After making tentative appearances paired with silk and satin in slip dresses and slip shorts, lace has finally taken center stage this season.
On recent runways, brands like Saint Laurent and Valentino have embraced a delicate, ethereal approach, exploring sheer dresses, fluid silhouettes, and strong lingerie influences. Meanwhile, true to its identity, Dolce & Gabbana continues to celebrate lace in an intense, striking way, cementing it as one of the brand’s most recognizable aesthetic signatures.
It took some time for the market to fully embrace this trend. Lingerie-inspired dresses began reappearing on runways around 2016, but it was only after the pandemic—between 2022 and 2024—that they gained real momentum and secured a prominent place in collections.
By 2026, lace has definitively taken the lead role. It appears in bodysuits, shirts, tops, jumpsuits, and full matching sets. It is worn solo or layered, delicate or dramatic, romantic or sensual.
Even more interesting is observing how designers have begun treating lace as a primary fabric rather than just a trim. In many shows, entire looks were constructed exclusively from this material, exploring transparency, texture, and layering to reveal the rich craftsmanship behind each piece. Gucci also embraced this direction in its latest collection, presenting lace dresses, sets, and layered pieces that bridged the gap between romanticism and modernity. The result confirms that lace is no longer confined to lingerie references but has established a language of its own.
More than just a fleeting trend, lace represents the return of a sophisticated, artisanal, and versatile femininity—a material capable of transitioning seamlessly between resortwear, tailoring, and eveningwear.
While lace was once merely a detail, a play on revealing and concealing, it now takes center stage as the main event.
