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The Hunt: Stylish Velvet Blazers for Women

Sure, we all know what basics professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you're buying one for the first time or replacing one you've worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

woman wears black velvet blazer with all-black outfit; there are numerous textures in her outfit

Velvet blazers can be great festive blazers for office holiday parties — but they can also be great work outfits in their own right! I thought we'd round up some of our favorite stylish velvet blazers.

Ladies, do you wear heavyweight blazer separates to the office — and which fabrics are your favorites? Gotten any great winter blazers lately?

Our Latest Favorite Stylish Velvet Blazers for Work Outfits and Office Holiday Parties

Hunting for festive blazers for 2024/25? Stay tuned for a bigger roundup, but on the affordable side we like Loft, Liverpool, and Endless Rose — and this Eliza J one is almost always in stock. On the more expensive side, check Boden, Veronica Beard, L'Agence, and Alice & Olivia. Another option: jacquard blazers like this one from Anne Klein.

woman wears black velvet blazer with all-black outfit; there are numerous textures in her outfit
Eliza J
purple velvet pantsuit
Boden
woman wears monotone outfit in a dark but bright blue velvet; she is wearing an untied pussybow blouse so it looks like a scarf around her neck; there are also untied long ties at the wrists. She's wearing sandals, sigh.
Reiss
crushed velvet ombre blazer worn with black satin pants; the blazer goes from orange at the top to a dark purple at the bottom
Elie Tahari

Special Occasion Suits for Women in Velvet, Jacquard and More

Boden

purple velvet pantsuit

Boden is always a great source for velvet blazers, and this stunning purple velvet is gorgeous. They have a number of velvet blazers available in 2024, including purple, black, dark green, dark red, hot pink, a paisley, and a plaid. Fun!

The blazer is available in regular and petite sizes (the pants come in long sizes as well); the pieces are $160-$230.

Reiss

woman wears monotone outfit in a dark but bright blue velvet; she is wearing an untied pussybow blouse so it looks like a scarf around her neck; there are also untied long ties at the wrists. She's wearing sandals, sigh.

I'm drooling over this pants suit from Reiss. I love the dark but bright shade of blue, as well as the tone-on-tone styling. Also with regard to the styling, I'm always a fan of the rockstar scarf-worn-loose look with suit jackets, and I think it's clever to do it with an untied secretary blouse/pussybow blouse — but the ties at the wrists are confusing.

In any event, the suit is gorgeous. The blazer is $540, available in sizes 0-14 (pre-ordered but many sizes sold out?!) and the pants are $330.

Lafayette New York 148

woman in black jacquard suit with leaf print details on it

This one is a bit on the party side of suits, but it is almost that time of year… in any event, I really like this unusual print and suit from Lafayette 148 New York.

The leaf print is apparently part of their latest designs, with dresses, tops, pants, and more all featuring some variation of the leaf print. I really like it, though; it's so much more interesting than an abstract print or a more boring, regular print.

(Something about it has a slight rock and roll vibe to it? It reminds me of this Gucci suit as worn by Jenna Coleman, #19 on this list from Harper's Bazaar of celebrity trouser suits.)

The blazer is $1990 and available at Lafayette 148 New York and Neiman Marcus; the pants are $1498.

Other Warm, Wintry Blazers for Women

If you're hunting for winter blazers in tweeds or other warm fabrics, check Uniqlo, Ann Taylor, Boden, Smythe, J.Crew, Veronica Beard, and L'Agence. Some recent ones we've featured:

woman wears wooly blazer that looks like it has a sweater layered beneath it
Favorite Daughter
Boden tweed blazer with check pattern; she is wearing the checked pattern with a red stripey top
Boden
A woman wearing a purple blazer and denim pants
Veronica Beard
A woman wearing a tweed blazer and denim pants
Cinq à Sept

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51 Comments

  1. Damn, I wish I had $695 to spend on a blazer. That green velvet one is GORGEOUS.

  2. I’ve been thinking about getting into a FWB situation. I am hesitant because I’m not sure that I could really stay emotionally unattached, and, even if I could, that it would be satisfying. For those of you who have done this, can anyone share how they decided to do this or not? Regrets/best practices? I’m two seconds away from making a pro/con list. HA.

    1. I never really set out to do it, it just happened and then became a habit. When I was in that arrangement, I was fuly aware that the guy was a tool who was basically using me for s$x but was I enjoying myself so I didn’t care. He was nice to me, we had fun together, and had crazy awesome s$x.

      Just go into it with your eyes wide open. If you think you could fall for the guy, don’t do it.

    2. If you don’t think you can do it without attaching, you probably can’t do it.

      1. Agree with this. I had the same sort of relationship, but I became attached to him and wanted something more even though I know he was a tool. Because he was a tool it ended really badly and ended badly and ended up being embarassing.

    3. Keep conversation light like the sort of topics that you would discuss at a work cocktail party, because ‘heavy’ conversations about hopes/dreams/future plans can fool your brain into thinking you are bf/gf. Also, decide whether or not you want to ‘garden’ at your place. A lot of my female friends do not want FWBs staying over, even if it means they have to leave his apartment and go back to their place for a good night’s sleep. Feel free to ghost him if you feel like you are catching feelings, (remember he is a FWB and is not owed a long explanation about why you are breaking up!). And lastly, you have no guarantee that he is monogamous, so always use “gardening gloves”!!!!

      1. + 1 to no sleeping over or date like activities.

        If you can’t think of him as the human version of a self-garden tool when don’t do it.

    5. I say this kindly, but I feel like if you need to make a pro-con list and already worry you’re not capable of staying emotionally unattached, this is probably not right for you. Beyond that, I don’t know very many people who actively set out looking for a FWB as opposed to just finding one over the course of their regular lives/dating activities.

    6. A pro/con list isn’t a bad idea. The first time I tried it, it was extremely difficult to 1) avoid romantic feelings, and 2) preserve my self-esteem. Afterwards, I had a great experience with someone in an open marriage; it really helped that I knew him exclusively as a FWB, and had no romantic or friendly attachment to him otherwise. Tread carefully, and try to compartmentalize as much as you can.

    7. This may sound awful but I’ve had the best luck in FWB relationships with people that I don’t want to be in a relationship with. So some guys that are great for LGPs but are kinda jerks or have commitment issues or travel 6 days a week for work etc.

      1. The only time it worked for me was with a younger guy (early 20s vs my late 20s) who was lovely and fun and I enjoyed being with and was very much attracted to but definitely didn’t want to date.

  3. I am a transactional lawyer with no experience in litigation. I am now working in-house and will have to go court as my company’s representative, however, outside counsel handles everything. I know the general rules of court and that I have to stand when the judge enters, but how about when the attorneys introduce each party to the judge (with me being the party)? For instance, if my outside counsel says this is Clueless Lawyer from Acme Corp, and the judge says “Hello Clueless Lawyer” in reply, should I stand to respond “Hello, Your Honor”? It seems by the time I stand up I will have completed saying it, but I will do whatever is the right thing to do.

    2. Generally the second chair/other attorneys and the client do not stand or speak, even when introduced. OK to look at the judge and acknowledge him/her with a nod or a brief smile. The judge probably won’t give you anything more than a nod. Might be a local practice thing though, so fair question for your lawyer.

      1. I think this is court-by-court. In my local court, all attorneys at the table stand up for the introductions. Lead counsel usually introduces everyone at the table, but each attorney says some kind of greeting (“Good morning, your honor”) to the judge.

  4. Thanks, I will definitely do that but in the meantime wanted to get a feel for what the norm is. I tend to be a bit socially awkward and so I like to know what’s expected so I can be prepared.

  5. I have an older Smythe peacoat to sell. Where would you guys sell it online?

  6. This is a know your court situation, but if I am in from out of town I go with “Good morning Your Honor, thank you for hearing us today.” If the Court wants to interface, follow up with polite and positive chit chat about the nice weather, how the Judge’s favorite sports team did last week, etc.

  7. I’m the poster whose husband hit her a week or so ago. I just wanted to thank everyone for their thoughtful comments. Everyone in real life would just tell me I was being dramatic, so I appreciated having a safe space to talk.

    I went to a hotel for a few days to get some distance and think.

    My husband was pretty horrified at himself, and enrolled in therapy without my involvement to explore where the heck this came from.

    I came home and we did have a serious talk about what happened. We are going to a couples counselor, and he is going to a therapist on his own too.

    My eyes are open, but this was so out of nowhere for him, I’m willing to try and work on it. I have made it clear if it happens again, I’ll be long gone. I have moved money into an account solely in my name as a just in case.

    I am cautiously hopeful.

    3. Thanks for letting us know. It’s a good sign that he recognized his own bad behavior and sought therapy. Cautiously hopeful is a place you may be for awhile.

      If you do end up having to leave, you can do so knowing you really tried to make it work.

    4. Thanks for the update. It sounds like you are doing the right thing, especially opening an account for yourself. It sounds like he is doing the right thing too by getting therapy. I hope things work out for you both, but he has to know this is his one and only chance to make things right and he won’t get another.

    5. May I ask why you are willing to stay with him? He abused you. There should be no second chances.

        1. Maybe, but all the therapy in the world won’t change what happened. He’s an abuser.

      2. Because there has been 10 years where he has been nothing but the most supportive, wonderful, loving husband. This is so out of character for him that I am talking to the therapist about serious potential for a stroke, aneurism, or other health issue.

        The fact that he didn’t go the grovel, I’m-so-sorry-here’s-flowers route, but instead took the initiative to get a counselor for himself.

        The 30-second moment is not the man I’ve known for 12 years. I am willing to try and fix it.

        1. It sounds more and more like something is not right with him. If he was an abusive person, it would have manifested itself during the 10 years you’ve been married. I hope for both your sake that the therapist or someone can find out what caused his behaviour and you can deal with it and have your marriage return to normal.

    6. Thanks for the report. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to give ONE second chance to somebody after a first incident where it’s out of the blue, out of character, and he’s taking corrective action. And I’m glad you’ve put away some money so it’s there if you need it.

      I hope it works out for you!

      1. +1 to all of this.

        Hugs and best wishes to you going forward, and thank you for letting us know, a lot of us here have been thinking about you.

      2. +2 to all of this. As I recall, you’ve been married for 10 years and you said this was the only time he has acted this way. I too would give a second chance, but not a third, because of your long history and this being completely abnormal behavior. I sincerely hope your marriage can be healed. I’m also glad to read you’re taking steps to protect yourself.
        Thank you for giving us an update. Many women here have wondered about how you’re doing.

  8. Speaking of blazers, are we all wearing pantsuits tomorrow? I always wear skirts but I think tomorrow I’ll try to turn a blazer and some black pants into a makeshift pantsuit.

      1. Love this.

        Canadian but wearing a navy (blue) pantsuit and white blouse tomorrow in solidarity.

        Fingers crossed for y’all (and realistically for the rest of the world too)

        1. I am also a Canadian who plans to rock a grey pinstripe pantsuit tomorrow…even if it is just to sit in my office writing reports all day.

      1. Are you really wearing that? I’m quite certain I’d lose my job if it did, but great if you can!!

    4. I don’t own a pantsuit and am not in the US but I’ll be wearing my Berlin-landmark print top as a reminder to myself of the importance of democracy.

    5. I actually bought a Halogen pantsuit that was featured here a few weeks ago, so I’m good to go as a member of Pantsuit Nation!

    6. Pantsuit at the ready. Last night on the phone, California-based parents told me they are voting for Trump. Then my father wisely changed the subject. I would work harder on them if CA weren’t so clearly going to Hillz. I am so proud that my brother was “turned democrat” by his wife a few elections ago. Now I am not the Democratic black sheep of the family.

    7. I usually wear separates that often look like a pantsuit, but I’m debating wearing the gray suit tomorrow. Or else the black slacks, black-and-white mini-houndstooth blazer & a royal blue shirt. So I get both the suit & the blue in.

    8. Absolutely! I’m more a skirt and dress person, but tomorrow I’ll be rocking a pantsuit while doing voter protection work in Ohio.

      Pantsuit Nation!

    10. I usually wear a skirt (sometimes with a blazer) or dress, but I am wearing pants and a jacket tomorrow! They will be mismatched, as I’m going for subtle solidarity in my business casual office. I’m surrounded by white males at work in a very conservative district, so I am trying to not be too loud. ;) I did convince friends at other companies to do the same, though!

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