Lace has been a big trend for a couple of years, and when I started thinking about this post, I thought my adoption of it was pretty recent. Apparently, this is not the case. I submit to you this story:

“In middle school, my family went on a cruise. My parents let me buy one “grown-up” dress for one of the fancier evenings. We had differing opinions on how adult my dress could be. I wanted something red with a slit. What I ended up getting was an ivory lace shift dress, which I accessorized with a pearl choker, heavy bangs and braces. I was one hot number.”

Now, this is one way to wear lace, but not a look I would recommend. Instead, try some of these pretty options.

When wearing something lacy, think about balance. You can always go very ladylike, but some of the coolest combinations are those that mix casual or edgy pieces with demure items. Picture lace tops with relaxed boyfriend jeans. The red dress above with tights and ankle boots or a lace pencil skirt with a denim shirt.