Styling a velvet jacket - Help! - YouLookFab Forum

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Styling a velvet jacket - Help!

Bijou

Veteran

Angie's post about velvet got me interested in wearing some of the velvet pieces that I have. This velvet jacket is 10 years old and was purchased for a trip to Paris in 2006 (picture 1). Taking up Donna's "red week challenge" I wore it to work yesterday (picture 2). Looking at this picture, I think I would prefer it with a straight pencil skirt, rather than the A-line skirt I wore.

I would appreciate your thoughts on how to style this jacket so that I don't look like I am in a 2006 time warp. Sometimes I do worry now that I am in my 40's - that I have just gotten slack in my style by keeping quite a few older pieces. If you think it is time to say goodbye, because it looks dated, I will take that feedback on board. My jacket is great quality and a nice cotton velvet. It still fits well, and I love the colour.

Tom Ford has made an incredibly lovely raspberry velvet jacket that is a similar colour to mine and provides good inspiration on how I can style this for work. But any other ideas / suggestions would be great to hear.

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Dressing

19 replies

Latest reply was from Bijou

Gigi

Veteran

I think that your jacket looks really on trend, not dated at all. I love the color.

As for other styling suggestions, if you still want to look dressy, you could wear it with black skinny pants. A little more casual but still on the dressy end of things would be to wear it with white jeans. And you could go the "high end--low end" route and wear it with a pair of blue jeans.

rachylou

Veteran

Not dated at all. Truth, I think the way you styled it in 2006 is very now. Graphic tee (scoop neck) and lariat necklace and bag worn high. I think sneakers with the dark skirt would also be a cool way to wear it. I don't see this as an office jacket, btw...unless you're in a creative field...?

Brooklyn

Veteran

It's a beautiful, classic, blazer style jacket. I don't think it's dated. I'd like to see it with your crop flares or with regular flares. I agree with you that a pencil skirt would work too. And a choker. (I know you like them!)

Style Fan

Veteran

Great jacket. I love a velvet jacket with faded blue jeans and a graphic tee. Robert Plant style. Not sure he wore a tee but that look.

approprio

(website)

Veteran

It's a gorgeous jacket, very classic and a beautiful colour. I hung onto mine too.

I'm wearing it casually with jeans or shiny pants, layered over t-shirts or classic granddad shirts. I like what rachylou and SF say. Tailored boot-cuts or wide-legged pants with a good drape could also work.

Column

Veteran

I agree with everyone else; it's not the jacket, but its support act that makes it current. As you already noticed, the A-line skirt is less trendy than either a slim (pencil skirt, slender leg), cropped (flare or fitted), or wide (full-lenth or cropped pant) bottom with a column of color top to lengthen and highlight the jacket, just like the inspiration pic you show for work. For play, I love the concept of a plain or graphic tee with denim. Any number of shoes and accessories, including pearls, will change the vibe of the outfit. Wear it and enjoy!

April

Veteran

I would definitely go high-low and mix it with a graphic tee, ripped jeans, and some sort of rugged boot.

cindysmith

Veteran

The color is beautiful, the cut is classic. Slim trousers would look so good with it

kkards

Veteran

love the jacket! its hard to tell from the picture...but it looks a smidge big, so i'd wear it open (in the picture it looks like you've got it buttoned)...love the suggestions of wearing it with black skinny pants or a great pair of crops. i'd love to see it over a column of white--the lovely raspberry color would really pop!

Karie

(website)

Veteran

I think a nice dressy option would be a column of color (try gray, navy, or black) by way of a slim pencil skirt and collarless shirt. A nice casual option would be slim fitting jeans (either dark wash or distressed) with a graphic tee.

RobinF

Veteran

I think it's a beautiful jacket, definitely keep! I agree with the jeans ideas, that would look so fun. I do also think a slim skirt could work for dressier situations.

Anonymous

There is definitely a consensus here about the column of color or a casual jeans-based look. I whole-heartedly agree with both of those suggestions. If you wear burgundy, that would be another lovely color to pair it with.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

Beautiful jacket! I'd like to see it with pants. Flares would be excellent but skinny pants would work too.

The jacket is a little long on you, so it'll create more balanced proportions with pants, in my opinion. I like jackets worn with skirts to be a bit shorter (but that could just be me!)

The color is beautiful on you, though!

JAileen

Veteran

In your original picture, I love the jewelry. Do you still have the necklace? I'd dress it up like the first picture, but with jeans of today, whatever you like.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Gorgeous jacket. You were right to hang onto it, sweet Bijou.

I do think it's better suited to jeans and trousers because of the length. Cropped and culotte could work too. Add the trend to the classic.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I like the idea of a grey marl t-shirt + jeans + boots or a turtleneck + cropped trousers + loafer.

I do like your current styling of the jacket and absolutely think you made the right decision in keeping hold of it.

Joy

Veteran

You have excellent suggestions and the jacket is a keeper. Can you roll the jacket sleeves a bit or push then up?

Jane

Veteran

That is a lovely jacket! I would keep and I am pretty sure that I have seen something similar in J Crew this season / last season. I would think more with trousers than skirts.

Bijou

Veteran

Thank you so much for your thoughtful suggestions - YLF has definitely come to the rescue! I have so many suggestions here and I want to thank each and everyone of you for helping me out with these great ideas.

I did feel a bit off wearing it with my navy skirt. I was not sure why and thought it was the jacket! I can see from looking objectively at the photo, that this jacket is much more suited to jeans and pants.

Gigi - I think black skinny pants are going to be much better when I want to dress the jacket up. I never thought of white jeans, but I do have some and will try that too. Previously I mainly wore it with blue jeans, and that is a great look for this piece - so I will try it with some current blue jeans too.

Rachy - sneakers and a casual skirt is a great suggestion. I work as an accountant, but I did wear it on a Friday, when we get to be a bit more casual in our work attire. I think this jacket may be best worn on the weekend.

Brooklyn - yes the cropped flares are definitely going to work well with this jacket and I love the idea of adding a choker!

StyleFan - yes I could see Robert Plant rocking this jacket...now if only I could be so cool! I will have to experiment with my faded blue jeans to see if I can capture some of that magic.

Approprio - thank you for giving me these great tips on how to wear my jacket. You look amazing in clothes with drape, I will have to try out that new to me silhouette. Funnily, for Christmas I asked my husband to get me a band t-shirt (because although I love music, I have no cool t-shirts) and he and my son got me a Pokemon t-shirt because it was more my style. It is fun and cute, but not really what you would call cool...

Column - thank you for the input. I can see this jacket being fun with pearls too (and that is a look I am comfortable with) - I will definitely try the jeans, t-shirt, pearls and jacket look.

April - rugged boots will definitely be the go for winter. I already have a pair (in finds below) that after your comments, I was thinking, yes they will work well together. Don't know why I had not thought of it before! Thank you.

Cynthiawalkersmith - I agree that particularly on my slim pants are probably going to work well with this jacket. Thank you for your input and glad you like the jacket.

kkard - a column of white will be a fun way to wear this, as I agree, it will really make the colour of the jacket stand out.

Karie - the dressy option of a slim column of colour will work well for me. I must admit, I have so much black in my wardrobe, creating a black column will be the easiest!

RobinF - thank you for your suggestions too. It is going to be fun to play with the jacket and try out these options.

Ryce - I do love burgundy and think that this jacket would look great with burgundy jeans. I can see burgundy jeans working very well in my wardrobe, so I will be on the look out for a pair. Thank you for your input.

Maneera - you are 100% right that where the jacket sits on me, it really is best worn with pants. I was trying to recreate the Net-a-Porter look, but it really did not work at all. I do look best in cropped jackets with dresses and skirts and can see now why I felt a bit dated in the jacket because I did wear it with a skirt.

JAileen - I do still have the necklace, so I can do that pairing again with jeans. I probably would skip on the matching earrings.

Angie - "add the trend to the classic" makes perfect sense. I went all classic and felt dated. You are challenging me though, culottes are one of those items I have steered clear of...however I will have an open mind, because I adore culottes on others. There is absolutely no harm in trying on some culottes to see if I can rock that look!

RubyTuesday - the loafer suggestion is a very good one - a way of adding a current trend to a classic jacket. I do like loafers too, just so comfortable - so a win for style and comfort.

Joy - rolling / scrunching the sleeves is something I can do and I think it would add a nice softness to how tailored the jacket is.

Jane - I am glad that it is not the jacket, just how I put it together. I had a look at J-Crew and it is good to see how they styled their jacket with jeans which is great inspiration.

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