Gretchen Mol Embraces Lace

Trust Menswear

It toughens lace just enough so its sweetness doesn't cloy. A wool tweed sheath trimmed in black (Diane von Furstenberg, $465) fuses masculine and feminine elements, while accessories—Moorish-style earrings and necklace (LK Designs by Leetal Kalmanson), a clutch with oversize eyelet appliqués (Miu Miu)—are lacy in their own way. How women relate to this powerfully female fabric, or to fashion in general, changes as life's priorities change: A "huge identity shift" like motherhood, Mol says, affects everything from body image to which boots to buy ("I'm going to be in the park with Ptolemy a lot this winter. I don't think I'll be wearing Louboutin..."). 

Ring, M.C.L. by Matthew Campbell Laurenza