Look Flirty With Lace

Flirty and feminine, lace is one of the biggest trends of the season, showing up on clothing, home accessories and more. Cheryl Kramer of Redbook joined The Early Show Wednesday to demonstrate some of the more stylish ways to work lace and lacy knits into your wardrobe.

As with each installment in our Chic on a Shoestring series, there are two versions for each look: one a splurge, the other a steal. It can be pretty tough to guess the difference.

Look No. 1: Lace dresses
This look says summer perfectly. Keep it modern with ballet flats, which are also very popular this year.

Splurge
Ivory lace sundress from Anthropologie, $99
Ballet flats from London Sole, $135
TOTAL: $234

Steal
Ivory lace sundress from Forever 21, $36.80
Ballet flats from Report, $45
TOTAL: $81.80

What's the difference? The more expensive dress has more lace, and the lace is more delicate. It also has a cotton lining versus a nylon one in the Forever 21 dress.

Look No. 2: Crochet accents
Crochet has come out of grandma's closet to become a big trend this year. The wider knit shows lots of skin, giving it a surprisingly sexy look.

Splurge
Crochet-trim tee, $140
Crochet skirt, $129
Crochet cap, $175, all from Bergdorf Goodman
Jeweled thongs from Magnolia shoes, $180
TOTAL: $624

Steal
Crochet trim tee, $14.99
Crochet cap, $9.99, both from Strawberry
Crochet skirt, $59.25, from Macy's
Jeweled thongs from Yellow Box, $46.95
TOTAL: $131.18

What's the difference? The biggest difference is that the expensive T-shirt is hand-stitched versus the machine-stitched crochet. There's also more crochet trim on the more expensive shirt.

Look No. 3: Rope and macramé accessories
This is a great safari trend, but more urban than rain forest.

Splurge
Adrienne Vittadini macramé hobo bag, $148, from Macy's
Via Spiga rope sandal, $159
Club Monaco braided rope belt, $49, worn with Ella Moss striped dress, $162 at Barney's
TOTAL: $518

Steal
Liz Claiborne macrame hobo bag, $50, from Macy's
Aerosoles rope sandal, $89
J.Crew braided rope belt, $28, worn with striped dress, $20, from Strawberry
TOTAL: $187

What's the difference? The material and fit are big factors in the cost difference. The expensive sandal is made with all leather, whereas the Aerosoles have leather and a rubber sole. The expensive bag has a snakeskin trim versus a vinyl trim.