The Costumer's Manifesto: 18th Century Lace

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18th Century Lace

Text by Tara Maginnis, with Plates From

and other sources. Please do not copy the Broderbund Photos in this page.

Lace enjoyed a popularity in the Rococo period unprecedented in history. Where the wearing of lace during the 17th Century was restricted by law to the nobility, and during the 19th Century, by custom, to women, its use knew no such bounds during most of the 18th Century.

Anyone who could possibly afford to, wore lace as a status symbol. The more money, the more lace.

"Alencon" lace was considered the most elegant and aristocratic, due to its rarity and high cost. Brussels, Mechlin and Binche laces were very popular until the 1750’s when they were eclipsed by Valenciennes lace and Blonde lace. Locally produced bobbin and needle laces were patronized by the middle and upper classes for non-court wear, and so the locality of a patron might predetermine the lace he used for informal occasions.

Madame De Pompadour : Sex, Culture and Power Lace A History Books Santina Levey

The History of Underclothes

Guide to Lace and Linens

Corsets and Crinolines

Italian Lace Designs : 243 Classic Examples
Living With Lace
Silk Designs of the Eighteenth Century : From the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Woven Textile Design in Britain from 1750 to 1850 (The Victoria & Albert Museum's Textile Collection)

Fabrics : The Decorative Art of Textiles

Textiles 5,000 Years : An International History and Illustrated Survey

The Complete Guide to Vintage Textiles
Textiles for Colonial Clothing

Embroidery in Britain From 1200 to 1750: The Victoria & Albert Museum's Textile Collection

Eighteenth Century French Fashion Plates in Full Color Early Dance Part 2 (Baroque Dance)

Valenciennes lace, c. 1650-1730
Lappet of Valenciennes lace, mid century.

Lace patterns of the early 18th Century tend toward the heavy simple patterns of the previous century. Laces become lighter and visibly more complex in pattern as time wore on.

During the 1720’s, patterns were separated by a translucent ground of increasing size.

In the 1730’s and 40’s, the ground was itself patterned with different dot patterns known as "modes."

Laces continued to become lighter with more ground and less pattern.

After the mid 1760’s, lace patterns declined and quantity of simple lace became more desired than quality.

c. 1775 Needlepoint "point d'Alen�on".

Lace continued to get lighter, cheaper, and less fashionable for the rest of the century, going out of style for men by the 1790’s and high fashion women by 1800. Late 18th Century lace was regaled to the underground of women’s lingerie where it stayed, and transformed from a status symbol into an erotic accessory for women