The lace cami is no longer the thing you wore under a blazer in 2017 and felt vaguely embarrassed about. It is now the entire point of the outfit. The trick is treating it like a top, not a piece of underwear that wandered out into daylight.
Three styling routes. All of them work. None of them require shapewear or a lecture about quiet luxury.
Route One: The Cami With A Suit
Black or ivory lace cami. Tailored chocolate or grey trouser. A loose blazer slung over the shoulder. Pointed flat or a slingback heel. The lace does the softening so the suit does not look like a job interview. The look for a Wednesday client lunch that pretends to be a casual catch up.
Route Two: The Cami With Denim
Silk cami in a clean colour. Vintage blue jean, high waist, long leg. A leather flat sandal or kitten heel mule. A gold hoop. The lace stops the look from being too 1996 and gives it a quiet shimmer. What you wear to a gallery opening, a long lunch, or your sister’s birthday drinks in a wine bar with no menu.
Route Three: The Cami With A Skirt
Lace cami plus column skirt. Same tonal family. Bias cut helps. Reads dressy without trying, which is the entire game. Add a satin slingback and a small structured bag. The look that gets photographed at every birthday this year.
What To Avoid
Do not pair a lace cami with another lace anything. Do not buy a sheer one if you are not in the mood to commit. Do not wear it with a cropped jacket. The proportions argue with each other and nobody wins.
The Edit: 12 Lace Camis To Shop Right Now
Twelve lace camis. One per brand. Every cost level. From a $29.95 Sussan to a $2,620 Valentino. Every link goes direct to the product page in AUD.
- Sussan Lace Detail Layering Cami, Black, $29.95 AUD
The grown-up layering cami that does the under-the-knit work without trying. Stretchy, flattering, the kind you replace every two years.
- Petal & Pup Brigid Lace Cami Top, Olive, $49.00 AUD
Olive, V neck, lace that reads more expensive than it is. Built for a chocolate tailored trouser and a chunky gold hoop.
- Spell Labyrinth Lace Cami, Cloud Cream, $159.00 AUD
Cloud cream with delicate trim and an adjustable front neck tie. Reads soft. Reads romantic. Reads done.
- DÔEN Loure lace-trimmed silk-satin top, Ivory, $535.00 AUD
Silk satin and the kind of lace that looks like it was inherited. The cami that does the heavy lifting under a sharp blazer.
- Zimmermann Roselight lace-trimmed cotton and silk-blend cami top, Ivory, $575.00 AUD
Zimmermann doing the cami at peak Zimmermann. Cotton and silk blend, scalloped lace, the romantic moment in a black trouser outfit.
- Loretta Caponi Oriana lace-trimmed cotton tank, White, $615.00 AUD
Italian lingerie atelier energy applied to a daywear tank. White cotton with handmade lace edges. Quiet, considered, expensive in a way no one needs to clock.
- Veronica Beard Johantan lace-trimmed silk-blend satin blouse, Black, $685.00 AUD
Cami crossed with blouse, satin with a sheer lace yoke. The piece that takes a denim look from school run to wine bar without changing anything else.
- Sharon Wauchob Capucines scalloped lace-trimmed silk crepe de chine camisole, Ivory, $890.00 AUD
Silk crepe de chine with a scalloped lace edge. The cami in question if you want lingerie tipping into outerwear and back again.
- Stella McCartney Lace-trimmed satin camisole, Ivory, $1,315.00 AUD
Stella doing the bias cut satin cami. Cleaner than the others. The one that goes with everything and stays in rotation for a decade.
- Saint Laurent Lace-trimmed ribbed silk-jersey tank, Black, $1,580.00 AUD
Saint Laurent French girl uniform. Ribbed silk jersey, lace at the strap line, and a body so good it makes a jean look couture.
- Chloé Lace-trimmed silk-jacquard camisole, Black, $2,100.00 AUD
Silk jacquard, hand-finished lace, the kind of cami that becomes a forever piece. Looks at home with a denim jean or a black trouser. Looks even better with both.
- Valentino Garavani Lace-trimmed silk crepe de chine camisole, Ivory, $2,620.00 AUD
The full Valentino lace fantasy in cami form. Couture lace, silk that drapes, the kind of piece you photograph from every angle.
The Brand Roll Call
Sussan, Petal & Pup, Spell, DÔEN, Zimmermann, Loretta Caponi, Veronica Beard, Sharon Wauchob, Stella McCartney, Saint Laurent, Chloé, Valentino Garavani. Twelve brands. Every cost level. Every link goes direct to the product page.
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