English Version | Chantilly Lace

Delicate, complex, simple, romantic, demure. It's lace at its whitest hue, that epitome of wardrobe innocence. But if white lace is all that — delicate, complex, simple, romantic, demure — how is it that, at the same time, it can also be the epitome of seduction? Illustration by Nuno da Costa. 

© Nuno da Costa
© Nuno da Costa

Is it possible to personify the sensuality of innocence? Perhaps the answer lies in the idea of a feminine figure with a fragile appearance, wrapped in this lacework, with a naive and immaculate view of the world — and, in that subliminal naivety, managing to exude a pure sensuality. Jerry Lee Lewis had already sang, in Chantilly Lace, that “Chantilly lace and a pretty face, And a ponytail hangin' down, A wiggle in her walk and a giggle in her talk, Make the world go 'round”, putting this puritanical and angelic vision of women in harmony compositions, drawing an innocent and mysterious image that makes her invariably desirable. It's no secret that lace is seen as a symbol of sensuality in the imagination (male and beyond), leaving little — and much, in equal measure — to the imagination. And it’s no wonder that, on this topic, Lewis also says that this chantilly lace will “make me act so funny, make me spend my money”, confessing, in other words, the magnitude of this feminine power dressed in lace. Perhaps because this ideal of an innocent, naive and sweet woman is seen, by our social, cultural and religious conventions, as the meeting of a perfect checklist, imposed by society as what can be perceived as wife material.

The chantilly lace, which titles this text, serves as an inspiration for the music of Jerry Lee Lewis and also evokes the sweetness of this type of material. So named after the city where it comes from, the French Chantilly is known for its pattern outlined in cordonnet and its abundant details. Delicate, usually made out of silk, it reveals and highlights the charms of the female body — which fits like a glove to the contours of the lingerie that drives this text. Just like the innocent/sexy dichotomy, this lace also manages to convey incongruous sensations. Despite its fragile and sensitive appearance, the transparencies here and there that characterize it timidly reveal the secrets of the skin in just the right balance to turn any innocent poster girl into a potential sexy pinup. It is no coincidence that white lace has always been associated with the virginal nature of brides and the desire that this arouses. An interesting but irrelevant addendum: demure or seductive, innocent or fiery, lace is whatever a woman wants it to be. Because, in fact, we are the ones who dress it and give it attitude. But it helps to pick the right one — that's why we took the liberty of selecting some Intimissimi pieces to prove this point.

Translated from the original on Vogue Portugal's The Innocence Issue, published February 2023.Full story and credits on the print issue.