English Version | In the mood for lace

It was a viral phenomenon, like almost every phenomenon that strikes the planet these days, and somewhat unexpected. After all, if we'd been told a few years ago that this was how we were going to spend a good part of 2023, our answer would have been something along the lines of: "Impossible. That has nothing to do with me." And it was true, except that suddenly Dua Lipa, Alessandra Ambrosio, Pamela Anderson, Nicki Minaj, Kylie Jenner and Zendaya started being photographed in lace bodysuits (Kim Kardashian was one of the first to take the risk in 2019, when she was caught in Paris wearing a black leopard-print Alaïa catsuit, like Bella Hadid, who looked stunning in a see-through Mugler jumpsuit at a New York Fashion Week party in September 2018) and from one moment to the next we shoved our modesty to the curb and hit "add to cart" on a garment made from the material we spent a good part of our childhood cursing: lace. And, it should be noted, it wasn't just any garment. Two-thousand and twenty-three will go down in history as the year in which we buried our hatred of collars (invariably crumpled over knitted jumpers that insisted on poking out), dresses (didn't anyone have the sense to realize that it was a mistake to mix seven layers of "vomit yellow" tulle with lace that was actually 80% polyester? ) and the stockings (which we were forced to wear with little mass shoes, even if our destination wasn't mass) and we took lace to its peak: we finally realized that lace isn't for girls, so we got rid of our pre-conceptions and put on bodysuits that showed what we wanted to see - coordinated with blazers and bikers, accessories, our best lingerie, and a lot of attitude.

From being boring and monotonous, lace has come to be seen as powerful and versatile. From the fashion world to real life, which usually adapts what goes on in the highest spheres of fashion, this is what happened: in 2023 half the planet was wearing lace trousers (ultra-fit ones, mind you). The other half has been checking out the look and working up the courage to buy it. And if it seems strange to associate lace, invariably seen as something "from our grandmothers' time" or even from the Middle Ages, with modern and current trends, that's because we've been distracted while kitsch, and everything that characterizes it, has taken society by storm. After decades of minimalism and cries of "less is less", designers have decided that it's time to return to the excess of yesteryear, when naperons on top of televisions competed with cupboards laden with dolls and china plates - where clothes, in essence, were a mirror of this eccentric and cheerful decor. Valentino, Versace, GCDS, Dior, Gucci, Ester Manas, there are many brands that have once again looked to lace as a starting point to present romantic and, astonishingly, irreverent proposals. Not least because lace is suitable for all bodies (yes, you read that right). According to experts, the trick is simple: the bigger the body, the bigger the pattern, so that the end result is harmonious. What if the intention is different? Use what you like. There are various types of lace, dozens of colors, and it would be silly to miss out on the opportunity to be a cat woman because we're not supposed to be X or Y size. That's very 1999. If you prefer to go more unnoticed, there are skirts, tops, corsets (Dakota Johnson, Olivia Wilde and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley don't do without the iconic corset for evening out), shirts (Olivia Palermo is a regular), dresses (imagine Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez, add another eight inches to the outfit in the image, and that's more or less what you'll find in the shops) that produce more or less the same effect. The important thing is to take risks. At the rate things are changing, there's no telling how long it will be before lace comes back in fashion.

Translated from the original in The Kitsch Issue, published February 2024. Full stories and credits in the print version.