Julien Macdonald, Moschino, Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs and even London’s Burberry collections, all include lace designs that have nothing to do with lingerie, wedding gowns or Victorian high-neck blouses.
Designer Lace Choices
The trends on the world’s runways include sassy dresses for teens and form-fitting gowns for women. Feminine silhouettes, translucent chiffon, fluid silk, body-hugging jersey and delicate lace continues to dominate the fashion scene. However most of us can’t afford a Jean Paul Gaultier ribbed lace dress for $800, or his leather with lace tulle ensemble for $700. Few of us can spend $1,000 on a Alexander Wang lace dress like his Tailcoat series that includes a velvet and lace cape. While the Moschino silk lace dress, called the Trapeze, may be anything but Victorian, the $3,000 price tag is too royal for most of our blood. Even the conservative Burberry lace designs are priced between $750 and $1,600.
Where to buy lace dress designs that are funky and trendy and still affordable?
The surprise of the season is from designer Diane von Furstenberg, who is retailing her black lace mini design through Bloomingdales for around $300. The boat-neck dress has sheer lace sleeves and a low V back. It’s a hot little number that’s a genuine designer article at a price within reach.
Affordable Prom Lace Dress Styles
For young ladies looking for prom outfits, a lace dress from eDressMe New York is an affordable choice. They carry the latest Aidan Mattox designs, like the strapless lace dress with a 1950’s full flared skirt (but with a shorter hemline) and a form-fitted bodice with sweetheart neck, for just $295. The dress is lace with a slightly contrasting lining.
Perhaps the deal of the season is the lace dress sold through Guess, it’s a pink satin dress with lace overlay and a corset-style strapless top. It costs just over $100. They also sell another series crafted by Blush, outstanding due to it not being black. The ivory strapless outfit has a soft crochet lace in a unique paisley pattern. It costs $340 but looks better than many of the dresses priced over a thousand. Sentimental NY also has a design that’s made with fuchsia lace, which if you’ve been looking for dresses online, you know is a rare find. It’s sleeveless but has a funky high neckline with a sexy slit opening in front. We mention it because it costs just $130.
Bargain dresses for around $25 to $50, are available at a place called Wet Seal. They have trendy pink and black lace dresses, but the downside is that they’re all short, very fitted and only appropriate for young girls who can squeeze into a size “s”.
The last suggestion is something light and whimsical called the American Rag Dress (which is made from lace, not rags) and retails for just under $60. It features a feminine empire waistline and fluid lace skirt. It’s only available in one color: shifting sand (between ivory and champagne).
Why Lace Dresses became so popular lately?
It seems to be part of the overall retro tendency. The lace itself symbolizes womanhood, femininity, sensuality, woman’s attention to detail, her soft power of seduction, intelligence, and conversation. Lace is a return to childhood when the roles between sexes were more differentiated, a return to security, to the rustle of an elegant mother’s dress when she was preparing to go out to the theater in the evening. More and more TV starlets wear lace dresses these days: Cheryl Cole, Florence Henderson, Milla Jovovich,
Lauren Conrad, Pixie and other.
The most expensive and cheapest lace dresses on the market
Google Shopping offers a Valentino leather lace dress for $5,900. Boldly delicate leather lace is an unexpected accent to sultry silk. The short description of the dress: brown with black leather lace on stand-up collar, sleeves, front, sides, and hem; long sleeves with flared cuffs; tiered, ruffled skirt with pleated hem.
Besides Google Shopping I’ve found other, more expensive styles of a lace dress, also from Valentino, this time only for $12,900. Features of the dress: color: beige; round neckline, sleeveless (strapless bra necessary); sheer net yoke creates straight-cut strapless illusion; allover asymmetric tiered, scalloped ruffles; black floral lace insets; a-line skirt with extended back, and a front slit.
The cheapest one I’ve found is Tokyo Fashion V-neck Layered Lace Dress for $31. I don’t like it for two reasons. First it’s black and a black lace dress makes me think about my great-grandmother and funerals. The other aspect that I don’t like is the kind of cut that hides woman’s waists and hips with straight lines forming a triangle.