Shona Joy White Lace Dresses: The Tarot Cotton Eyelet Maxi and Mini

White cotton lace is the most practical kind of lace: it breathes, it washes and it looks better slightly crumpled. The Tarot dresses from Shona Joy at Coveti are cut from 100% cotton with broderie embroidery and small cut outs, the fabric often called eyelet and broderie anglaise. There is a maxi and a mini. For more white lace from other designers, browse lace dresses.

What is cotton eyelet?

Eyelet, also called broderie anglaise, is a woven cotton embroidered with small shapes whose centres are cut away, so the pattern is part stitch, part hole. Shona Joy describes the Tarot fabric as a midweight cotton poplin with a crisp hand feel and a breathable, structured drape. Unlike a guipure and a Chantilly lace, it holds its own shape, so the skirt flares rather than clings.

The two Tarot dresses

1. Tarot Cotton Lace Maxi Dress

A plunged neckline, wide straps that tie at the centre back, a panelled fitted bust, an invisible zip and a flared panelled maxi skirt, with a mini length lining. Fit: slim through the waist and body. The lining stops at the thigh, so the lower skirt shows a little light through the cut outs.

2. Tarot Cotton Lace Mini Dress

A shirt mini with a stand collar, flared sleeves with embroidered edges, buttons and loops down the front, a curved hem and a removable tie. It comes with a separate mini slip lining. Fit: relaxed.

The Tarot dresses compared

Source: Shona Joy product pages, read 15 November 2026. Prices are Coveti list prices in US dollars.

Where to wear white eyelet

The bride: the Tarot maxi works for a civil ceremony, a beach wedding and a welcome dinner; the mini works for a registry office and the morning after. See Shona Joy white dresses and Shona Joy bridal shower dresses. Summer: a long lunch and a holiday. As a wedding guest, leave white at home. Christmas in the southern hemisphere: the mini with a flat sandal for Christmas Day.

How to style white lace

Natural textures suit cotton: raffia, tan leather, wooden beads and gold. Keep the underwear nude, not white, because white shows through a cut out. The plunged maxi wants a stick on bra, and some women wear none; the shirt mini works with anything.

Wearing it around the world

Australia and New Zealand: the party season falls in summer, so these pieces go out bare legged with a flat sandal and no coat. United Kingdom, Europe and North America: add sheer black tights, a long wool coat and a closed heel and a sleek boot for December. Gulf states: layer a fine knit, a fitted long sleeve top and a tailored jacket under and over the straps for covered shoulders, and choose the maxi lengths. Coveti ships Shona Joy worldwide.

How Shona Joy sizing works

Shona Joy cuts in Australian sizes, and an AU size carries the same number as a UK size, so an AU8 is a UK 8. Most of this drop runs UK 4 to 18; the Florence Pleated Maxi Dress comes in XS to XL. The size guide on each Coveti product page converts UK sizing to US, Italian, French and German sizes. Read the fit note before you choose: “relaxed fit” and “designed to sit away from the body” leave room, while “slim fit” follows your shape. For more, read is Shona Joy true to size.

Caring for satin, lace and sequins

Every piece here is a hand wash piece. Turn it inside out, hand wash cold and separately with a mild soap, and dry flat in the shade; do not machine wash, wring, soak, bleach nor tumble dry. Lace and sequins snag on jewellery clasps and bag zips, so take bracelets off before you dress. Store sequins folded, never on a hanger, because their weight stretches the mesh over time.

Frequently asked questions

Can I wear the Shona Joy Tarot dress to a wedding?

Not as a guest: white and ivory are for the bride. As the bride, it suits a civil ceremony, a beach wedding and a rehearsal dinner.

Is the Tarot maxi dress see through?

It has a mini length lining, so the bodice and upper skirt are covered and the lower skirt shows a little light through the cut outs.

What is broderie anglaise?

A woven cotton embroidered with small motifs whose centres are cut out, also called eyelet.

How do you wash a white cotton eyelet dress?

Follow the label: Shona Joy asks for a cold hand wash, and drying flat in the shade keeps the cotton bright.

Does the Tarot mini have a lining?

Yes, a separate mini slip lining.

Related guides: Shona Joy white dresses, Shona Joy bridal shower dresses, Shona Joy rehearsal dinner dresses, Shona Joy lace dresses, Shona Joy long sleeve mini dresses, Shona Joy summer dresses, the Shona Joy Holiday 2026 collection, lace dresses.