[Trend] Velvet Jackets

Putting aside the general fears of anything remotely scary, haunting or bloody - my biggest fear is slightly unusual; velvet.  My old flatmates will tell a highlight of us living together was the time one of them pushed me on to velvet duvet cover in a department store and I screamed the place down... So it is with great reluctance that I post about a little trend that's come up for AW12, velvet jackets.

Ralph Lauren AW12 / Gucci AW12

Velvet was around last winter, but was quiet enough for me to ignore - thank god.  But this year everyone is doing it and there is no way I'm getting away with it.  The most irritating thing about is that I love how it all looks, I just can't touch it - it has a nails-on-a-chalkboard effect on me...  I loved Ralph Lauren's piece in their AW12 collection and Gucci followed it up with a similar blue style (both above).  I've decided I'm going to endure the pain and get one, in a dark shade so it will last me a bit longer than a brighter trend colour... Here are the best ones I've found:

1 Next Black Velvet Jacket, £65 / 2 J Crew Navy Velvet Blazer, £147 / 3 Ted Baker Double Breasted Velvet, £183 / 4 Mango Navy Velvet Jacket, £69

The high street hasn't failed to help me out here, with lovely pieces from British brands like Next and Ted Baker - in fact I think those two (number 1 and number 3) are my favourite.  I'm drawn to the tuxedo shape of the Next one, although I have a couple of Ted Baker blazers and know the quality is really good.  The navy pair (number 2 and number 4) don't fall far behind - the J Crew jacket is gorgeous (spotted someone wearing it over fashion week) and how good is Mango at the moment?!  Decisions, decisions... Which is your favourite?