How To Wear Lace

I feel like lace is one of those materials that can get a bad rap. It’s one of those things where a lot of people have a preconceived idea about how it is perceived. Step out of your head and allow me to reintroduce you to lace. I’ll be covering eyelet as well; we're just going to go ahead and roll those two together.Just the other day I was helping a West Coast friend find a dress for a wedding in Colorado. She has a genuine Boho vibe and I was walking her through some of my favorite designers who cover her genre well. We happened upon a dress that had a little lace trim. I actually own the dress in black, but she is more colorful than me. She immediately withdrew and responded with "no lace, can’t do any lace anywhere."She views lace as old lady or stuffy and traditional.So we moved on...For a more youthful and playful look, these two dresses would certainly fit the bill. I don’t think either of these dresses read old lady or stuffy and traditional! The black dress could even be accessorized to be a bit more serious if you wanted.It got me thinking about some of the comments from customers I have heard recently about lace. Normally this is a woman in her late 40s early 50s, exclaiming she cannot wear lace because it looks too young. Again, this generalization is wrong! However, as with any style of clothing and, therefore, fabric, there are certain styles and hemlines that are catering to a younger audience, and then others that are just a lace top, but paired with the appropriate things will look amazing on any age.Like this top for instance…It looks amazing paired with a wide-leg trouser for a more serious look, or pair it with a pair of white or chambray shorts for a more playful take on it.Then there are pieces, like this tee with lace inset, that literally any age can wear, from 0 to 150. The shape is flattering for most figures and the lace inset on the sides just adds a little bit of fun to an otherwise basic tee.So I sent my friend Kate my black dress with lace. I’m making her take it for a test spin, and we'll see if she can tell me that she still can’t do lace…like EVER. :-)