Lacy lady

Think lace and you're highly likely to think of either prim and proper Victoriana, sexy lingerie, charming older ladies or Madonna during the 80s. Such is the power of the delicate fabric that it's connotations range from the saucy to the prim to the oh-so-pretty. Prada's Fall 2008 collection featuring pieces made of beautiful and bold couture lace very much kickstarted fashion's renewed obsession with the fabric. Designer Miuccia Prada embraced lace's prim and proper associations, with an undertone of something darker and more sinister; big knickers peeking out from underneath sheer high-necked lace dresses and skirts. More recently, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton have both alluded to lace's seductive boudoir side with lacy bralettes showing under velvet dresses and oversized blazers.

Notice a recurring theme here? It's all about a special type of peek-a-boo sexiness that says "look but don't touch... just yet".

Local designers have embraced the look for spring/summer, too, in various forms from pretty to bold. Lonely Hearts' Victorian gothic lace is a standout, in the form of singlets, dresses, floor-length skirts and leggings. For something more girly, look to Sera Lilly, Juliette Hogan, with pretty white lace dresses and skirts, and Twenty-seven Names who have produced lace bodysuits, knickers, leggings and a lace bomber. Stolen Girlfriends Club has also gone surprisingly girly for spring with their range of lace pieces: oversized lace cardigans, lace short shorts, high-waisted full skirts and the delightfully named Siouxsie's Wedding Dress - all in shades of nude, black or purple, depending on what look you want to go for.

Want something romantic and whimsical? Go for nude tones (and reference another key look of the season at the same time). Want to channel your inner Madonna or Gothic? Wear it bold and black. With its diversity and wearability, it's easy to see why Prada reportedly called lace "the most important fabric in a woman's life, from birth, to marriage to death".