We have Emma Roberts to thank for piquing our interest in velvet shoes earlier this year. Big on texture and available in myriad, already-beloved silhouettes, velvet kicks are a fresh, very low-touch outfit upgrade. So we obviously had to discuss her affinity for plush footwear when we spotted Roberts at a dinner celebrating Reed Krakoff's massive Kohl's collaboration.
"I'm in love with velvet shoes, especially this Tabitha Simmons pair — I actually got those on sale, at a store that was going out of business. I was really proud of that find!" Roberts told Refinery29, confirming that a series of sightings in various softly textured kicks wasn't mere coincidence.
Another go-to for the lushly textured styles: "I'm obsessed with Carmelinas; they make these velvet wedges, and I have them in baby blue and maroon. I love a velvet shoe for summer, not just fall. Even though you're not 'supposed' to wear velvet in the summer, I think it's fun in a light blue."
Going-out-of-business sales aren't the only kind of bargain Roberts digs. "It just goes to show that with fashion, it doesn't really matter any more if it's high end or not," Roberts says, explaining why Krakoff's pair-up with Kohl's jives with both the fashion industry's current state and with her personal style M.O. "My favorite outfits are a mix of things I've found in a dollar bin with an expensive bag and my best friends' shoes." Her sneaky shopping tip? "I love Jet Rag in L.A. I've found some really cute dresses in the dollar bins they do on Sundays; they're floor-length dresses that I just cut to make baby-doll dresses."
Perfect jorts are the one item she's always on the prowl for when shopping. "My stylists, Brit Smith and Kara Smith, and I are always on the hunt for the best pair of cutoff vintage Levi's shorts that really fit," Roberts says. "I have a couple pairs, but I'm always looking for more. You really can't have too many pairs of cutoff jeans for summer." Roberts and her stylist duo are also always scouring for "the perfect vintage denim jacket," and a deluge of pins to put on said elusive jacket. "I just bought the ghost emoji pin, because that's my thing." For now, the ghost-shaped pin is residing on a Ralph Lauren Denim & Supply jean jacket Roberts recently picked up.
Besides denim in jorts and jacket forms, Roberts relies on stripes as a summer wardrobe workhorse. (For photographic evidence, look no further.) "There's nothing like stripes in summer: A little striped tee with denim shorts and a great wedge or flat is just dreamy." Roberts' next styling forays: scarves, in various forms. "I've been loving little scarves, tied around the neck," Roberts says. "My next thing is doing a scarf woven into a braid."
Now, excuse us while we go dig in the bins for velvet shoes and chop-ready dresses of our own.
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