tape lace, lace in which the pattern is made up of tape set in a background either of thread bars (brides) or net. Its quality depends much on whether the tape used lies flat and curves continuously (which can be achieved only by using bobbins) or is ready-woven, in which case it has to be gathered at the bends and corners, and inevitably puckers. The best Genoese tape lace of the 17th century is bobbin-made; among the ready-wovens are the Belgian and French tape laces of the 1880s, such as so-called Renaissance lace.