Jo Whiley proved that velvet isn’t only for the festive season as she styled a chocolate brown suit co-ord with comfy trainers for day-to-night perfection.
As the weather begins to turn, it’s hard not to feel a bit downcast about the darker nights and rainy days. However, if there’s one thing that can get us excited without fail this time of year it’s putting together our autumn capsule wardrobe and the different tones and materials that come into their own. This includes velvet and if you thought it was just for the festive season, think again. Jo Whiley has just worn the most fabulous autumnal velvet suit at Radio2 in the Park and showed how to style this material in a more relaxed way.
She took to her Instagram to share a sneak peek of herself with Snow Patrol and wore a pair of wide-leg velvet trousers with a single-breasted blazer. A matching set is always a brilliant option to have in your collection and could rival many of the best jumpsuits and dresses for an autumn/winter wedding.
Shop Our Favourite Velvet Pieces
This top is a lovely way to introduce a hint of velvet into your outfits as the khaki colour is earthy and subtle and the ribbed detailing breaks up the texture a bit more. It has a high neck and long sleeves and the pared-back design means that you can easily wear this with everything from jeans to trousers and skirts.
Simple yet so striking, these black velvet trousers are such a stunning investment piece to add into your autumn/winter wardrobe. They're made from low-stretch velvet, with a high-rise silhouette and a wide-leg cut. Style with your favourite jumpers and boots for an instant chic outfit.
Available in this gorgeous red-brown shade, black and dark green, this oversized blazer is so perfect for autumn. The tailored collar is classic and this also has shoulder pads for extra structure and a double-breasted design. Throw over your day-to-day outfits to give them more of a textural contrast.
They’re easy to throw on and you know already that they go wonderfully together, though Jo’s velvet blazer and trousers by Soeur Paris could also have been worn individually, making them even more versatile. Although tailored to perfection with its lapel collar and long sleeves, the velvet fabric meant her £415 Cassiopee blazer had a relaxed edge to it. This was echoed with the £285 Celestin trousers, also available on Selfridges, where the wide-leg flared silhouette and long length gave them a beautiful drape and a slightly slouchier feel.
All-too-often we might worry that a suit is too formal, but Jo proved that the cut and material of your co-ord is key to balancing this out and her choice of a brown suit helped with this too. Black velvet skirts, dresses and suits are also sensational staples for autumn/winter, but Jo’s chocolate brown shade was a little softer.
If you’re looking to invest in a velvet item and want it to take you effortlessly from day-to-night then picking a warm brown or muted shade like khaki green or grey is a great way to do it. These tones are sometimes easier to style in a more casual way in the daytime given that velvet has a naturally elevated feel to it.
For her time at Radio2 in the Park Jo Whiley dressed down the suit even more with her chic Autry trainers, rather than opting to accentuate the velvet's glamour with a pair of heeled boots. She could also have opted for her best white trainers, but instead she complemented the brown velvet co-ord with a pair that had a warm brown detail on them, as well as pops of orange and green. Underneath her blazer she added a simple white T-shirt and she also wore a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses.
This outfit was slightly different to many of her looks that she wears day-to-day, however her love of wide-leg silhouettes when it comes to trousers and jeans is very long-standing. She frequently steps out in this more relaxed and comfy cut and so it’s perhaps no surprise that her velvet trousers are totally in-keeping with this style preference. Jo Whiley’s brown velvet suit was a wonderful example of how to style velvet more casually for autumn too and it’s certainly got us inspired to give it a go ourselves.
