses. It’s associated with royalty from the start and is used for special occasions.

It is always in high demand for party wear and bridal dresses. Recently, various Pakistani fashion designers introduced several velvet shawls and dresses for wedding functions, formal wear, parties, dinner, etc. A lot of celebrities were observed carrying different velvet outfits and all were looking elegant and captured attention from several people.

Wedding Function

For wedding functions, velvet shirts can be paired with net skirts or shararas with dupatta on the side. It gives you an alluring look.

Bridal Fashion

In bridal fashion, velvet was used for sarees with velvet blouses inside and maxi dresses. In fact, there are a lot of other options. Bridal velvet shawls are also trendy and are styled in different ways. Brides love to carry them which makes their complete outfit look more elegant.

They allow brides to shine more and create a royal look. In addition to that, different dresses come along with heavy embellishments on velvet for brides. In short, velvet outfits are the ideal choice that is perfect for every evening wear.

It also looks good for casual looks. If you want to look good and attractive without zero effort, velvet outfits would be the best to make you look fascinating.

Ways to Wear This Fabric

There are many stylish ways to wear this fabric. They can be paired with any of the outfits i.e. pants and other pieces. Nowadays, there is so much variety available when it comes to velvet. We come across shorts frocks, maxis, tops, hats jackets, embellished shawls, etc.

Recently, one more trend of velvet pants was bought. They were huge and were mostly used for casual wear. They were comfortable but that does not look more elegant and descent so I would recommend you to use them for nightwear, family reunions, etc.

Trendier Colors of Velvet

Dark and bright velvet colors are usually trendier than light ones. They look cute, joyful, and amazing.

Additional Accessories of Velvet to Carry

Furthermore, if you don’t want to look much velvety then jackets and blazers would be the best option to add a little touch of velvet in your outfits. Any color can be chosen for this i.e. from brightest tones to sober tones. But the colors that were more in were black, dark green, blue, Burgundy.

They look great with denim jeans or skirts which are plain. A two-piece velvet outfit was also trendy this year. They were coming up with embellishments but if you don’t like extra knick-knack, you can go on with a plain outfit of the same color and design.

 Moreover, you can also wear velvet sneakers for casual wear. They are not as warm as velvet clothes are but they were trendy and give you a charming personality. Also, you can pair up your outfit with heels or flats.

There are also some other accessories that can give you a velvet feel. If you don’t want to have velvet outfits then accessories like bracelets, earrings having details of velvet can make you look stylish.

They are unique and come in a lot of colors. Recently, velvet chokers became common. These were bought back in the nineties but they look so stylish and elegant and everyone can carry them.

To conclude all this, velvet would be still coming in fashion and it would be trendy for fall-winter 2022 and so on.