There is a sumptuous quality to velvet that cannot be emulated; the three-dimensional tactility of its soft pile yields to the touch but also plays coquettishly with light, both refracting rays with a subtle shimmer yet also absorbing them to intensify colour where shadows fall.
The finest velvets continue to be woven with silk fibres although weaves in cotton, linen, cashmere and mohair all offer beautiful variations. Synthetic fibre alternatives – nylon, polyester, acrylic – have significantly reduced price points, but these can only mimic the full charm of the natural fibre cloth, particularly in solid colour weaves.
In the weave
To understand velvet, you need to understand the
