ALENCON

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If I asked you what lace you most associate with bridal wear you'd most likely say, Alencon. This lace is easy to recognize: there's cording around the motifs creating a kind of three dimensional quality. Numero uno as a traditional bridal favorite, Alencon can be used as an allover lace or clipped apart and used as trim on hemlines, necks, veils, or pieced together to create larger motifs. Originally called point d'Alençon, this needle lace originated in Alençon, France. Manufacturing of this lace began in the 16th century with a local industry created by a man named Jean-Baptiste Colbert, during the reign of Louis XIV. He got going what was known as a Royal Lace Workshop to create something close to the Venetian style. Once this evolved it became a unique style associated with the town.

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The above version of Alencon looks ecclesiastical, a bit like something you'd find on a cleric.

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SMP Galleries

Touches of Alencon grace the edges of a veil above. Below a delicate version of Alencon forms some of the embellishment of a bodice and midriff.

SMP Galleries

Audrey's Closet Vintage

Yo Adrian! Embellished with Alencon lace, this gown is a total throwback to the 70s. When Adrian tied the knot in Rocky II (1979) with the fictional catch played by Sly Stallone, her gown by Michelle Piccone looked something like this. To get a closer view of the original sketch, click on the image below. Considered the ultimate dream gown by brides of the funk era, take into mind we're talking a world pre-Diana . . .
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A modern version of Alencon lace application on a gown with a cut out back by Yolanda

Special thanks to Stuff in the Basement for having the presence of fantastic mind to scan and post Adrian's wedding gown picture. We need more archivists scanning wedding pics from many years past to keep some of these gowns that made history from going into oblivion . . .