Lace-making was once a cottage craft and not machine made. Women in times of social inequality, before the Industrial Revolution, could make money selling the lace they make. For me, lace has always been a symbol of feminity and female empowerment.
I spotted this CollegeFashionista, a freshman at UCLA, wearing a blue lace dress with a black dress belt. Her beautiful look instantly reminded me of the ancient lace culture.
The delicate lace endured fashion trends for a long time. All throughout the 19th century, lace has been highlighted in Edwardian fashion. In the 20th century, lace braved its way into haute couture with Coco Chanel. She famously said, “I consider lace to be one of the prettiest imitations ever made of the fantasy of nature; lace always evokes for me those incomparable designs which the branches and leaves of trees embroider across the sky, and I do not think that any invention of the human spirit could have a more graceful or precise origin.”
For fall 2012, look for solid colored dresses that are made special by their lacey textures. These lace dresses can have variations on the collar, like this ASOS lace dress with scalloped neck. Here's another lace dress by ML Monique Lhuillier Bridesmaids.
Pair your knee-length dress with a comfy fall-appropriate cardigan or trench. Make sure the cardigan or the trench has a compatible color.