As Australia slips into the softer light of spring, fashion is (finally) following suit. After a winter defined by sharp tailoring and moody colours, a romantic new trend is enjoying its time in the sun: lace.

But if your mind immediately conjures images of your grandmother's wardrobe, rest assured, in 2025, lace is undergoing a rebrand. On international runways, the delicate fabric has returned with a renewed sense of purpose and this spring, it's less about prim femininity and more about contrast: think lace skirts layered over jeans, worn under blazers, or left raw at the hem.

On the Fall Winter 2025 runway at Chloé, lace appeared in sheer, floor-grazing dresses that felt pulled from the pages of a Jane Austen novel, but updated for now with indie sleaze-esque waves and minimal makeup. Creative director Chemena Kamali layered long pendant necklaces over the translucent fabric, for a look that felt windswept, romantic, and unmistakably modern.

Saint Laurent’s Fall 2025 collection offered a moodier take, but proved lace's versatility in the process – both delicately lining the neckline of dramatic gowns, and covering sharply tailored 80's-inspired skirt suits entirely. And over at Alexander McQueen that same season 2025, lace became outright armour. A sheer black gown, layered over minimal underpinnings and anchored by lace-up boots, embodied the new tension.

Brands like Doên have been quick to adopt the trend, with their lace-trimmed silk slip skirts the must-have piece in the wardrobes of it-Girls in the Northern Hemisphere these past few months. Elsewhere My Mum Made It, Reformation, and With Jean have also made lace part of their seasonal vocabulary, proving that the fabric once confined to vintage heirlooms is now very much in the everyday mix.

With spring well and truly here, and warmer weather just on the horizon, there's no time like the present to split into something lacey. Below, shop the RUSSH edit of all things lace worth investing in for the latter half of 2025.

DÔEN Elowena lace-trimmed skirt and Kira camisole

ACNE STUDIOS Doyla lace-trimmed midi dress

My Mum Made It Cotton Lace Camisole

NEOUS Kalliope lace and leather-trimmed crepe de chine sandals

REFORMATION Adriano Lace Knit Top and Mirabelle Knit Skirt

CAMILLA & MARC Callisto Lace Bodysuit

MAISON ESSENTIELE Lace Maxi

BUCI Daisy Skirt

STELLA MCCARTNEY Red Lace Dress