Our Favourite Khaki Lace Tops Right Now Handpicked by Claire

Khaki lace tops work because the colour does something lace on its own rarely manages: it takes a fabric that can read as delicate or overtly romantic and grounds it, giving it a utility edge that makes it easier to wear in daylight and easier to layer without looking like an afterthought from an evening rail. The best versions use a heavier, more structured lace, a guipure or a corded floral rather than a fine stretch lace, so the pattern holds its shape and the khaki tone reads as a proper colour rather than a washed out neutral. Sheerness is part of the appeal, but it needs to be controlled: a lace top that is see through everywhere and unlined at the bust or back looks unfinished, whereas one with strategic lining, or a scalloped hem and cuff that give it a defined edge, looks considered and holds up under a jacket or coat all day.

Fit matters more than people expect. A lace top that is too fitted through the body loses the drape that makes the fabric interesting, while something with a bit of ease through the shoulder and sleeve lets the pattern move properly and avoids pulling across the lace at any point of tension. Necklines are worth checking closely, since a lace top with a high, structured neckline reads as daytime and workable, while a deep v or a fully sheer yoke pushes it towards evening.

Styling this category is really about contrast. Khaki lace sits well against denim, particularly a straight or wide leg in a mid or dark wash, because the roughness of the denim offsets the femininity of the lace. It also works tucked into tailored trousers with a blazer over the top, using the jacket to control how much sheerness shows through.

For evening, a khaki lace top paired with leather trousers or a slip skirt in black or deep brown gives the colour somewhere to sit without disappearing.

Occasion wise, this is a category for the moments between smart and relaxed: a daytime event that needs a bit more than a plain shirt, an early evening drinks situation, a wedding guest look that wants texture without full formality. It rewards a bit of thought in the layering rather than being worn alone, and that is exactly what makes it worth having in the rotation.