Steal the show by going dotty for spots
HOW TO DRESS LIKE A GROWN UP
No oNE could say polka dots were new exactly. in fashion terms, the dot became hot back in 1947 when Christian Dior unleashed the New Look.
Many of his hourglass silhouettes were decorated with dots in a ‘direct, unblushing plan to make women extravagantly, romantically, eyelashbattingly female,’ as Vogue put it.
When the dot hit hollywood in the Fifties — remember Marilyn Monroe in that bikini? — the ladylike print became subversively saucy.
Fashion (and particularly women in the public eye) have been toying with the print’s risque versus respectable overtones ever since, from Julia roberts’ brown silk polka dot dress in Pretty Woman to Princess Diana and Kate Middleton in varying degrees of spots.
You only need to look at the fashion show of the year — harry and Meghan’s wedding — to see that the standout dress was a Forties-meetsEighties dotty tea dress worn by Suits star Abigail Spencer, from italian-born, Londonbased designer Alessandra rich. Sexy but not trashy, it brilliantly married Abigail’s hollywood chutzpah with the event’s buttoned-up protocol.
SPoTS have been all over the catwalks for the past year. Everyone from classicist Giorgio Armani to the rebel of the runways, Demna Gvasalia at Balenciaga, did them.
in fact, Gvasalia’s were the tipping point — from classic to cool — when he sent out a voluminous white floor-length gown embellished with coinsized black dots to mark the brand’s centenary last year. Where he led, every wannabe hot brand has since followed.
Weirdly, i have not one polka dot in my wardrobe. i’m not a print person, but writing this has made me rethink.
in black and white, the polka dot is practically neutral — a safe zone. See Topshop’s mixspot ruched midi wrap dress (£46, topshop.com) or h&M’s monochrome midi flounced skirt (£24.99, hm.com).
if i was shorter (i’m close to 5ft 11in), i’d love Mango’s black-and- white dot platforms (£49.99, mango.com).
one reason i haven’t yet delved into dots is because they remind me of a particularly unpleasant headmistress, whose matronly embonpoint always seemed to be covered in a pussy-bow polka dot blouse. For those less scared by the polka blouse, go for it.
And should you wish to only dip your toe in, try Topshop’s pointy slingbacks (£46,
topshop.com) or throw on Massimo Dutti’s polka dot print scarf (£14.95, massimodutti.
com) with a crisp white suit. But i fancy going wild with colour. if you’ve a wedding invitation yourself this summer, Diane Von Fursten- berg has the ultimate wedding guest dress with a difference: mini dotted silk spliced with turquoise, emerald and tan (£187, uk.dvf.com).
As for holiday spots, i’ve fallen for racil Chalhoub, who came to the fore with her fabulously modern take on tuxedos. Now she’s applied her tailoring skills to a capsule collection on Net-a-Porter — wrap tops, slip dresses and wide-leg palazzo pants.
And for work dots, i’m loving Zara’s brown trousers covered in black coin spots (£39.99,
zara.com) with a starched white shirt.
once, i would have said the pitfalls of the polka dot were piling on too many at once. But these days, resembling Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s dizzying, swarming spots might not be such a bad thing.
There’s now nothing wrong with a mega-mix of brave, bold spots. Sometimes on a single dress, with matching slingbacks, scarf, bag and earrings too, if you desire. These days you can’t be dotty enough.
have a play with them, load them on, then edit away to figure out your own spot limit. Now’s the time to rock a dot. REBECCA LOWTHORPE is Fashion Director at Grazia