Burgundy Lace Dresses: Claret, Burgundy and Oxblood Explained

A burgundy lace dress is a lace dress in a deep, wine-coloured red, and in practice the shades sold as burgundy, claret and oxblood overlap, so judge the colour on the photograph rather than the name. Our designer dresses edit holds the new claret lace from the Mary Katrantzou brand page, and our guide to lace maxi dresses covers the fabric in every colour.

Key facts

• Burgundy, claret and oxblood are overlapping colour names with no fixed fashion standard.
• Mary Katrantzou calls her Resort 2027 deep red claret, lit with warm gold in the Mizutama Marble print.
• The Chantal and Aelia Mizutama Marble Claret Lace dresses have a polyester base with a lace of 68% nylon and 32% cotton.
• The Alexis Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Block is claret in 100% polyester but is not lace.

This guide explains the colour words honestly, shows what to check before buying and how to wear deep red lace. The picks lead with Mary Katrantzou Resort 2027, including one claret dress that is not lace, then add deep red pieces from other houses.

Claret, burgundy and oxblood: what is the difference?

All three are colour names borrowed from other things, and none of them has a fixed standard in fashion.

• Burgundy takes its name from the red wines of the Burgundy region of France. In clothing it usually means a deep red with a purple lean.
• Claret is the old English name for red Bordeaux wine. As a colour it sits close to burgundy, often a touch brighter and redder.
• Oxblood is darker and leans brown, the shade most often seen on leather shoes and bags.

Mary Katrantzou calls her colour claret. Someone searching for a burgundy lace dress will find it reads in the same family: a deep wine red, here lit with warm gold. Because screens vary, compare the product images against something you already own in a similar tone.

How do you choose a burgundy lace dress?

• Check the lining colour. Lace is open, so the base under it changes the shade. A printed base, as on the Mary Katrantzou claret lace, adds pattern and depth.
• Choose a length for the event. Floor length for black tie, midi for a dinner and a daytime wedding.
• Think about the sleeve. A long sleeve gives cover for winter and formal codes; a cropped sleeve shows the wrist.
• Read the fabric line. Deep red appears in lace, velvet and satin. Velvet looks darker and richer, satin brighter.

The burgundy and claret dresses to buy

1. Chantal Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Lace

The Chantal Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Lace falls to the floor in a fitted line with cropped sleeves. It has a 100% polyester base under a lace of 68% nylon and 32% cotton, and its deep claret ground is lit with gold in a nod to kintsugi.

2. Aelia Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Lace

The Aelia Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Lace is the midi version of the claret lace, with a high neckline, long sleeves, draping at the shoulder and a back slit. It is the more covered choice for a winter ceremony.

3. Alexis Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Block

The Alexis Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Block is claret but not lace: it is 100% polyester in a block colour, fitted at the waist with long sleeves above an ankle-length pleated skirt. It suits anyone who wants the colour without openwork.

4. Ilya Dress Mizutama Marble Claret

The Ilya Dress Mizutama Marble Claret carries the same claret ground in velvet, with a turtleneck, long sleeves and an ankle-length, gently flared skirt. Velvet pile makes the claret look darker than it does on lace.

5. Polka Dot Satin Lace Maxi Dress

The Self-Portrait Polka Dot Satin Lace Maxi Dress is filed under red at Coveti and mixes polka dot satin with lace.

6. Velvet maxi dress in Red

The Rasario Velvet maxi dress in Red is velvet, not lace, for a plain red with no print.

7. Off-Shoulder Slim Velvet Dress with Long Sleeves in Red

The Gemy Maalouf Off-Shoulder Slim Velvet Dress with Long Sleeves in Red is another red velvet, with an off-shoulder neckline and long sleeves.

8. Satin and velvet maxi dress with a flower in Red and pink

The Rasario Satin and velvet maxi dress with a flower in Red and pink pairs two fabrics in red and pink, finished with a flower.

The claret pieces compared

Source: Mary Katrantzou product pages and size chart, and the Coveti catalogue, read by Coveti Editorial on 8 November 2026.

Where the claret comes from

The Mizutama Marble print takes its name from the Japanese word for a water droplet, which inspired the repeat and the special fabrications. Its claret and emerald grounds are lit with warm gold, which the house likens to kintsugi, the Japanese craft of repairing broken ceramics with lacquer dusted with gold. Mary Katrantzou is known for engineering prints to the pattern piece, so the marbling meets the seam and hem. Our guide to Mary Katrantzou prints covers each story, and the Resort 2027 guide shows the season.

How to wear a burgundy lace dress

• Gold jewellery echoes the gold in the claret print; keep it to one piece.
• Pair deep red with black, navy and chocolate brown in the coat and shoes.
• Avoid a bright red shoe beside burgundy, since the two reds can clash.
• For a Christmas wedding, our Christmas wedding guest dresses guide has more ideas, and the holiday party outfits edit covers dinners and dances.

Burgundy lace dresses around the world

In the US, burgundy is an autumn and holiday colour, worn from Thanksgiving dinners to New Year galas. In the UK, deep red lace suits a December wedding and the Christmas party season. Across Europe, it suits winter evenings at the theatre and the long dinners of the festive season.

In the Gulf, the long-sleeved Aelia in claret lace suits formal evening events where covered arms are expected. In Asia, red is a colour of celebration at weddings and Lunar New Year in many communities, so a deep claret dress fits banquets in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. For winter dress codes, see our winter wedding guest dresses and black tie wedding guest dresses guides.

Sizing a burgundy lace dress

Mary Katrantzou sizes in UK, so a UK 8 is a US 4, an IT 40 and a FR 36. Letter-sized styles run XS to XL, and on the house chart XS sits at a UK 6. The house gives no advice on sizing up and down for most pieces, so take your usual size; the one exception this season is the Kira kaftan, which the house says runs big by one to two sizes. The models are 178 cm tall and wear a UK 8. Full charts are in our Mary Katrantzou size guide. Lace has little stretch, so check the chart carefully for the fitted Chantal.

For brown tones in lace, see our brown lace dresses guide, and for shorter lace, our lace mini dresses edit.

Frequently asked questions

What colour is burgundy?

Burgundy is a deep red with a purple lean, named after the red wines of the Burgundy region of France. Fashion has no fixed standard for it, so compare product images.

Is claret the same as burgundy?

They are close. Claret, the old English name for red Bordeaux wine, usually reads a touch brighter and redder than burgundy, but the two overlap in clothing.

What is the difference between burgundy and oxblood?

Oxblood is darker and leans brown, while burgundy leans purple.

Which Mary Katrantzou dresses come in claret lace?

The Chantal Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Lace, a fitted floor-length style, and the Aelia Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Lace, a long-sleeved midi.

Is the Alexis Claret Block dress lace?

No. The Alexis Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Block is 100% polyester in a block colour with a pleated skirt; it shares the claret colour, not the lace.

What shoes go with a burgundy lace dress?

Black, navy and chocolate brown shoes all sit well with burgundy. A gold sandal picks up the gold in the Mizutama Marble print.

Read next: Lace maxi dresses, Mary Katrantzou prints, Christmas wedding guest dresses.

By Coveti Editorial. Updated 8 November 2026.