There are certain hallmarks of the modern cool girl—vintage Levi’s, sweaters that fall effortlessly from the shoulder, the cat eye, the undone, don’t care hair. Sometimes she’s called Parisian, but really it’s not so geographical—she lives in films you have to travel to the Lower East Side or Brooklyn to catch, in indie mags like Gentlewoman and i-D and on Instagram accounts like Knight Cat. What she was never associated with is lace. Lace is the delicate, expensive fabrication of brides and romantic Alberta Ferretti acolytes, it’s for sensual Dolce women and boho Chloe girls. But the girl who prioritizes cool above all else? This is new.
Blame it on Givenchy, Valentino and Rodarte. Givenchy’s Spring 2016 runway, presented in Manhattan at sunset, was all about lingerie done up as evening wear—complete with robes, lace camis and lace-trimmed slip dresses, topped off with smart jackets and a Rihanna attitude. At Rodarte she wore her lace dress with lace stockings and chubby fur coats, ready to hit some underground raves in Sunset Park. The Valentino woman might put over-the-knee boots under a sheer, floor length lace skirt and embroidered bomber—which just showed for the Pre-Fall season. Did we mention she’ll wear just lingerie under that skirt or dress? A lace bodysuit can easily be paired with a simple bra and high waisted denim. It’s sexy, sure, but she balances it, adds a touch of the tomboy or lady.
At a recent market appointment an impossibly chic stylist proclaimed she was buying up all the lace camisoles she could find. It’s very Carine Roitfeld with a pencil skirt and Chanel little black jacket. Or it’s fill-in-the-blank millionaire blogger with a midi skirt, loafers and a Gucci beret. What it’s not is frilly or overly feminine. We’ll be buying up lace turtlenecks and lace tanks—just in case we’re feeling cool.
Rime Arodaky top, $515, net-a-porter.com; Fleur du Mal top, $645, fleurdumal.com; Misha Collection bodysuit, $165, mishacollection.com; Topshop top, $135, topshop.com.
From: Harper’s BAZAAR US
