Velvet Crush

With lace, ruffles, floral prints, bows, and flower headbands still being very much in style for 2010, it's clear that romance and femininity won't be going out of style any time soon. The newest trend that you can enjoy being a girl in is velvet. Velvet was a big trend on the runways and has also been spotted on various celebrities. I think velvet is the perfect fabric to wear during the winter because it will keep you fairly warm but isn't as itchy as wool can be (velvet is also a good alternative to wool for anyone who has wool allergies). While velvet was once very expensive and considered a luxury good, there are now velvet items that are inexpensive, gorgeous, and long lasting. Take a look at my finds below to see what I'm talking about.

Velvet Bandage Mini Skirt, $19.99, available in sizes XS-L, ardenb.com

Velvet Blazer, $59.99, available in sizes 00, 0, and 12, bananarepublic.com

Hottie Spotty Passport Case, $68.00, betseyjohnson.com

Hottie Spotty Large Cosmetic, $68.00, betseyjohnson.com

Hottie Spotty Small Zip, $28.00, betseyjohnson.com

Ski Bunny Extra Soft Over-The-Knee High, $30.00, betseyjohnson.com

Wolford Velvet De Luxe 50 Tights, $42.00, available in sizes X Small-Large, bloomingdales.com

Velvet Driver, $9.99, bakersshoes.com

Crushed Velvet Shrug, $13.80, available in sizes Small-Large, forever21.com

Edith Velvet Boots, $30.80, available in sizes 6-10, forever21.com

Embellished Velvet Flats, $19.80, available in sizes 6-8, forever21.com

Jocelyn Velvet Trim Pump, $14.99, shown in black; also available in taupe, sizes 7-10, forever21.com

Phantasy Velvet Flat, $14.80, shown in gold; also available in silver, sizes 6-10, forever21.com

Posh Stiletto Heel, $20.80, available in sizes 6-9, forever21.com

Shiny Velvet Headband, $3.80, forever21.com

Studded Velvet Pump, $25.80, available in sizes 6-10, forever21.com

Velvet Bodysuit, $15.50, available in sizes Small-Large, forever21.com

Velvet Bow Back Blazer, $32.80, available in sizes X-Small-Medium, forever21.com

Velvet Leggings, $3.99, shown in burgundy; also available in purple, sizes X-Small-Large, forever21.com

Velvet Military Jacket, $34.80, available in sizes Small and Medium, forever21.com

Velvet Over The Knee Boot, $36.80, available in sizes 6-8, forever21.com

Velvet Pearl Trim Jacket, $12.99, available in sizes Small and Medium, forever21.com

Velvet Pumps, $12.80, available in sizes 6-10, forever21.com

Royal Velvet Dress, $49.95, shown in red plum combo; also available in blue grey combo; sizes 0-12, freepeople.com

Velvet Fringe Jacket, $29.95, available in sizes M and L, freepeople.com

Boxed Flower Barette, $30.00, juicycouture.com

Velvet Headband, $25.00, juicycouture.com

Apple Bottoms Jacket, Long Sleeve Zip Up, $29.99, available in sizes M and L, macys.com

All Around The Mulberry Heels, $49.99, available in sizes 6-9.5, modcloth.com

Iconic Style Included Top, $49.99, available in sizes S-L, modcloth.com

Fresh Prints of Bel Air Skirt, $42.99, available in sizes S-L, modcloth.com

Fresh Prints of Bel Air Top, $59.99, available in sizes S-L, modcloth.com

Flutter Velvet Top, $13.99, available in sizes S-L, mandee.com

Snakeskin Velvet Legging, $10.20, available in sizes S and M, mandee.com

Velvet Capelet, $12.00, mandee.com

Velvet Over The Knee Boot, $34.49, available in sizes 6-10, mandee.com

Silence & Noise Long Sleeve Velvet Mini Dress, $29.99, shown in plum; also available in black, sizes Medium and Large, urbanoutfitters.com

Silence & Noise Strapless Velvet Dress, $29.99, shown in thames blue; also available in black and purple, sizes Small-Large (thames blue and purple only available in large), urbanoutfitters.com

Silence & Noise Velvet Bodysuit, $24.99, shown in concord; also available in black, sizes xsmall-large, urbanoutfitters.com

Silence & Noise Velvet Printed Legging, $34.00, available in sizes x-small and small, urbanoutfitters.com

Fownes Velvet Glove With Faux Fur Cuff, $6.99, sears.com

Fownes Velvet Glove With Leopard Cuff, $4.99, sears.com

Tuscany Velvet Romantic Hat, $34.99, sears.com

Velvet Tunic Dress, $7.99, shown in walnut; also available in black, lavish wine, and conservative grey, sizes S-L (lavish wine not available in S), nyandcompany.com

Wrap Buckle Boot, $39.50, available in sizes 6.5-10, wetseal.com

Washed Velvet Skirt, $69.00, shown in black; also available in very berry, okra, and woodsmoke, sizes 2-16, athleta.com

Jasmin Apple Pkt Velvet Legging, $39.99, shown in red; also available in jet, sizes 1/2 and 3/4, applebottoms.com

I hope you enjoyed my little velvet finds for this post. One word of advice though; velvet can be tricky to clean and often requires either hand washing or dry cleaning. So be careful when wearing it and try to avoid spilling anything on it (I know easier said than done). I'll admit to not being much of an expert on stain removal myself, so if anyone has any tips on how to get stains out of velvet, please let me know. Thank you!

More Metallic Must-Haves

Last year, I wrote an article talking about how shine was everywhere. Well this year, shine is still going strong. The style of shine that has particularly caught my eye this year though, is shiny leg wear. As I was walking through various different stores at the Westfield Sunrise mall yesterday, I couldn't help but notice that metallic leggings were all over the place. When I got back home, I was inspired to go searching for more metallic leggings online . So, I thought I'd post my finds in this blog.

Latex Disco Dot Legging, $38.00, available in sizes S and M, ardenb.com

Side Zip Latex Legging, $38.00, shown in pewter; also available in black, sizes XS-L, ardenb.com

Liquid Leggings, $14.99, shown in silver; also available in black, sizes SM-LG (silver not available in SM), bakersshoes.com

Sexy 24" Legging, $34.00, available in sizes Small and Medium, bebe.com

Wet Look 27" Legging, $34.00, available in sizes X-Small-Medium, bebe.com

Aqua Women's Latex Liquid Leggings, $42,00, available in sizes small and medium, bloomingdales.com

Aqua Women's Liquid Latex Leggings with Zipper, $42.00, available in sizes Small-Large, bloomingdales.com

Glossy Open Heel & Toe Leggings, $15.80, sizes Small-Large, forever21.com

Metallic Knit Leggings, $9.99, available in sizes Small-Large, forever21.com

Metallic Leopard Leggings, $10.80, available in sizes X-Small and Small, forever21.com

Metallic Shine Knit Leggings, $13.80, forever21.com

Stirrup Gloss Leggings, $17.80, avilable in sizes X-Small-Large, forever21.com

Stirrup Leggings, $13.80, available in sizes X-Small-Large, forever21.com

Zip Ankle High Shine Leggings, $17.80, available in sizes Small and Medium, forever21.com

Gathered Ankle Glitter Legging, $17.80, available in sizes Small and Medium, forever21.com

High Shine Leggings, $13.80, shown in gold; also available in black, sizes Small-Large, forever21.com

High Waist Glossy Leggings, $22.80, available in sizes X-Small-Medium, forever21.com

Open Heel & Toe Metallic Leggings, $15.80, available in sizes X-Small-Medium, forever21.com

Shirred Glossy Leggings, $15.80, available in sizes X-Small-Large, forever21.com

Black Lame Leggings, $16.99, available in sizes SM-LG, hottopic.com

ING Faux Leather Leggings, $28.00, available in sizes S-L, macys.com

Liquid Metallic Full Foot Tights, $14.00, shown in silver; also available in gold and black, sizes small/medium and medium/large, urbanoutfitters.com

Silence & Noise Super Shiny Leggings, $38.00, shown in gold; also available in black, sizes xsmall-large, urbanoutfitters.com

These glossy leggings would be a perfect way to spice up the classic "Little Black Dress". They would also look great under a tunic top. You can even wear them under an over-sized t-shirt or boyfriend cardigan to add a feminine touch to a menswear-inspired look. If you see any other metallics that I haven't featured yet, let me know. Also tell me if there are any other leg wear trends that you would like me to write about. E-mail me at Charmed42787@gmail.com or send me a message on myspace. Keep shining!