If you didn't have a full-on velour tracksuit in the early 2000s, you were a stronger person than most of us. Whether yours came stamped with "Juicy" in rhinestones or splashed with "PINK" across the tush, the sight of that telltale, soft-white sheen indicated that you were as fashionable as Paris Hilton and Mischa Barton (we'll leave you to hash out what that meant in the grand scheme of things). However, as we've all moved on and learned to wear hardier fabrics without them totally, like, bugging us, the velour suit has fallen out of favor. These days, to wear one means that you still consider Frappuccinos your favorite beverage and autotune your favorite cultural product. You exist — but you're a dying breed.
But, just as we thought that the velour tracksuit was going the way of popcorn shirts and Zubaz, we stumbled across this look from Zara that had us reconsidering everything. Could it be? The soft, sweet fabric of our youth worked into the sharp, sleek silhouette of our adult lives? With a blazer, thin camisole, and side-striped pants, this set is like our old sweats graduated, took out their bellybutton ring, and got a respectable job in a career they actually enjoy. We can imagine them dressed up up with heels and a pendant necklace as an alternative to our night-out jumpsuits. Still, because we learn from our own history, these are not meant to be worn with sneakers or sandals (or, god forbid, trucker hats). Keep them on the dressy side, and you should prevent any future photo-untagging sprees down the line. The main point of difference here is that this Zara suit is actually velvet, not velour. Zero stretch is a good thing here.
Right now, the blazer is unfortunately the only part of this collection that's for sale. And believe us, we're looking at those pajama tuxedo pants like they're a fresh breakfast sandwich (on that note — is anyone else still hungover from NYE?).
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