Something about the punch-holed prim hems of dreamy dresses echoes Bridgerton, Downton Abbey and most recently, Spencer—our references for the year gone by. The cumulative term used for a collage of eyelets seen on clothes, ‘broderie anglaise’ is a French term that quite literally translates to ‘English embroidery’.
Dating back to the 1800s, a time when the cutwork aesthetic was reserved for women’s négligées and children’s summer dresses, the Victorian primness of the deft needlework has since undergone a roaring revolution.
Centuries later, it makes its way onto free-spirited ’70s-style overlays, wedding dresses and even patchworked powersuits. No territory is untouched for the now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t technique—think Givenchy’s sheer and tulle skirts as well as Simone Rocha’s cotton petticoats and tablecloth dress hems at Alberta Ferretti. Spliced and diced to perfection, holes in clothes never looked so pretty.
Wear it with:
