Kelsey Merritt Is a Velour Dream in Vest, Mini Shorts Set During Paris Fashion Week

We’re taking cues from the model’s stunning monochromatic style.

Kelsey Merritt / Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/Getty Images

In the midst of developing a plan for our fall closets, model Kelsey Merritt has stepped in with a major endorsement for velour.

We have always understood the faintly shimmery material to be the ideal statement-maker. Its soft sheen guarantees that it will catch eyes as you move throughout your day. But it has never been our first choice, as it’s simply less common than your typical heavier fabrics, like the leathers and denims of the world.

While we’ve gotten some great examples of how to expertly incorporate the fabric into our seasonal style, we don’t think we’ve ever been confronted with the possibility that it could be the main element of our outfits—until Merritt stepped out on the streets of Paris in an almost purely velour look.

On Tuesday, Sept. 24, she was en route to the Christian Dior womenswear spring-summer 2025 runway show at Paris Fashion Week when photographers snagged a handful of photos of her fall style. Merritt was effectively wearing black velour from head to toe, as her button-down vest, mini shorts and oversized blazer were all constructed of the soft, velvet-like material. To that monochromatic trio, she added sheer black tights, high heel wedges and a recognizable Christian Dior handbag (a fitting choice for the event).

Kelsey Merritt / Jacopo Raule/Getty Images

The look was the very definition of bold, and a perfect example of the beauty of fashion month. Celebrities attending the luxury worldwide events during this month-long fashion affair put their very best foot forward week after week. Their outfits—down to the most minute details—are perfectly curated, styled and executed. In other words, September is often replete with fashion inspiration for those of us who are not in attendance.

Sure, we may not choose to replicate every single look that we see on the streets of New York or Paris or Milan, but we can certainly take elements from each and every one, using them as inspiration in curating our own closets this season.

Where Merritt’s latest look is concerned, though, we think we might just want to replicate it in its entirety. After all, as we said, we don’t often see velour-on-velour, and her Paris Fashion Week style has us convinced that it might just be the most glamorous way to make a bold statement. In any case, we think we will be incorporating the fabric into our fall closet in some capacity or another this season.