Connect the dots

Earlier this year, a polka-dot maxi dress from a fast-fashion powerhouse became so popular that it spawned its own Instagram handle (@hot4thespot) and was christened “the dress”. By the many posts dedicated to this sartorial confection, it seems to be a dress that suits any body shape, weather, or occasion. With over 26K followers, it’s apparently the polka-dot print that has made this dress ‘the’ dress.Designer Arpita Mehta is not surprised. “Polka dots are a classic print and can be paired with everything and anything,” she adds.
Designers debunk the myth that this is essentially a summer print. In fact, polka dots are trending and online searches for the print have increased by 120 per cent (source: Lyst). Mehta suggests warming up the dots by wearing it on sweaters or darker-coloured fabric as a base. Use a polka-dot scarf, hair band or a pair of socks for a chic look.
DOTS THE WAY
Historically speaking, polka dots maybe iconic now, but its rise has been a bit chequered. In medieval Europe, the dots on clothing were seen as a symbol of bubonic plague. It was only in the mid-19th century, when polka dancing was having a moment in central Europe, that the pattern garnered a cult following. In 1926 when Miss America Norma Smallwood wore it on a swimsuit, it started to trend. Then, Disney adopted it as the go-to print for Minnie Mouse.
From Dior giving it high fashion cred in 1954 to the 1960 hit “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” and Pretty Woman Julia Roberts’ brown silk polka-dot dress – the dots all aligned for this print to become iconic. In an article in The Independent, Laura Yiannakou of global trends forecasting company WGSN said: “The polka dot print is not aligned with any particular period in history, unlike the current trend surge in tie-dye in the youth market... Polka dots are era-neutral, whereas many women are not fans of tie-dye because it reminds them of the time they experimented with it the first time round, in the 1960s and 1970s.”
Designer Pooja Shroff says, “The ease with which you can style this very retro pattern and incorporate it on to literally any silhouette makes it every designer’s favourite. There is so much you can do. For instance, dots of different sizes printed onto a sweatshirt is just the touch needed to take the outfit up a notch. Shroff adds, “There is no other pattern that has stood the test of time like polka dots.” Agrees Nanki Papneja, founder of a fashion brand, and counts the vintage all-over black and white print as her personal favourite. “Big and small polka dots look dramatic and do well for all body types. These can be easily styled in different forms of silhouettes from romantic dresses, powerful pantsuits, playful jumpsuits, and even elegant sarees,” she notes.
ON THE DOT
Designer Rhea Pillai Rastogi hails the versatility of this print that can be styled up or down. “I personally love irregular dots that are not absolutely symmetrical, as it has a hand-painted feel to it. I personally love my cowl neck asymmetrical polka-dot slip dress, which I designed and hand stitched. It is one of my favourite dresses to wear – any given day,” she says. For winter, she suggests, dots in duchess satin, a flowy skirt with a leather jacket and knee-high boots or a wrap dress with lego mutton sleeves and a trench coat thrown over.
Mehta says that her current favourite trend is bold and broken dots, especially the multi-coloured dots that are trending. Like stripes, polka dots will always be a part of your wardrobe in some way or the other, and we can sign on that – on a dotted line.

TRY THE DOTS
1. Get a polka print in varying sizes from mini dots to large sized ones
2. Go for a top-to-bottom polka dots and mix and match the size of the dots, but in one colour
3. A co-ord set in polka-dot print works well, so does a jumpsuit
4. Wear a cute wraparound polka-dotted dress with a blazer
5. For winter, pick dots in darker base colours like black, burgundy, navy blue
6. Go for large broken and bold dots
7. Try dots in velvets, silks and jacquard fabric
8. Try patched-on polka dots or embroidered ones
9. Pair dots with prints like florals and stripes
10. Accessorise a basic outfit with a polka-dotted scarf, socks or mittens