GIVE LACE A CHANCE

I never thought  I would ever wear anything you could remotely classify as a bodycon dress, let alone a lace bodycon dress. I looked on all-over lace dresses as in-your-face and try-hard, for girls who want to be ladylike and sexy, thinking they are being subtle about it.

Still, a certain Erdem dress in navy lace with a nude underlay caught my eye sometime in the last warm season. Somehow, it seemed simpler and just a bit edgier than any other lace dress, almost a natural choice, to wear instead of a shift dress or a LBD. It got me wondering... So, when I saw this petite exclusive dress on asos.com, I thought it was time to give lace a chance and see what happens.

I kept it simple, as usual. First, to enhance the spring/summer feel of freshness, I chose chunky-heeled but still delicate nude leather platforms - they don't distract from the general colourway, and do a bit of leg-lengthening as a plus. 

To accessorise, a suede clutch bag seemed just appropriate (instead of black, you could go for nude or pearl grey or some other colour, as long as it's a classic style and about this size). 

The only piece of jewellery I'm wearing is a fine gold bracelet, but a really delicate gold necklace with a tiny locket or  something along that line should look right too.

Next, since I really liked the dress on (it's not too tight or clingy as I thought it might be), I knew I wanted to give it a go at work, hence the second outfit. Here, I added black opaque tights to avoid having to explain I'm in fact not naked underneath the dress; a pair of this winter's staple ankle boots, and a navy velvet blazer for a boxier look and the extra warmth.

Dress: ASOS, nude platforms: Mango, boots: ASOS, suede clutch: Mum's stuff
from the early 1980s, velvet blazer: Zara