Have managed to get hold of the Gap velvet skinnies and was disconcerted by the amount of fluff being attracted to them (could be my dusty house), happened to find an old pack of dryer sheets (the conditioner ones) and rubbed them over the velvet - anti-static wonderfulness. Also tried it on a faux fur shrug which usually looks as if it has had a fright, looks so much better. Will also try this on some faux suede boots which attract bits and see if that works.
Of course, this could be an incredibly well-known trick and I'm just late to the party.