POV: material wonders

It's funny how fashion media forecasts "trends." Every other day, I'm reading about a new fashion revival, either in clothing material and color, or apparel and accessories. Remember how popular gladiator shoes have been the past few years? Or how everything these days is a "statement" piece - jewelry, shoes, dress? (If I could get a dollar for every time a fashion mag uses the word!) Sometimes I feel like the repetition of fashion trends and catch-phrases is rather redundant and arbitrary, like the fashion gods hit rewind on a random tape recorder that sounds like rubbish. Don't you just feel like you've seen and heard it all?

My lovely coat from Guess.

Today, I read about the resurgence of lace and velvet - not extremely out of the ordinary, right? I mean, as fashion conscious people, we'll always hear of some blogger's appreciation for the look and texture of different fabrics. And while I acknowledged their thoughts, I soon (inevitably) lost interest. Their voices were just one in a hurricane of opinions.

But I do admit these writers deserve some credit. It's fun to write about the beauty of texture and the ebb and flow of fashion. A couple days ago, I bought a coat with velvet trim, and last night, I tried on my favorite slinky, sexy black BCBG dress with lace insets - my anticipated outfit for a school formal in the spring. It's exciting to rediscover lace and velvet, and even more wonderful to own, to wear again and again. Appreciating fabric and material is a personal experience, one that you can't truly relate to on paper until you've tried it on. Until you enjoy that satisfying feeling of pure luxurious contentment, of confidence and sex appeal... Oops! I guess I'm joining this club of loose-penned admirers!

Which do you prefer, velvet or lace?