Lace, in the popular consciousness, seems to belong to women, but did you know that originally, lace was worn by men.

　　British court painter Van Dyck told us that lace has never been exclusive to women.

　　The gentleman in the painting wears lace decorations on the neckline and cuffs, which looks solemn and noble.

　　Anthony van Dyck, Noble Genoa

　　Kunstmuseum Berlin, Germany

　　Baroque Period

　　One day in the second half of the 17th century, the "Sun King" Louis XIV was attending a court banquet wearing the Burano lace black collar that took two years to make.

　　Louis XIV wearing a lace collar

　　He would not have thought that lace would become a common element in popular clothing today hundreds of years later.

　　Louis XIV and other male nobles wearing lace collars

　　At that time, Europe was in turmoil, but the nobles lived a life of extravagance and desire with endless banquets and dances, showing off and demonstrating the unlimited authority of the upper class.

　　Giuseppe Ghislandi

　　"Portrait of a Gentleman"

　　In such an era, a powerful artistic style centered on men's aesthetics—the Baroque style was produced and men's clothing became more gorgeous and exaggerated.

　　Anthony van Dyck

　　Lord John Stuart and his brother Lord Bernard Stuart

　　King Charles I of England wearing a lace collar

　　At this time, men's clothing is popular to use lace to make exaggerated raff collars at the neckline, reflecting rhythm and vitality, emphasizing decoration.

　　The embellishment and decoration of a large number of lace has become the most gorgeous era in men's clothing.

　　Louis XIV wearing a lace collar

　　With the support of Louis XIV, France successively established twelve state-owned textile factories, and at the same time invited a large number of excellent lace masters from Venice. In the era of Louis XIV, lace together with the Palace of Versailles became the symbol of France.

　　Dutch Period

　　During the Dutch period, lace was further widely used.

　　Raff collars are no longer popular and replaced by thin, flat necklines like rebato, whisk and lace-trimmed collar, which are not starched and made of lace fabrics, which are placed on the shoulders in a rectangular shape and become a soft decoration for the neckline.

　　Transformation under the Enlightenment

　　Rationalism began to rise as the French-centered Enlightenment unfolded.

　　Lace disappeared from men's clothing and became a common element in women's clothing.

　　But in fact, early lace was woven with metal wire, which was very heavy and required physical strength to wear. Perhaps this may also be the reason why lace was originally worn by men!

　　Men wear lace

　　Today, although lace appears more in women's clothing, there are still many fashionable men who wear lace on themselves.

　　2019 Ann Demeulemeester Spring Summer Men's Fashion Show

　　Boys can wear lace, and girls can also wear suits. This is the progress of fashion, and it is the tolerance and recognition of the times for everyone to express themselves.

　　Actor Lee Dong Wook in lace

　　The cultural precipitation behind lace is the fusion of history, humanities and art. While looking back at history, we will also continue to explore the future development of lace.

　　Art of Threads, Glamour in Lace —— Seeing Lace Through the Expo

　　Time: June 2 to August 27, 2023

　　Venue: Temporary Exhibition Hall 1, World Expo Museum

　　Curators: Wei Xiaming, Zhao Fan

　　Ticket price: free