Fashion Word of the Day: Alencon Lace

Alencon lace is a needlepoint lace with a fine net ground. The pattern is outlined with a heavy cordonnet. It was originally a french made lace.

So now lets figure out the definition...
needlepoint lace means a lace that was originally made by a needle and thread employing, mainly buttonhole and buttonhole variation stitches to create the intricate ground and motifs.
ground refers to the tulle looking background of a lace, or the non main lace motifs.
cordonnet is a heavier yarn that outlines the main motifs of certain kinds of lace.

There is much information on lace. One book that I find very informative is called Bobbin and Needle Laces: Identification and Care, written by Pat Earnshaw. This is a very good book to have if you are a collector trying to identify different varieties of laces. Here is a link to a listing of the book on Amazon.

Stay tuned for tomorrows Fashion Word of the Day