a love of lace
“simply beautiful”
those two words are
how every woman wants to feel on her wedding day—and over the centuries; lace has
played a part in helping many brides achieve that feeling
Lace
has been part of the bridal scene ever since it was first introduced as an
article of personal adornment. Its delicate patterns and rich textures exude a
soft femininity and elegance that has appealed to brides for centuries. One of
the very first needlepoint laces
conceived, Italian reticella, included a specific design created for special
use in bridal lace. It wove significant symbols and devices including the
bride’s family crests, or those of her husband, into the fabric. After the
wedding, the pieces were carefully stowed
for future use, either by the bride’s children or as part of her burial robes.
Lace
was first made by nuns and monks; its making was considered a secret of the
church until its usage spread to court in the mid-1400s, where it was used to
ornament royal robes. The history of lace made it a natural choice for special
occasions such
as weddings.
Its
use as a sacred secret, then as a fabric used only by nobility, gave it a long-standing
association with elegance and class status, says Sally Lorensen Conant, Ph.D.,
president of Orange Restoration Labs. Conant works restoring vintage laces,
especially veils, and has worked on pieces dating as far back as the nineteenth
century. “It’s a short step from clerical splendor to courtly magnificence and
then to the finery of affluent
merchants,” she adds.
Still,
it probably would never have caught on at all if it weren’t so stunningly beautiful
when added to a wedding dress. “Lace is softly appealing and can add decorative
appeal to all or part of a gown,” says Conant.
It
was extremely time consuming to produce, so its limited availability made it
valuable and contributed further to its use as a fabric used almost exclusively
for special occasions. Designs were made by weaving together various fine pieces
of thread into a pattern (bobbin made lace) or by creating a pattern with a
needle upon a base of threads resembling a net (needle point). Its unique
patterns meant that each piece was
made by hand until the industrial revolution, rather than by loom as many other
fabrics were.
Yet,
“machine made lace appeared surprisingly early in the industrial revolution,” says
Lindie Ward, curator of the Love Lace exhibit at the Powerhouse Museum in
Sydney, Australia. “Handmade lace had become so valuable in the 17th century
that there was a strong impetus to design machines to make similar fabrics.”
dressed
to impress
Sandrine
Bernard, executive vice president of lace manufacturer Solstiss USA, says that
Kate Middleton’s wedding gown returned lace to the top of the current bridal
trends. Solstiss has been producing lace fabrics since 1974 and it produced
some of the lace used for Middleton’s dress.
“It
showed the femininity that can be added to a wedding dress [by using] lace,”
says Bernard. She says lace gives a dress that sense of being something different—
something exceptional— which is exactly what a bride wants from her wedding
gown.
“The
recent vogue for lace dresses I think derives in part from the desire for a new
look,” Conant agrees. “There is very little new in the style and shape of gowns:
strapless A-line or strapless ball gowns are still the norm and look pretty much
the same whether decorated with pearls or crystals. However, making gowns from
lace rather than from taffeta or satin gives gowns a softer, more feminine look,
and there are multiple types of
laces available each with a different look. Contrast the 3-dimension laces of
Lela Rose with the more traditional Alencons typical of Monique Lhuillier.”
Further
evidence of the bridal world’s renewed fascination with lace was clearly on
display at New York Fashion Week 2011. Numerous bridal designers prominently featured
lace on their gowns. “For Spring 2012 a lot of the gowns I’m seeing have lace
on them. They tend to be more simple silhouette, sheath, mermaid types but they
have a ton of lace; it seems this trend is really going strong, at least
through next year,” says Ivy
Long, owner of Edera Jewelry.
Long
hand crochets lace jewelry, and she says that the trend for lace bridal attire
has been evident in her own business. As lace has gained traction within the
bridal market overall, it has also become more popular as an accent item. For
brides that want to use lace more subtly or who want just a touch of its delicate
beauty, jewelry or a lace veil may
suffice. According to Bernard, use of lace veils is also on the rise—she says they
were not popular until recently, but are now becoming quite common.
lasting
appeal
Today,
the majority of lace is machine made, and the types of lace and the number of
designs available are vast. French lace manufacturer Solstiss has a permanently
available variety of 6000 original designs, and creates new collections every
season.
When
it comes to choosing among the various patterns and designs that lace comes in,
the decision is really as unique as the bride herself. “Many people feel that the finer the lace, the more aesthetically
pleasing it is,” says Ward. Otherwise, the experts agree that it’s purely a choice of personal taste.
But this hasn’t always been true. “In the past there have been
styles that became very fashionable and denoted status,” says Ward. For
example, Conant says Chantilly became popular in the late 1940s, though the
1950s. “Perhaps because Chantilly is fragile, without a strong cording worked
into the ground, satin and taffeta fabrics decorated with Alencon (a type of
Chantilly lace) became popular in the 1960s [… and] In the 1960s thick floral
or geometric motifs in Venice lace embellished translucent weaves such as organza.” She says these patterns are still
available—and a popular choice—today.
One advantage to choosing lace is how well it holds up over time.
While it’s appearance is delicate, the fabric itself tends to do quite well
when taken care of. “All gowns should be cleaned after the wedding to remove
corrosive stains such as perspiration and latent stains that darken and disfigure the gown over time,” says Conant.
She adds that, while it may be more visible, hemline soil is actually less
damaging to the dress’ fibers than perspiration and sugary stains.
Once the dress has been cleaned, it should be folded and stowed
away carefully until it can be passed along to a daughter, granddaughter or
other female relative for reuse. “Lace gowns should never be hung for long
periods of time, because the weight of the gown will stretch and distort the lace,” says Conant.
Lace veils should undergo similar treatment. Lace jewelry,
however, can become a way for a bride to keep the spirit of her wedding alive
as she moves forward in her new life—earrings and even hair clips or pins can
add a feminine touch to almost any outfit.
a love of lace
“simply beautiful”
those two words are
how every woman wants to feel on her wedding day—and over the centuries; lace has
played a part in helping many brides achieve that feeling
Lace
has been part of the bridal scene ever since it was first introduced as an
article of personal adornment. Its delicate patterns and rich textures exude a
soft femininity and elegance that has appealed to brides for centuries. One of
the very first needlepoint laces
conceived, Italian reticella, included a specific design created for special
use in bridal lace. It wove significant symbols and devices including the
bride’s family crests, or those of her husband, into the fabric. After the
wedding, the pieces were carefully stowed
for future use, either by the bride’s children or as part of her burial robes.
Lace
was first made by nuns and monks; its making was considered a secret of the
church until its usage spread to court in the mid-1400s, where it was used to
ornament royal robes. The history of lace made it a natural choice for special
occasions such
as weddings.
Its
use as a sacred secret, then as a fabric used only by nobility, gave it a long-standing
association with elegance and class status, says Sally Lorensen Conant, Ph.D.,
president of Orange Restoration Labs. Conant works restoring vintage laces,
especially veils, and has worked on pieces dating as far back as the nineteenth
century. “It’s a short step from clerical splendor to courtly magnificence and
then to the finery of affluent
merchants,” she adds.
Still,
it probably would never have caught on at all if it weren’t so stunningly beautiful
when added to a wedding dress. “Lace is softly appealing and can add decorative
appeal to all or part of a gown,” says Conant.
It
was extremely time consuming to produce, so its limited availability made it
valuable and contributed further to its use as a fabric used almost exclusively
for special occasions. Designs were made by weaving together various fine pieces
of thread into a pattern (bobbin made lace) or by creating a pattern with a
needle upon a base of threads resembling a net (needle point). Its unique
patterns meant that each piece was
made by hand until the industrial revolution, rather than by loom as many other
fabrics were.
Yet,
“machine made lace appeared surprisingly early in the industrial revolution,” says
Lindie Ward, curator of the Love Lace exhibit at the Powerhouse Museum in
Sydney, Australia. “Handmade lace had become so valuable in the 17th century
that there was a strong impetus to design machines to make similar fabrics.”
dressed
to impress
Sandrine
Bernard, executive vice president of lace manufacturer Solstiss USA, says that
Kate Middleton’s wedding gown returned lace to the top of the current bridal
trends. Solstiss has been producing lace fabrics since 1974 and it produced
some of the lace used for Middleton’s dress.
“It
showed the femininity that can be added to a wedding dress [by using] lace,”
says Bernard. She says lace gives a dress that sense of being something different—
something exceptional— which is exactly what a bride wants from her wedding
gown.
“The
recent vogue for lace dresses I think derives in part from the desire for a new
look,” Conant agrees. “There is very little new in the style and shape of gowns:
strapless A-line or strapless ball gowns are still the norm and look pretty much
the same whether decorated with pearls or crystals. However, making gowns from
lace rather than from taffeta or satin gives gowns a softer, more feminine look,
and there are multiple types of
laces available each with a different look. Contrast the 3-dimension laces of
Lela Rose with the more traditional Alencons typical of Monique Lhuillier.”
Further
evidence of the bridal world’s renewed fascination with lace was clearly on
display at New York Fashion Week 2011. Numerous bridal designers prominently featured
lace on their gowns. “For Spring 2012 a lot of the gowns I’m seeing have lace
on them. They tend to be more simple silhouette, sheath, mermaid types but they
have a ton of lace; it seems this trend is really going strong, at least
through next year,” says Ivy
Long, owner of Edera Jewelry.
Long
hand crochets lace jewelry, and she says that the trend for lace bridal attire
has been evident in her own business. As lace has gained traction within the
bridal market overall, it has also become more popular as an accent item. For
brides that want to use lace more subtly or who want just a touch of its delicate
beauty, jewelry or a lace veil may
suffice. According to Bernard, use of lace veils is also on the rise—she says they
were not popular until recently, but are now becoming quite common.
lasting
appeal
Today,
the majority of lace is machine made, and the types of lace and the number of
designs available are vast. French lace manufacturer Solstiss has a permanently
available variety of 6000 original designs, and creates new collections every
season.
When
it comes to choosing among the various patterns and designs that lace comes in,
the decision is really as unique as the bride herself. “Many people feel that the finer the lace, the more aesthetically
pleasing it is,” says Ward. Otherwise, the experts agree that it’s purely a choice of personal taste.
But this hasn’t always been true. “In the past there have been
styles that became very fashionable and denoted status,” says Ward. For
example, Conant says Chantilly became popular in the late 1940s, though the
1950s. “Perhaps because Chantilly is fragile, without a strong cording worked
into the ground, satin and taffeta fabrics decorated with Alencon (a type of
Chantilly lace) became popular in the 1960s [… and] In the 1960s thick floral
or geometric motifs in Venice lace embellished translucent weaves such as organza.” She says these patterns are still
available—and a popular choice—today.
One advantage to choosing lace is how well it holds up over time.
While it’s appearance is delicate, the fabric itself tends to do quite well
when taken care of. “All gowns should be cleaned after the wedding to remove
corrosive stains such as perspiration and latent stains that darken and disfigure the gown over time,” says Conant.
She adds that, while it may be more visible, hemline soil is actually less
damaging to the dress’ fibers than perspiration and sugary stains.
Once the dress has been cleaned, it should be folded and stowed
away carefully until it can be passed along to a daughter, granddaughter or
other female relative for reuse. “Lace gowns should never be hung for long
periods of time, because the weight of the gown will stretch and distort the lace,” says Conant.
Lace veils should undergo similar treatment. Lace jewelry,
however, can become a way for a bride to keep the spirit of her wedding alive
as she moves forward in her new life—earrings and even hair clips or pins can
add a feminine touch to almost any outfit.