‘Symbol of energy’: Polka dots hit fashion’s sweet spot this summer

It might not have reached the viral heights of the £40 spotty Zara dress that stole the summer of 2019, but a chocolate brown maxidress from Marks & Spencer, covered in neat white polka dots the size of garden peas and similar to the one Julia Roberts wore as Vivian in Pretty Woman, has sold out – resulting in a lengthy waiting list for it to be restocked.

Over at Mango a navy midi dress with tiny dots reminiscent of a Roy Lichtenstein painting has also sold out, while a spotted co-ord is one of the fastest-selling pieces on the online retailer Asos.

It is part of what seems to be a power-sharing agreement between polka dots and those other summer perennials, florals and stripe. Spots are back in power for summer 2024.

Varying from the size of mustard seeds to pound coins, they are on everything from bucket hats to bikinis and ballet pumps. And everywhere, from Centre Court to the red carpet and bus stop.

At the recent Wimbledon championships, the stands were peppered with spectators in polka dots. The Barbie actor Margot Robbie watched the men’s singles semi-finals in a black and white spotted dress from Alaïa, while SW19 stalwart Sienna Miller wore a dotted two-piece from Prada. For the New York premiere of Kinds of Kindness in June, Emma Stone put a gothic spin on the trend, choosing a sheer speckled black fishnet dress from Louis Vuitton, while in March, Jennifer Lawrence wore a black and white strapless polka gown from Dior to the Oscars.

Over the past three weeks there has been a 151.8% increase in searches for polka dots on TikTok. But the mood is not restricted to fashion. Visitors to Kensington Gardens in west London cannot fail to spot Yayoi Kusama’s newly installed six-metre tall yellow pumpkin covered in the Japanese artist’s signature hallucination-inspired spots.

“Polka dots have an enduring charm that sets them apart from other prints like florals and stripes,” said Orlagh McCloskey, the co-founder and creative director of Rixo.

The British womenswear brand’s vintage-inspired dresses featuring hand-painted prints have become catnip for customers looking for standout occasion-wear, and this year it is polka dots that are adding pep. Its Meg dress, featuring black and white spots fused with leopard print, has become one of Rixo’s bestselling pieces of all time. “Though not traditionally neutral, polka dots have a simplicity that allows them to blend seamlessly with bolder prints like leopard,” McCloskey said.

The print has not always been in favour. During medieval times, dotted fabrics were shunned because of their ominous connotations with diseases such as smallpox. It was during the 20th century that they became popular, with everyone from Minnie Mouse to Marilyn Monroe joining the dots.

“A polka dot has the form of the sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our living life, and also the form of the moon, which is calm,” wrote Kusama in her 2005 book Manhattan Suicide Addict. “Round, soft, colourful, senseless and unknowing … polka dots become movement. Polka dots are a way to infinity.”

It is this sense of optimism that seems to be capturing the zeitgeist – and it is a mood that has won favour during other turbulent periods. After the financial crash of 2008, designers including Valentino and Marc Jacobs sent polka dots down the catwalk, while during the 2020 pandemic Celine and Balenciaga followed suit. In the Celine show notes, its creative director, Hedi Slimane, said he wanted to “show, through the youth [and] optimism, the hope [in] this uncertain time”.

This year, catwalks from Balmain to Maison Margiela and Stella McCartney have been awash with the comforting pattern. It is a motif that Joe Biden seems to be relying on for reassurance, too – a blue and white polka dot tie is his signature.