Velvet and dresses
Caring for velvet, reading a dress with no size chart, and why black velvet photographs blue.
Why black velvet photographs blue, and what that means buying online
Black velvet hands back the colour of whatever light is in the room. How to read a product photo for the real colour, and when a cast is a genuine warning.
2 November 2026What a doll collar is, where the shape comes from, and how to wear it
A flat rounded collar has a long history and a costume problem. What the shape does to your proportions, and the one change that fixes the whole look.
2 November 2026Velvet types: crushed, panne, stretch and devore, and what each does worn
Five velvets that behave completely differently on a body. What each does for drape, sheen and sitting creases, and which one forgives a bad size guess.
2 November 2026Storing velvet between seasons, and getting creases out of a garment that arrived folded
Velvet stores badly under pressure and arrives folded from almost every supplier. How to hang it, what never to put it in, and how to recover a fold line.
2 November 2026How to care for velvet so the pile does not crush
Velvet is ruined by heat and pressure together. Why you steam rather than iron, how to brush the pile back up, and how to wash it without flattening it.
2 November 2026