The history of black velvet told through unforgettable fashion moments

What do they have in common Queen Victoria, Lady D, Morticia Addams and Kim Kardashian? Certainly a luxuriant passion for black velvet, a trend that from the catwalks makes its way back into the contemporary wardrobe. After all, the looks for the Holidays are soon to arrive, and the inspiration on what to wear at Christmas and New Year’s Eve comes directly from the Fall Winter 2022 – 2023 fashion collections.

On the catwalk from Blumarinethe black velvet dress triumphs with generous slits and sensual cut out details, which are opposed by the angular and baroque geometries of Moschino.

Chaste and austere silhouette instead for Burberryin total opposition with the black velvet sheath dress proposed by Herman Scervino: a hymn to glamor and bolder femininity, which also echoes one of the looks of Kyle Jenner – Kim Kardashian’s famous younger stepsister – flaunted last summer.

Black velvet seems to have no season and no deadline: its is the power to exert charm despite the passage of time, and the great fashion moments in the history of costume are proof of this.

Queen Victoria’s choker

There is a famous portrait of the Queen Victoria in which, on closer inspection, the famous monarch is immortalized wearing a “choker”: it is the English term used to indicate those necklaces that adhere well to the neck and which, in an era far from the Victorian era, would also become a trend very popular accessories. That choker, which the history of fashion would later consecrate as a cult of the 90s (also thanks to the wild Spice Girls), was of black velvet. Black, like the color that the Queen wore until the end of her days after her husband’s death Albert. And in velvet, like the most regal and austere of fabrics.

Morticia Addams looks

However, black velvet has not always had this identical connotation: although it is an expression of royalty and power, its evolution over time has paved the way for very different imaginaries. Sensuality, grace, elegance. Glamour, revenge and even horror. It is black velvet which are some of the dresses worn by the actress Carolyn Jones on the set of the 1964 series The Addams Family: her role as Morticiainspired by the comic by Charles Addams, would then be reinterpreted also in the 90s by Anjelica Hustonwith equally black velvet and femme fatale charm.

Lady D’s Revenge Dress

Revenge is said to be served on a silver platter: metal, Lady Diana chose velvet. It was June 1994 and the prince Carlo publicly admitted his treason in an interview. That same evening, Lady Diana was expected at an event at the Serpentine Gallery in London: she is said to have had to wear a Valentino dress, but Carlo’s declaration changed the cards on the table. She was about to experience one of the greatest fashion moments of Diana’s era: the “revenge dress” – as it was later renamed – was nothing more than a very sensual short dress in black velvet, with a boat neckline and a slightly heart-shaped otherwise. Signed by stylist Christina Stambolian.

Angelina Jolie at the 2012 Oscars

Another party, another celebrity. In 2012, it was Angelina Jolie to legitimize once again the value of black velvet. Even on the red carpet, even on the night of the Oscars. The fashion journalist Andre Leon Talley described her in Vogue as an icon “super sexy, in a totally 80s Versace style”. The long black velvet dress, with a very generous killer slit, that Angelina Jolie wore at the 84th edition of the Academy Awards was in fact designed by Atelier Versace. Acclaimed by the press for her flawless look, she was even compared by The New Yorker to the protagonist of the painting Madame Xwork of 1884 signed by the painter John Singer.

Dita Von Teese and Jean Paul Gaultier

The history of black velvet becomes emblematic in the great friendship between Dita von Teesestar of the burlesque world, and the couturier Jean-Paul Gaultier. They met in 2002 in Paris, Dita took little to become his muse. As she would later write in the Daily Beast, Gaultier once urged her to borrow whatever she wanted from her collections: “Wear what you want, to any event. Even if you want to wear it to the supermarket,” he told her. he. She took him at his word. Enchanted by a fascinating black velvet dress, she fell madly in love with it to the point of showing it off in public repeatedly: two photo shoots and four red carpets. One day, once again the loan request was renewed, Jean-Paul Gaultier he understood well that there was one and only place where that dress would find peace: Dita Von Teese’s wardrobe. “Jean Paul said I could keep it – said the famous burlesque performer. – This dress is the glamorous piece that I treasure. Expect it soon. I will wear it again and again and again. And yes, maybe even to the supermarket”.

Kim Kardashian’s looks

Silver latex, fuchsia satin, chocolate brown leather: the list of textures and colors that have made many of the looks of Kim Kardashian could go on and on. Yet, it is precisely black velvet that the 42-year-old entrepreneur from Los Angeles chose to tread the starry carpet of the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Her one-shoulder dress by English designer Vivienne Westwood was then followed by another fashion moment, which aired on last April 2022 in the episode Who recorded it? from the Kardashians TV series. Curled up on the sofa at home, Kim shows off a Balenciaga suit – leggings and turtleneck sweater with built-in gloves – which confirms her predilection for velvet.

Kyle Jenner’s little black dress

Good blood doesn’t lie. The look she was paparazzi in Kyle Jenner last August in London he reaffirmed two great certainties. The first is that the little black dress, also known as the “little black dress” has been a timeless classic ever since Gabrielle Chanel he proposed it for the first time in the late 1920s. The iconic model was later consecrated by the dress that Hubert de Givenchy made in 1961 because his actress friend Audrey Hepburn wore it on the set of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. If the protagonist of the film, Holly Golightly, taught women how to wear the little black dress even during the day, over 60 years later she is the younger half-sister of Kim Kardashian to suggest the use of velvet even in the heart of summer. Timeless yes, but also without season.