20-04-2025
I wore this season's white lace blouse five ways – my inner bohemian has been converted
The bohemian revival continues apace thanks to Chloé's catwalk resurgence, guided by creative director Chemena Kamali, and British Vogue declared 'a boho blouse… the trend that's set to dominate spring 2025'. Whether it's a backless dress or sheer skirt fashion designers love to play with diaphanous fabrics but if you're modestly-minded, is it possible to make see-through lace suitable for everyday wear?
Beyond designer price-tags, the high street is on board with the white lace look. John Lewis and Marks & Spencer both stock the trend and lace offers the perfect segue into spring, visually and literally. Feeling a light breeze through the gauzy fabric is a balm while the pale shades look airily-appropriate in the sunshine. A lace blouse is also the ideal proposition to update the 'jeans-and-a-nice-top' equation for 2025. Clare Hornby, founder of wardrobe saviours Me+Em agrees. 'The femininity a lace blouse provides acts as the perfect foil to masculine tailoring for events or slouchy denim for am/pm dressing.'
I'm almost sold on the style but a sticking point is that true 'boho babes' seem to eschew underwear with their lace blouses… Sienna Miller might be able to win red carpet plaudits wearing a white lace dress with nothing underneath, her modesty covered with just a few strands of honey-coloured hair, but does the trend translate to real life? Namely, can a non-celebrity woman in mid-life make it work? Fran Bacon is a self-confessed 'white blouse addict' and shares styling tips in her Instagram posts. Bacon tells me to try, 'knitwear worn over shoulders – think Eighties style – to add a pop of colour' and also advises the addition of 'a nude vest top underneath. It will give the sheer look with coverage and warmth'.
A vest is always a sensible addition but with the catwalk and red carpet iterations of white lace, no slips are to be seen. While keeping true to the trend yet without wishing to get arrested, I plan five ways to wear this season's key white lace blouse using various layers. Demure and mindful is my goal, so my first port of call is Marks & Spencer's lingerie department. My quest to find something more substantial than bra-free, yet more carefree than a camisole, leads to their non-wired bralettes, £22 for three.
Boho denim
Blouse, £69, And/Or at John Lewis; Gilet, £35.99, Zara; Skirt, £99, Karen Millen; Shoes, Alex's own
For my first outing in white lace I start with a poet-sleeved blouse from And/Or at John Lewis. The detailing is heavy – I've seen skimpier T-shirts – but I team it with an embroidered gilet and swishy denim skirt. When you choose your lace, shopping in real life is helpful so you can clearly see the level of sheerness you will be dealing with. Note that guipure lace has the most dense fabrication, with fewer bare patches, and a substantial feel. I definitely feel like I've ticked the boho mood of the moment without looking like I'm Ibiza-bound (I'm actually browsing the veg stall at my local market…)
Add a knit vest
Blouse, £39.50, Marks & Spencer; Knitted vest, £75, Albaray; Chinos, £76, Boden; Boat shoes, £45, Marks & Spencer; Scarf, £4.99 for pack of three, Amazon
For coffee with friends in the garden at Soul Cafe I choose Marks & Spencer 's ruffle blouse. The deep v-neck is accented by frothy ruffles which drape just-so to hide the model's nipples online. However I need more than a ruffle so add a chunky knit vest from Albaray in this season's most on-trend tone of butter yellow. The necklines clash slightly, so the ruffles stay tucked in. Although I'm sipping a mocha, this top would be beautiful to wear for cocktails. Of course these sweet blouses will all work with jeans, but taking it one step away from the obvious, I try this look with chinos. The combo of tough khaki, sunshine colour and delicate lace has me smiling. I swear I have more doors held open for me as I make my way through town.
Styled with a mini dress
Blouse, £175, Me+Em; Dress, £150, Sezane; Shoes, £35, Marks & Spencer
Emboldened, and while the sun is still shining, I layer my next lace blouse with a mini-dress. Me+Em 's off-white lace blouse comes with a camisole attached, making it a practical choice, and I remember Clare Hornby's wise advice. 'Whenever we're building or styling outfits, the key to maintaining a modern feel is contrast, whether that's through texture or shape. A lace blouse can deliver on both fronts.' So the structure of the shift dress, combined with the delicacy of the lace, is a stylistic yes. (Although I wish I'd added another layer of fake tan to my pasty legs on their first outing this spring…)
Try it with a suit
Blouse, £110, Sezane; Blazer, and matching trousers, £427, Kipper; Shoes, Alex's own
The lace blouse has definitely been a daytime success, so I decide to style it after dark. Nodding to the Seventies' origin of bohemian style, I choose a caramel-brown corduroy trouser suit to offset Sezane 's high-necked lace blouse, for a trip to the theatre. A pair of white heels – one of spring's other key updaters – keep the look contemporary, rather than retro. While I chose the blazer for it's enveloping properties, I slip it off for interval drinks and don't feel indecent. This lace blouse has a high neck and pleasingly substantial pattern that feels special enough for a night out without being as naff as a sequinned top or jazzy lurex jumper.
An evening look
Blouse, £170, Reiss; Skirt, £815, Lisa Redman; Shoes and bag, Alex's own
Evening is where the white lace blouse shines, so for my final look I abandon the need for a comfort layer and choose a fine leavers lace-style top from Reiss with flouncy bell sleeves. I add an opulent ball skirt for a black tie dinner and am thrilled to see I'm the only woman not wearing a dress. Switching to separates is a clever way to get more mileage from an individual piece, rather than wearing a one-piece you might only wear once.
I approached the white lace blouse trend with trepidation. I've seen that not all catwalk trends convert to wearable wardrobe staples, however enticing… Yet white lace blouses are brilliantly versatile, switching smoothly from daytime looks to after dark. Add one to your wardrobe to refresh your staple pieces with a contemporary update – without looking so trendy they'll date in weeks. Inhabiting the sweet spot between dressy and dressed-down with insouciant ease, my inner bohemian is converted to the charm of a white lace blouse.
