This week HøFSisters decided to stick to the high street for our fashion kicks. The summer is drawing to a close and, after a bit of holidaying with family and partying with friends, our wallets are feeling significantly lighter. It’s definitely not the time for browsing Net-A-Porter’s latest collections.
Han and I are both incredibly impatient shoppers; trawling through rail upon rail of poorly displayed clothes to find a hidden gem is categorically not our forte. So we struck fashion gold early on when we found this absolute beauty of a velvet jacket…… In M&S…… For £79. Not bad for an instant pick-me-up.
This is where the good high street stores come into their own, by producing one-off fashion pieces, which are bang-on-trend, and crucially don’t break the bank. So, yes, the sleeves weren’t quite long enough for HøFSisters’ arms, but, at that price, we could afford to just push them up and add a pair of wrist warmers come the winter.
Two Ways with Velvet
To be honest, it’s not hard to style a navy velvet jacket. It brings a touch of class to a casual outfit, and can just as easily be thrown on over a pair of ripped jeans as over a body con dress. Et voila!
Velvet Jacket Look 1
Velvet Jacket, M&S, £79; Silk Cami, COS, £25; Slim Boyfriend Jeans, Zara, £39.99; Ballet Pumps, ASOS, £18
The slim boyfriend jeans are from Zara and my current casual favourite – far more comfortable than skinnies after a summer of loose kaftans and bare legs.
These ever so pretty £18 ballet pumps from ASOS (in a size 9!) are an inexpensive and easy way to tap into the current ballerina trend without reaching for the leotards and tulle skirts.
Velvet Jacket Look 2
Velvet Jacket, M&S, £79; Basic Dress, Zara, £12.99; Classic White Pumps, Superga, £60
Zara also came up trumps with this pale grey body con dress; a bit punchy for the school run but easily made more accessible with the velvet jacket and ballet pumps or as I have styled here with my white Superga for an athleisure-influenced look.
Sadly, handbags are often where an affordable outfit becomes unaffordable. We got round this by recycling an old Mulberry handbag, cunningly updated with a silk Ted Baker necktie :-).
A modern way to update an old bag. Mulberry Handbag (Outlet in Shepton Mallett); Ted Baker Skinny Neck Tie, £35
Of course, you could just as easily dress this jacket up for evening, but on that note I would be veering back towards my Net-A-Porter wish list. And that’s a blog for another day.
Zx
That jacket looks fab! I might pick one up for wearing to wedding shoots, at £79.90 that’s a lot of style for not a lot of buck x
Hi Anne, you must! It’s the perfect autumn trend for adding a touch of glamour to almost any outfit. Send us a picture if you do buy one! HøFSisters xx
Do you think it would be ruined if it got wet? I’m wondering if it would be suitable for a (17yr old) college jacket but the weather changes from morning to afternoon so couldn’t be sure to stay dry.
Hi Gill, velvet is never quite the same after it has been caught in a rain shower as it tends to clump together. Autumn/Winter 2016 Collections were peppered with tweed (Prada & Balenciaga to name two) à la Prince Charles! Why not try something like this reasonably priced version from Joules?