SUMMER VELVET

Velvet? For summer? Apparently so. This least seasonally appropriate fabric cropped up in mint green and purple on padded versions of bed jackets at Balenciaga, and on a men’s leopard-print navy suit at Givenchy. But it was Valentino who went to town with pink velvet evening shoes with bows on, and crimson and eau de nil velvet yokes worn under sparkly vests. Pierpaolo Piccioli, its creative director, had panels of the material on day dresses as well as showing devoré evening dresses (I can’t have said “devoré” since the heyday of English Eccentrics c.1989). There was even a floor-length slouchy dress in the plainest fire engine scarlet. Fashion is clearly having a hot plush.