Lace Maxi Dresses: How to Choose the Right Lace and 9 to Buy

A lace maxi dress is a floor-length dress made from lace, an openwork fabric in which the pattern is formed by the holes as much as by the thread. Our designer maxi dresses edit holds the new claret and azurite lace from the Mary Katrantzou brand page, and our guides to brown lace dresses and lace mini dresses cover other colours and lengths.

Key facts

• Lace is an openwork fabric, so most lace dresses are built over a base fabric.
• The Mary Katrantzou Chantal lace dress has a 100% polyester base with a lace of 68% nylon and 32% cotton.
• The Chantal comes in Mizutama Marble Claret Lace and Kintsugi Azurite Lace for Resort 2027.
• The Aelia Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Lace is the midi option, with long sleeves and a back slit.

This guide sets out the main kinds of lace, what to check on a product page and how to wear a long lace dress to an evening event. The picks lead with three Mary Katrantzou Resort 2027 lace dresses, then add lace gowns from other houses for range.

What is a lace maxi dress?

Lace is made by looping, twisting and knotting thread into an open pattern. It was first worked by hand with bobbins and needles, and most fashion lace today is made by machine. Because lace is open, most lace dresses are built over a base fabric that gives the dress its shape and modesty, while the lace layer gives the surface. A maxi length runs that surface from neckline to floor, so the pattern of the lace becomes the main design of the dress.

Which kind of lace should you choose?

The name of the lace tells you a lot about how it will look and handle.

• Chantilly lace. A fine lace with floral motifs outlined in a heavier thread on a net ground. It drapes softly and suits fitted and bias shapes.
• Guipure lace. Motifs joined by small bars instead of a net, so it is heavier and more sculptural, and it holds a straighter line.
• Corded lace. Motifs edged with a cord for a raised outline that reads well from a distance.
• Printed lace. Lace laid over a printed base, so colour and pattern show through the openwork. This is the Mary Katrantzou approach this season.

Then check three things: the base fabric under the lace, the sleeve and neckline, and whether the length clears your shoe. A fitted maxi needs a slit to walk in, while a fuller skirt does not.

The lace maxi 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 is built on a 100% polyester base with a lace of 68% nylon and 32% cotton, and the deep claret Mizutama Marble ground is lit with gold in a nod to kintsugi.

2. Chantal Dress Kintsugi Azurite Lace

The Chantal Dress Kintsugi Azurite Lace is the same fitted, cropped-sleeve shape in blue. In the Azurite colourway of the Kintsugi Myth artwork, a river runs through waterfalls into marbled waves, with nymphs and fragments of classical architecture on its banks, seen through the lace.

3. Aelia Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Lace

The Aelia Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Lace is the midi option, with a high neckline, long sleeves and draping at the shoulder over a close line with a back slit. It uses the same polyester base and nylon and cotton lace as the Chantal.

4. Echo Lace Maxi Dress

The Zimmermann Echo Lace Maxi Dress is a lace maxi in a beige tone, a softer colour beside the claret.

5. Clash Lace Maxi Dress

The Zimmermann Clash Lace Maxi Dress is in ivory, the lighter end of the lace spectrum.

6. Black Floral Lace Maxi Dress

The Self-Portrait Black Floral Lace Maxi Dress is a black floral lace maxi, the most classic colour for an evening lace dress.

7. Andrie French Lace Gown in Black

The Costarellos Andrie French Lace Gown in Black names its lace as French lace, in black.

8. Alena Lace Maxi Dress

The Leo Lin Alena Lace Maxi Dress adds another lace maxi to the edit.

9. Maribelle Lace Maxi Dress

The Aje Maribelle Lace Maxi Dress is an ivory lace maxi, a lighter colour option for a day wedding.

Mary Katrantzou lace compared

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

Why print under lace changes the dress

Most lace dresses pair the lace with a plain lining in a matched colour. Mary Katrantzou, known as a print designer who engineers her artworks to the pattern piece, puts a printed base under the lace instead. The result is two layers of pattern: the openwork on top, the marbled print beneath, and the colour of the print showing through every gap. Our guide to Mary Katrantzou prints explains the Mizutama Marble and Kintsugi Myth stories, and the Resort 2027 guide covers the full season.

How to wear a lace maxi dress

• Let the lace do the work. Small earrings and a plain clutch keep the eye on the dress.
• With cropped sleeves, as on the Chantal, a long glove and a cuff bracelet both suit the bare forearm.
• Choose a smooth shoe in a matched tone; a strappy sandal can catch on fine lace at the hem.
• For a winter event, a long coat in a plain cloth sits well over lace. Our winter wedding guest dresses guide has more ideas.
• For a formal dress code, see our black tie wedding guest dresses edit.

Lace snags, so store a lace dress on a padded hanger with space around it, and keep jewellery with claws away from the surface. Coveti advises dry cleaning for these pieces.

Lace maxi dresses around the world

In the US, a long lace dress suits a black tie wedding, a gala and an evening in a city ballroom, with a deep colour for winter and a pale one for summer garden weddings. In the UK, lace is a classic wedding guest fabric, and a claret lace maxi brings colour to a December ceremony. Across Europe, long lace suits summer weddings on the Mediterranean as well as winter dinners in the north.

In the Gulf, a floor-length lace dress with sleeves suits formal evening dress codes at weddings and receptions, and the long sleeve of the Aelia gives the most cover. In Asia, lace maxi dresses suit wedding banquets in Hong Kong and Singapore, where indoor venues are cool, and winter evenings in Seoul and Tokyo. For more, see our draped gowns and corset maxi dresses guides.

Sizing a lace maxi 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 a fitted lace maxi such as the Chantal is worth measuring against the chart before you choose.

For more on the designer, read who Mary Katrantzou is.

Frequently asked questions

What is a lace maxi dress?

It is a floor-length dress made from lace, an openwork fabric, usually built over a base fabric that gives the dress its shape and modesty.

What is the Mary Katrantzou Chantal lace dress made of?

The Chantal has a 100% polyester base with a lace of 68% nylon and 32% cotton. It comes in Mizutama Marble Claret and Kintsugi Azurite.

What is the difference between Chantilly and guipure lace?

Chantilly is a fine lace with outlined floral motifs on a net ground. Guipure has no net; its motifs are joined by small bars, so it is heavier and more sculptural.

Can you wear a lace maxi dress to a winter wedding?

Yes. Choose a deep colour and a sleeve, such as the long-sleeved Aelia Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Lace, and add a long coat.

Is there a shorter lace option from Mary Katrantzou?

The Aelia Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Lace is cut to midi length with long sleeves and a back slit.

How do you care for a lace dress?

Hang it on a padded hanger with space around it and keep jewellery with claws away from the lace. Coveti advises dry cleaning for these pieces.

Read next: Burgundy lace dresses, Lace mini dresses, Brown lace dresses.

By Coveti Editorial. Updated 8 November 2026.