How to wear broderie anglaise

Lace was a big catwalk trend for the summer, especially white lace. There were wafty ethereal dresses at Chloé and Erdem, sexy minis at Louis Vuitton. Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta and Marchesa did smart separates and perfect little summer frocks. Oh, but it did look pretty floating down the catwalk. But come on, let’s not even pretend we’re going to wear this stuff.

You can wear white lace, but you can only wear it once. White is a colour that is only truly loved by childless people who don’t have pets, but do have a driver. People who never eat beetroot or drink coffee.

Lace certainly has its place, but it’s not in normal wardrobes. Lace is for brides or twee vintage devotees or four-year-olds who don’t know any better; for the desperate for sex in their scratchy lingerie sets. Thankfully the 1970s trend, which shows no sign of dying, has welcomed back broderie anglaise, famously the only style of fabric you can convincingly poke a fag through. For some reason, this time round broderie anglaise is referred to as broderie. I don’t know if this is a provenance quibble – like the Cornish pasty or champagne – but it suits the no-nonsense attitude of the fabric. Broderie is the sensible shoes of lace. It’s practical. It’s for people with jobs. You get the hint of skin, but without the sugary girliness or “just spicing up my marriage, be right back” of lace. There’s also the knowing nod to the 70s without the trailing of flares in a puddle.

And if that wasn’t alluring enough, new-look broderie anglaise goes one better. While in the 70s the fabric was almost uniformly white, now it comes in a multitude of colours. On the catwalk there was a lovely burgundy at Isabel Marant, and Valentino sent out broderie in any colour you can think of.

On the high street, navy crops up a lot, but there are also lots of clothes in those lovely bright citrus colours that go so smugly with a tan. There are also a lot of precision laser-cut patterns that make the fabric look supermodern.

Whistles and J Crew have embraced the trend. Go to Whistles for perfect pencil skirts or asymmetric dresses, tops and trousers in black, navy or old-school white. J Crew has really gone for colour, though my personal favourite is this almost polka-dottish monochrome Portea pattern. It’s cute without being annoying.

For more traditional broderie, look to more traditional shops. Marks Spencer has some really pretty frocks and tops, as do Comptoir des Cotonniers and Zara.

As usual, if you’re dubious about a trend then go small on it. For broderie just buy some shoes or a bag featuring a punched eyelet pattern. My tip would be broderie espadrilles. These shoes are back (again, of course) this summer, and I love these Kate Spade ones. They look like wicker, another material irrevocably linked to the 70s.

It’s not often that a fabric comes along that’s practical and comfortable and interesting. I know it’s a cliché, but broderie: what’s not to like?

Follow Alice on Instagram @aliceefisher

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