Last week in Baden Baden at the Easter Festival (think the Berlin Philharmonic and loads of dressed up attendees) I spotted someone wearing a lace dress very much like the one above, only with a much shorter lining and I was immediately in love – beautiful, sexy and sophisticated at the same time this to me was ‘the dress’ for the new season.
Modern fashion brand Self Portrait has reinvented the lace dress and taken it from grown up to sophisticatedly sexy by virtue of an instantly recognisable shape and cut-off linings, not to mention see-through panels (and gorgeous quality). You’ve probably seen one at an event or a store near you.
Back to the dress at the top – I loved it but it didn’t love me unfortunately. I looked a bit like an overdressed (or overskirted) doll, but if you have a straight figure it’ll probably be perfect and you should snap it up.
There’s definitely a lace dress for everyone, and the perfect thing about lace is that it flatters everyone and any age providing you pick the right shape. My advice if you’re curvy is stick to straight skirted shapes which are more likely to flatter all the way down to the hem, sleeves if you want them or preferably for summer go sleeveless. If you’re really curvy look for a dress without a fixed waistband as this can cut you in half.
When you’ve found what you consider to be your perfect lace dress try it on with the shoes you propose to be wearing it in (always easier at home) and make sure you sit down in your dress. If you’re going to be sitting down at a dinner or performance you won’t want a dress with a tight skirt that not only constricts you but also may well ride up when you sit. Been there, done that.
You can wear a lace dress just about anywhere, to a wedding, to a concert or just out to dinner. And if you’re travelling you can wear it over and over again as lace dresses don’t tend to crease.