How to style lace: Lace looks for day

Work

Maybe lace is a bit dressy for the office, but if you pair it with more mundane materials, like tweed and leather, it certainly makes for lovely texture. And if just by shedding the blazer you are ready to go out, who  can blame you?

One Foot out of the Door by Caroline Grant. The Kenneth Jay Lane necklace is a classic, and there are smaller versions of it (less pebbles), and different colours. I own a black and a white smaller versions. This jade gray is lovely, and there are matching pieces, like this ring. [Style: Ladylike with a Twist].

Valentino Macrame Lace Dress / Jack Wills Austerberry Blazer / Zara Die-Cast Pleated Shopper Handbag / Calvin Klein Collection Handbag / Charles by Charles David Cory Boots / Kenneth Jay Lane Necklace / Kenneth Jay Lane Jade Stone Ring / NARS Lipstick in Casablanca / NARS Nail Lacquer in Cha Cha Cha.

Afternoon tea

I have to confess I have been an anglophile since I first traveled to the UK when I was 16, fell in love with tea all its paraphernalia. Now I own six tea sets, but covet at least three more!
My last couple of trips I have tried to realize my dream of having tea at the Ritz in London, which is sort of the Mecca for tea lovers all over the world, but you need to make a reservation with more than 3 months in advance, so I haven't been lucky so far! I have managed to have tea at the Ritz in Madrid a couple of times, and it was quite OK (well, my standards are very high, I'm afraid: the service was OK, but the amount of tea per teapot very variable, and the selection of black teas quite limited).
The experience at the London one seems to be quite something, as you can read here. There is even a dress etiquette for the different areas of the hotel, all quite satisfying if you're snob like me that always laments how little people dress up.
In any case, sharing tea with your friends is always a fantastic occasion to use your tea set, nice tablecloth and cook dainty things! The Ritz London Book Of Afternoon Tea: The Art and Pleasures of Taking Tea contains all the classics, including Victoria cake, cucumber sandwiches and others. No photos, but the text is extremely informative.

In the Mood for Tea by Caroline Grant. Sometimes one is lucky and can get a top and skirt in the same material that look like a dress when worn together. It allows you to buy different sizes, which is a plus when your upper and lower bodies differ significantly. You can also mix the pieces with others, although you have to keep the number of times you use and/or wash the items more or less equal, so one piece doesn't look older than the other. In this case, the lace is 62% cotton and 38% polyamide (the lining is 100% polyester, standard issue for the high street, but elastic, which is good), which means it will lose a bit of colour every time you launder it. You can find it in natural and raspberry too. [Style: Ladylike with a Twist, Modern Classic].

Esprit Lace Skirt / Esprit Lace Top / Reiss Lance Peplum Frill Jacket / L.K. Bennett Leola Patent Handbag / Footlight Zoey Shoes / Very Gotha Belt / Fabrian Paint Splash Green Scarf / Kenneth Jay Lane Necklace / Kenneth Jay Lane Jade Stone Ring / Yves Saint Laurent Lipstick in Rouge Vernis / Yves Saint Laurent Nail Lacquer in Contemporary Amazon.

MORE?

• Status Lace
• How to wear lace: DOs and DON'Ts.
• How to style lace: Lace looks for special occassions.