VELVET

Anyone who knows me would not be surprised to learn that I was a really, really prissy little girl. My older sister, who was in college when I was born, told my mom that I was the strangest child she'd ever seen because I would systematically step around puddles instead of trying to splash in as many as possible like a normal kid. Needless to say, pink, purple, bows, lace, and velvet were among my favorite things. 
I've grown out of most of these tendencies: I pretty much hate pink entirely and although rooms with purple in them will sometimes end up in my files, they're inevitably labeled something like "purple, but pretty." And for quite a while, velvet has brought to mind the word "tacky" and an image like this. Or maybe this. 
Until recently. Velvet is enjoying a comeback, and like the slave to fashion that I am, I'm suddenly obsessed with it. In its current form, it's sensuous and romantic (attracting the little girl in me) but surprisingly modern, appealing to my grown-up tastes. 
Invented in Kashmir and imported to Europe in the 14th century, velvet has always been associated with royalty, luxury and wealth. In this epically long round-up, I've tried to capture a variety of styles for inspiration while maintaining a very non-royal shopping budget. Enjoy!

before the 90s made it tacky:
left, the Empress of Austria, 1860s. and right, photo by John Rawlings ca. 1959

I know I fail at saving my sources.
When I started saving images to my computer years ago, I never thought I would need them...
clockwise from upper right:
? | ASOS | Angus Ritchie, Canadian House & Home | Kips Bay Showhouse | J. Crew | ? | ?

clockwise from upper right:
Triangles pillow cover by Bestillshop on Etsy | ? | Toast f/w 2009 | Living Etc., Nov. 08

clockwise from upper right:
? (the velvet jacquard upholstery fabric is Mokum's Martinique, one of my absolute favorites 
that I will never be able to afford)| Domino | Max Kim-Bee, photographer | ? | Lars Bolander | ?

clockwise from upper right:
Domino | Domino June/July 08 | Pillow made from vintage Marimekko velvet fabric by Alliecraft on Etsy | Neiman Marcus

Meet my two favorite sofas (because, yes, I have favorite sofas – and they both happen to come in velvet):
Room and Board's Hutton
Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams' Liam

clockwise from lower right:
Toulouse headboard, $330 for F/Q from Target
(Yes, it comes in robin's egg blue, too, if you want to decorate like Betty Draper.)
Embroidered dress slippers, $69 from ASOS
Dr. Martens, $160 from Revolve
Vena Cava for Aqua top, $51 from Bloomingdale's
(I really want this. It was $40 yesterday, which may be telling me that I don't need it.)
waterfall jacket, £14 from Peacocks
lace-up ribbon booties, $48 from NastyGal
vintage strapless party dress, $50 from pinupdresses on Etsy

clockwise from lower left:
ribbon, $15 for 15 yards from Paper Source
Plush Private coat, $248 from Anthropologie
Cyclorama jacket, $80 from Anthropologie
belted peg pants, $80 from ASOS

clockwise from upper left:
wired ribbon, $9 from Ballard
Peter Jensen tartan dress, $345 from ASOS.
(Perhaps it's the 5-year-old in me talking, but this is the perfect Christmas dress!)
Resonating Metropolis skirt, $118 from Anthropologie
Panne bell skirt, $78 from J. Crew

clockwise from upper left:
Sophie curtain, $48 from Urban Outfitters
JAR Designs Cary sofa, $1813 from Overstock
gown, £175 from Toast
(also featured in this previous post. I'm desperately coveting it, but... yeah.)
quilted amethyst throw, $25 from Markdown Alley
vintage 1920's embellished dress, $244 from IKAHN on Etsy
Armen Living Centennial sofa, $668 from Comfort Market
cushion cover, $40 from bestillshop on Etsy

clockwise from left:
vintage boots, $185 from missfarfalla on Etsy
teal bow ballerina flats, $45 from ASOS
set of two dining chairs, $400 from Overstock (whoops, they looked blue.)
Daniel Green sapphire slippers, $18 from 6pm
linen pillow, $32 from Urban Outfitters (on my real Christmas wishlist.)
embroidered dress shoes, $69 from ASOS
vintage teal dress, $36 from jadepussycat on Etsy

settee, $422 from CSN ($578 +shipping at UO.
Also available for $352 in limited colors from IVG Stores.)
Jovi Home cushion in six colors, $20 from Amazon
Sparkle & Fade tee, $40 from Urban Outfitters
padded hangers, £19 from Toast

clockwise from top:
tufted ottoman, $51.74 from Target (or $89 from UO)
studded cross-body bag, £15 from John Lewis
lichen green 84-inch curtain panel, $70 from Overstock
(much cheaper option – $30 for a pair! – here)
Avignon headboard, $330 for F/Q from Target(different shape here)
Nina Kayla flats, $10 from Solestruck
studded flats, $20 from Forever 21