Whether in Classic Mode or Sexy, Lace Holds Its Allure

Naughty or nice, lace is all over women’s wear.

One can find it adorning the neck of a prim Victorian blouse or stretched over bare skin in a sexy bodysuit.

This season, designers have made good use of the fabric’s versatility. Some have turned out skirts, jackets, blouses and even shorts constructed entirely of lace. Others add just a wisp of ornamental lace to accent a collar or hem.

“Lace has a lot of different moods,” says designer Jessica McClintock of San Francisco, who has made lace a trademark of her tea and party dresses.

“I never tire of lace,” McClintock says. “I find it to be the most interesting kind of fabric. I can always find new ways of using it, whether it’s over color or as a see-through touch.”

Her designs feature collars, insets, hems and cuffs of Venise lace that give the clothes a sweet, old-fashioned look.

The Jessica McClintock boutique in South Coast Plaza’s Crystal Court, Costa Mesa, carries her latest collection of suits made of floral tapestry fabric with lace collars; silky pastel dresses with wide lace collars, cuffs and hems; and linen suits with just a touch of lace bordering a jewel neck.

“Lace is perfect for romantic occasions, especially weddings,” McClintock says. “Right now it’s important for just a simple cocktail dress. It’s softer than sequins and a little easier to wear. I recently attended a fashion show in New York City, and one-third of the audience was in lace cocktail dresses.”

McClintock designed a simple black evening jacket covered in Alencon lace with rhinestone buttons down the front--a sophisticated look for night. The jacket comes with a sheer black chiffon skirt and sells for $420.

Her tan linen jacket, with cream-colored lace bordering a jewel neck and covering the flaps on two lower front pockets, illustrates how lace details add a touch of femininity to a suit. The jacket, which comes with a straight linen skirt, costs $255.

As long as it’s used with restraint, lace won’t look frilly or girlish.

“Sometimes people plaster lace or frills on something so the outfit looks cheap, young or overdone,” says Nancy Johnson, who recently opened a boutique at I. Magnin, South Coast Plaza. “The dresses end up like little wedding cakes.”

She prefers to add a touch of petit point lace around the collar of a classic suit, drape lace around the shoulders and the high waist of an evening gown, or add scallops of crocheted lace to a linen dress.

While McClintock and Johnson cater to conservative dressers, others use lace in unconventional ways to please a more flamboyant clientele.

The hottest outfit at the ENL Gallery and Boutique in Corona del Mar is a western-style lace shirt and pants. The shirt, for $215, is made of white cotton lace, except for strategically placed linen inserts on the front pockets and collar. For added glitz, it has rhinestone buttons down the front and on the cuffs and pockets. The pants, for $175, are lace with a linen lining and fit like a second skin.

“They’re hard to get into, but when you do, you look great,” says Esther Leiner, manager of ENL. The outfit, by Marcy of Florida, also comes with lace shorts or a miniskirt and can be ordered in black.

“It’s very dramatic,” Leiner says. “We can’t keep it in stock. People love it because it’s very sexy but understated. They take it on cruises or to fancy western parties. One woman wore it to her reunion at Stanford.”

The lace collection attracts women of all ages. Leiner sold one outfit to a 75-year-old woman.

Lace, as anyone who has seen Madonna lately can attest, may not be suitable for grandmothers or little girls.

Jakeez in Irvine carries sexy styles in stretchable cotton lace that show off toned bodies. There’s an off-the-shoulder long-sleeved top, made entirely of white stretchable lace that has double-thick lace panels across the front to keep it from revealing too much, available for $153.

The boutique also has a black lace halter top for $109, lace leggings for $83, a body suit of black stretch knit with long lace sleeves and a lace back for $96, and a long lace skirt with small accordion pleats for $225. Customers are mixing up the lacy pieces with skirts, suits and blouses.

“It’s a softer, romantic look,” says Debbie Chuckas, manager of Jakeez. “Now the play is on legs, and by wearing something like lace leggings, you’re covered, but it’s still sexy.”

Some see lace as part of an overall trend toward the softer, more relaxed looks that have kicked off the ‘90s, a rebellion against constricting pinstripe suits.

“It’s time for women to come back and be feminine,” says Jan West, area manager for the five Westminster Lace stores in Southern California, including the South Coast Plaza store and a new store in Brea Mall.

“Lace makes you look like a lady. We all work, but it’s nice (if you’re wearing a suit) to have a little lace in the pocket or a camisole showing.”

The shop has Victorian-style blouses of white cotton or linen with high necks and lace medallion insets, white linen skirts with hems bordered in bobbin lace, suits with jackets that have scalloped necklines and hand-embroidered cutwork and cotton lawn dresses with elaborate cutwork on their capped sleeves and hems. Some of the dresses are copies of antique styles.

“They’re timeless,” West says.

Although the latest fashion trends have added to the popularity of lace, the ornamental fabric has been prized since its appearance during the Renaissance. In 16th-Century England, cutwork lace was so greatly valued that Mary Tudor forbade anyone below the rank of baron to wear it.

Westminster Lace imports its handmade lace from 24 different countries, according to West.

Handmade lace has a subtle, uneven texture that makes it more desirable than machine-made lace.

“The eye automatically registers when something is finely made. It sees the tiny stitches and imperfections,” Johnson says. “It’s the difference between a fine oil painting and a print.”

Because they’re using lace in such great quantities, however, many designers including McClintock and Johnson supplement handmade lace trims with less expensive Venise, considered the best of the machine-made varieties.

“I’ve seen a big change in the lace industry,” McClintock says. “The equipment has been updated. Now American domestic lace has improved to the point that it’s perfectly rich-looking.” Ninety percent of the lace used in her designs is now produced in the United States, 10% is made in France.

Despite the latest lacy looks, designers who have long been loyal to lace say it will never go out of style.

“Fads come and go, but lace itself is classic,” Johnson says. “It’s an art form, so it will continue forever.”