HOW TO WEAR THE HAPPIEST PRINT EVER: POLKA DOTS!
seven savvy ways to wear the happiest print ever: polka dots
Why has the polka dot survived as the most perennial, practical and peppy print through the ages? For instance, a $50 Zara dress, featuring polka dots, became the most viral fashion item in Britain. But, even before this, the popularity of polka dots has permeated age, size and class. It has been sported by everyone, from Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge to Marilyn Monroe.
First spotted on Miss America in 1926, polka dots were epitomised by Disney’s iconic character – Minnie Mouse. Even Christian Dior’s era-defining “New Look” – that celebrated the hour-glass figure – featured dots and soon it became the easiest way to look ladylike with Hollywood beauties like Elizabeth Taylor and Lucille Ball donning dots regularly.
In fact, Yayoi Kusama’s avant-garde art, that celebrates dots, was turned into Louis Vuitton’s dresses in 2012.
More recently, polkas – in monochrome and beige – made a wave on the runways with designers like Dolce & Gabbana, Max Mara and Carolina Herrera offering trench coats, coordinated sets and dresses in this peppy pattern.
Back home, fashion designer Jenjum Gadi says, “Some designs are quite universal. Polka dots are like checks – they’ll always remain in style. The beauty of the circle lies in the fact that it isn’t loud but a single dot can change the entire dimension of even a plain white shirt. One would think before wearing florals to work but polka dots can be styled for work very easily. They can take you from boardrooms to brunches and that makes polka dots super practical!”