Fashion Friday: Lace in the Workplace

Today's Fashion Friday post is dedicated to the trend I have been loving lately...LACE.  I think lace is great for so many different occasions.  It's a delicate, feminine fabric yet it is very strong and structured.  That's why they have made bras out of lace for so many years, it holds its form very well (and we could all use the extra support!).  You can find styles that are casual, dressy and business casual.  Here's how I wear lace in the workplace:

This set has so many of my favorites.  Represented here is not only all kinds of lace, but also animal print, peep toe shoes, pencil skirts, white pants, hot pink and turquoise accessories.   I love it all!

Of course, there needs to be some guidelines for wearing lace in the workplace.  Lace could go from classy to trashy pretty quickly if you're not careful.  Here are my guidelines:

1. It should NEVER look like you are wearing lingerie in the office.  That is a big NO NO!  It needs to be clear that you are wearing a lace shirt and not that your bra is showing.
2. Lace should be paired with structured pieces like pencil skirts or slacks.  Or lace should be on a tailored item, like this pencil shirt.  If you wear a lace full-skirt it may look like you are heading to church or a bridal shower.
3. Limit yourself to one lace element.  A shirt, a skirt or maybe even a shift dress but don't overdo the lace and be sure to ground it with stronger fabrics or accessories.

One of my favorite blogs, MarionBerryStyle, did a trend of the month recently and here is what she said about lace.  Part of her trend of the month is to have people submit the ways they wear lace.  You can see all kinds of ideas here, even though they aren't all office appropriate you can still get some inspiration.  I spotted one of my favorite casual lace looks from Js Everyday Fashion blog.  See it here.

I was in Target the other day and found a white lace peplum top that I can't wait to pair with jeans for a casual look (like Js) or a bright pencil skirt for the office.

I'm desperately waiting for spring to arrive here in Blacksburg so I can finally start wearing some of the items off my Spring Wish List.  How are you wearing lace this season?