How velvet has shed its winter coat to pile on the style

In fashion land nobody cares about temperatures and whether they disrupt a trend. If they can go barelegged in the snow in New York City in February, velvet in a warm Hong Kong October is no problem. Tilda Swinton was making the case for head-to-toe velvet in the dead of summer when she wore Haider Ackermann’s velvet suit in San Diego in July. And recently model Natasha Poly partied in the New York heat wearing an emerald velvet trouser suit by Frame. It may have looked impractical but such idiosyncrasy achieves a cool edginess.

Velvet in all its sumptuous glory is the fabric of the season. Giorgio Armani devoted a whole collection to chic black velvet. Saint Laurent and Vanessa Seward created chic tuxedo jackets in velvet, while Etro sent maxi skirts and loose burgundy trousers (the colour of the season) in crushed velvet down the catwalk. There were also vintage style velvet devoré dresses that haven’t featured on the catwalk since the 1990s.

Velvet taps into many moods among designers: Roberto Cavalli, now designed by Peter Dundas (ex-Pucci), and Ralph Lauren embraced a boho decadence with their gold printed or embroidered velvet coats and trouser suits in regal purple. The addition of long skinny scarves at Cavalli makes it all a bit rock ’n’ roll. That ’70s vibe is echoed elsewhere in the tie-dye velvet maxi coat and suits at Raquel Allegra and the velvet platform sandals at Rupert Sanderson and Jimmy Choo.

Velvet clearly is the failsafe choice for eveningwear with a plethora of jewel dark velvet dresses (choose burgundy, ink or emerald rather than black) in the stores. Raoul’s draped wide-leg ink-velvet trousers are perfect for the evening but velvet is not just about nocturnal dressing; designers are giving the fabric a new daytime gravitas.

Stella McCartney, for example, used amber and inky blue velvet for utility-meets-glamour puffer jackets over long velvet dresses. Emilio Pucci produced a sporty zip-up top that wouldn’t look amiss jogging the streets of Hong Kong, but in acid yellow velvet is perhaps more suited to clubland. Philip Lim made tracksuit style dresses in velvet and Giorgio Armani produced velvet tracksuits that are way too glamorous for the gym.