The holidays have a reputation for making us think in terms of color combos: There’s white and red; silvers and golds; evergreen and cranberry. But, sometimes going the color-coordinated route feels about as fresh as wearing orange on October 31. If you want to be a little less obvious about it, look to Karlie Kloss, who foreshadows the best of upcoming festive wears with a ‘90s throwback we’re eagerly welcoming back to our closets. Yep, we’re talking purple crushed velvet.
While your average, lush velvet fabric can feel a bit pristine, a crushed version has an edge all its own. In Kloss' case, she wore this steely gray-lavender halter number to a recent Tiffany’s fête in celebration of the brand’s Tiffany T collection. With its body-skimming silhouette, the style is sexy and feminine, but the roughed-up texture gives the party frock an innate grunginess. It feels as merry and romantic as many other Winter-Wonderland-ready dresses, but without the bows, sparkle, or potential to be matchy-matchy with Santa Claus.
What makes this trend even more attractive, however, is how statement-making it is on its own. Because of the artfully crumbled fabric that looks different with every move, a dress like this doesn't need much accessorizing at all. For Karlie, this meant a few beautiful, yet understated T pieces. For us, it means a lot less time stressing over which accessories pair best with a marathon of holiday parties coming up. That's a win-win.