Lace—delicate, sumptuous,  and yet mysterious—developed in Europe during the 16^th century, evolving from handmade needle and bobbin style to machine made contemporary patterns. For hundreds of years, lace has been a symbol of wealth and prestige for the men and women who were at the pinnacle of European social hierarchy. Join Royal Oak for a special digital tour of Threads of Power: Lace from the Textilmuseum St. Gallen, an exhibit at the Bard Graduate Center, that traces the history of lace from its beginnings to the present. This exhibit includes over 150 exquisite examples of lace from the renowned Swiss collection. On our tour we will learn about the highly skilled, but poorly paid and anonymous, women who crafted this sought-after status symbol fashioned from linen and silk thread. We will view examples of the handmade needle and bobbin lace that was favored by the wealthy and powerful families of Bourbon France and Habsburg Spain. Also, we will discover Swiss chemical lace, known as guipure lace and see how antique lace patterns began to be faithfully copied using machine technologies. Finally, we will explore the latest innovations in contemporary lace production, such as laser-cut and 3D-printed lace. Despite five centuries since its inception, the threads of lace link the past to the present across the globe.