Little Black Lace Dress

FASHION - You don't want a lump of coal for Christmas, but a little black lace dress and the accessories to match might be on your list this year. Its sort of an old-fashioned Victorian Christmas idea, but don't forget black lace suffers from a Madonna/whore complex in fashion.

When done in white and in a voluminous form for wedding dresses, lace is considered innocent and pure. In black and in the boudoir – lace is sexy, racy and risque. With the colour of flesh underneath there is also underlying simmering sexuality.

Miuccia Prada, in her fall/winter collection, managed to marry the two personalities of this fabric with guipure lace dresses. She took black lace and made it look austere and prim and by adding dickies at the neckline – they practically look like something a nun or Mennonite might wear, a naughty one.

Prada believes in lace so much that she reportedly bought the entire stock produced from a Swiss factory. Small surprise, whatever the highly influential Prada does, it usually sends shock waves through the fashion world.

This holiday season, any chain store worth its fashion credentials is in on this trend and has lacy little black dresses for the holiday. They're perfect for the festive season and beyond, ladylike and classic, but also suggestive and sexy.

Best part of all, accessories to match are really easy to find. See Long Gloves and Fingerless Gloves.