Lace

Leavers lace

Made on nineteenth century machinery that interlaces fine threads and lays in a separate outlining thread, the cordonnet, to define the pattern edge. Very fine gauge, soft hand, subtle relief, and slow to produce. Usually the softest lace in any drawer.

Raschel lace

Made on a high speed warp knitting machine. The pattern is knitted rather than interlaced, which allows enormous variety at speed. Ranges from very soft to distinctly firm, depending on gauge and yarn.

Stretch lace

Any of the above knitted with elastane laid in, so the lace itself stretches and recovers. Standard in bralettes, brief edges and wings. It behaves like a stretch fabric and ages like one.

A fourth category, embroidered tulle, is often called lace and is not: it is embroidery stitched onto a net ground. It tends to be stiffer, holds a motif more crisply, and can be identified by the visible ground net running continuously behind the pattern.

Comfort in lace comes from three variables, none of which is the fibre name on the label. Yarn fineness comes first: a finer yarn presents a smaller, softer contact point against skin. Density comes second: a denser motif has more surface and fewer hard edges. Finishing comes third: the scalloped edge of a lace can be left raw, which is why some edges feel sharp, or softened in finishing.

Polyamide lace is generally softer against skin than polyester lace of the same construction, because the fibre itself is finer and less rigid. Cotton lace is comparatively coarse and stiff, which is why it appears more in outerwear than in intimates. Where lace sits directly under a seam or a strap, softness stops being a preference and becomes a fit issue: see skin and friction.

The scratchiness of a lace is decided by yarn gauge and edge finishing, not by whether the label says nylon or polyester.

• Tumble drying. Heat plus mechanical tumbling plus other garments equals snagged threads and shrunk elastane. This is the fastest way to ruin lace that exists.
• Hooks and zips in the same wash. A single open hook will find a lace ground in a drum and pull a thread through it.
• Wringing. Twisting a wet lace concentrates all the force on whichever threads happen to be at the outside of the twist.
• Chlorine bleach. It attacks polyamide directly and destroys elastane. Optical brighteners in ordinary detergent will also yellow ivory and black lace over time.
• Fabric softener. It coats fibres, dulls the relief of the pattern and reduces the elasticity of stretch lace.
• Prolonged direct sunlight while drying. Polyamide yellows and weakens under ultraviolet light.

1. Fasten every hook and eye before the garment goes anywhere near water.
2. Hand wash in cool water, up to about 30 degrees, with a mild liquid detergent and no enzymes if the piece is silk blended.
3. Press the garment gently between the palms rather than rubbing, agitating or twisting.
4. Rinse until the water runs completely clear. Detergent residue stiffens lace and holds soil.
5. Press the water out inside a towel, then dry flat and away from direct heat and sun.

If a machine must be used, a zipped mesh bag, a delicate cycle at 30 degrees and the lowest available spin speed will do far less harm than a normal wash. Machine washing covers the settings in detail.

A pulled thread that has not broken can often be worked back into the pattern with the point of a blunt needle, easing the loop along its own path rather than pulling it through. A broken thread is a different matter: it will open further with wear, and the only durable fix is a few stitches in a matching fine thread on the back of the motif, taken before the run has a chance to travel.

Well made lace on a garment that is washed by hand and dried flat has a long life. The same lace tumble dried twice will look tired and be structurally compromised. The difference between those two outcomes is about ten minutes of attention a week, which is the argument the whole care section is built on.