My lace design has regular repeating rows of curlicues, scrolls and flower motifs that I felt would have been spoiled by waist shaping darts; also the lace fabric is quite thick and darts would not have sat nice and flat on the inside. Plus, they would have been visible through the wide holes in the lace.
SO, I aimed to eliminate the darts from my skirt and maintain the integrity of the rows of repeating motifs in the design.
And I should mention straight off that I learnt this process from using Tomoko Nakamichi's Pattern Magic books of course...the point of which is to learn how to manipulate a sloper and fabrics in order to achieve a desired effect. I probably say that each and every time I mention the books, so please forgive me for repeating myself. I guess I just love this sort of thing since I am a bonafide maths and fashion and sewing nerd; three, not-irreconcilable passions that are wrapped up together and catered to in one neat package. Working through the exercises has taught me loads about pattern manipulation.
Anyhow, without further ado...
I chose the skirt pattern Vogue 1247 as a starting point because:
a. I have used it a few times already and am happy with the fit.
b. It has only one shaping dart on each side of the front and the back, and obviously one dart is way easier to eliminate than two.
c. It has a high straight waistband that I could transform into a yoke fairly easily. A waistband or yoke was an essential component to stabilise the lace at the top of the skirt.
d. It is a reasonably straight little skirt, enabling me to easily match up the lace motifs down each side seam as well.
I am showing the process using the front pattern piece only... exactly the same process applies to the back piece.
I usually use old newspaper to make up my pattern modifications, but just in honour of taking photos today I have used some nice plain brown paper instead. Yah I know, so classy ;)
Just to visually simplify the next step I've traced off a new paper piece from this new, dartless skirt front piece....
The lower skirt piece remaining is your new skirt front piece. The curved piece cut off the top is used to create the waistband/yoke section as below...
The waistband of Vogue 1247 is a straight waistband; trace a new waistband including seam allowances. 
This process results in a dartless skirt with a straight top edge that preserves the horizontal rows in the lace... and with a straight waistband shaped into the side edges.
