Needle Precision- Lace

Lace is one mysterious fabric, so delicate and fragile that it gives any garment an intriguing look. It caught my attention again when i saw Ashley Olsen and twin sister Mary-Kate grace the cover of Vogue’s Best Dressed Special Edition a few days ago. As pictured below, both girls are seen wearing a sort of black lace veil and the effect is very enigmatic in a graceful way.

Vogue Best Dressed Issue Cover                               

Lace-making is an ancient craft and was not made until the late 15th and early 16th centuries. It is created when a thread is looped, twisted or braided to other threads independently from a backing fabric. It is also made up of detailed techniques, one more fascinating than the other, a few of these techniques are below :

•  Needle Lace which is made using a needle and thread, it is usually considered as the height of making lace but is also the most flexible.
• Cutwork Lace which is constructed by removing threads from a woven background, and the remaining threads wrapped or filled with embroidery.
• Bobbin Lace where he bobbins, hold threads which are woven together and held in place with pins stuck in the pattern on the pillow. With it's most famous type being Chantilly lace
• Tape Lace which is machine made
• Crocheted lace which uses different types of crochet to make

Blake Lively in Marchesa

I always had a soft spot for lace, and find that it gives a garment an air or elegance and charm and is very feminine. Lace is now ever present in the fashion world, with celebrities being its advocate by wearing it on the Red rarpets around the globe. It's fascinating how such an ancient craft has been implemented in our daily fashion and how creatively designers incorporate it in their creations.

Black and White are dominant in terms of lace Dresses, sometimes with the both mixing together to create the most exquisite effects. The biggest trend has been using black lace on the flesh as well as black lace mixed with flesh colored material to create an intriguing illusion of transparency.

Emma Watson in Rafael Lopez

Some celebrities do not hesitate to wear colored lace; Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Alba pictured below are wearing colored lace with confidence and the fabric just blends so well with the colors and other fabrics.

No longer shrouded in mystery, limited to lingerie or used to cover the eyes of a blushing bride; Lace is now a staple in the fashion world and designers around the world use it to give a sense of elegance to their garments. Its flexibility as a fabric allows them to use it creatively and it's needle precision gives any garment a true sense of luxury.

My favorite lace item- One sleeved lace dress in a Salmon Tone

Me- wearing a dress with a crocheted lace collar detail