The lace revival

Get ready for a lace revival. In case you thought the fabric was reserved for mother of the bride Laura Ashley-eque dresses or strict Catholic nuns, be warned, the shops will be full it come Autumn, as Prada chose it as the look du jour this season. What was once regarded as either too fuddy-duddy (the lace edging on a floral-print dress) or too cheap (Madonna's crop top lace concoctions) is now considered high fashion.

In Milan, Prada's models wore sumptious dresses in dark hues with a hint of nude-toned neckpieces suggesting something edgy underneath. The lace was shown as a luxury fabric, and exquisitely crafted in flowers, crunchy or transparent, the latter revealing a silk blouse worn underneath, visible bra straps, or fitted under garments.

"I still don't understand why I like lace - but it is such an accompaniment of women, through childhood, marriage and being a widow," Prada told the International Herald Tribune backstage. She admitted that innocent white lace was not part of her fashion vocabulary. Sky blue and a flash of bright orange was the farthest the designer got from the boudoir glamour of beige lace or the mysterious darkness of a very merry widow, whose bag was even made of lace flowers.

Lace will not disappear, Jo Ellison, features editor at 'Vogue', told the Independent. 'Lace will never die because its uses are so multifarious,' she says. 'It's an incredibly versatile fabric. It can look punky, powerful, profane or poetic, depending on how you wear it.'