The Velvet Goldmine

Velvet slippers have been there since forever. Is it so backward of me to be blogging about wanting them just now?

embroidered green velvet slippers by Shipton & Heneage

They give off that air of being extremely high maintenance. I would love to wear them with holiday party suits as much as i would with the most casual of clothes:

slashed jeans

This photograph of stylist Keegan Singh almost singlehandedly drove my search for the perfect pair of velvet slip-on shoes.

and shorts.

via The Sartorialist

I haven't made up my mind whether I want mine embroidered or not. Right about the time when Gucci's ad campaigns featured a model with a "G" carved out of her pubic hair, the Italian brand churned out this pair of velvet slip-ons embroidered with the word "suck" on the right shoe and "me" on the left. What I would give to have a pair of those shoes right now (let alone a photo of them) just so I can garishly wear my Tom Ford-era Gucci nostalgia on my feet.

I tried on these velvet slippers at Topman in New York but decided against getting them. I felt iffy about the squared-off toe and the gaudy gold fleur de lys.

Topman velvet slippers

the same pair in wine red

This pair by Barker Black appears to be sumptuously embroidered, but never in a million years would I be willing to fork over $800+ for a brand that is mostly GQ hype.

Barker Black skull and crossbones velvet slippers

I might have found the perfect pair of velvet slippers: Cole Haan at Gilt.com, elegantly plain, handsomely shaped, and made more comfortable by some hidden Nike air footbed.

Cole Haan velvet slippers from Gilt

No thanks to the holiday online shipping frenzy, their earliest shipping date was way past the day I fly out of Boston, so it was a no-buy. Sigh, the search for my velvet goldmine goes on.