Polka Dots are having a moment for Spring/Summer 2019.  As they tend to have every Spring/Summer.  In fact, polka dots are one of the most enduring prints in fashion, making themselves simultaneously ultra-trendy and classically timeless.   The following is a supreme compilation of the proper ways to wear this tenacious pattern, and the egregious sins that are best avoided.    

DO  

Mix Your Prints

Whether you’re feeling dynamic stripes or delicate floral, we guarantee that your polka dots will cooperate.   The key is to pair big prints with smaller prints, so you might couple thick stripes and tiny polka dots or vice versa.  Remember to keep it to no more than two different prints, ideally in the same colour story; otherwise you will end up confusing the commoners.   Mixing patterns is bold, fresh, eye-catching, and the perfect way to revitalize your polka dots. 

   

Find a Staple

It is essential that you retain a staple garment in a polka dot print, because history shows us that the dots will always rise again.  If you are hopeless when it comes to style but long to be runway-relevant, then break out your polka dot piece for the spring.  You’ll look perfectly on trend, and the unobservant passerby will be none the wiser.   A timeless choice is the black and white polka dot blouse. 

 

Push Yourself

If you are looking to ingratiate polka dots into your wardrobe, you can start with small additions to your everyday wear.  This can help ease you through the transitional period, though as Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once wrote: “Well-behaved women seldom make history.”   DISCLAIMER: This is not permission to disregard the principles of this article.  However, we do encourage you to be experimental, to be willing to try new things and devise your own sense of how to wear this everlasting print.          

DON’T  

Overdo It

Though contrasting suit and shirt patterns may have been stylish in Mary Poppins Returns, you are unfortunately not sweet or endearing enough to pull off the same look.     If you wish to layer your polka dots (as you should), then we will guide you through the process so as to avoid a dotty disaster.    

·     STEP ONE You can have no more than THREE polka dot items. Not four, not five, but THREE maximum.    

·     STEP TWO Choose a consistent colour theme to carry your dots through.  If you are feeling nautical, use white and navy polka dots to tell the story.  This way you don’t have to claim that you’ve just left your father’s yacht, as they will just assume.      

·     STEP THREE Your dots should be diversified across the entire outfit, instead of concentrated in one area.  Don’t blind the innocent onlooker, you are not a Yayoi Kusama art piece. The best tactic is to use shoes, handbags, scarves, and other accessories to keep it more dynamic.    

Live Your Minnie Mouse Fantasy

Unless you are attending Dapper Day at Disneyland, a Minnie Mouse inspired look is questionable for an adult woman to be wearing on the street.  If you like your dots big, then keep them classy.  A voluminous white circle skirt with grand black polka dots is liable to remind people of the aforementioned mouse at best, or the puppy-slaughtering Cruella de Vil at worst.  Either way, you are neither a giant mouse nor an insane Glenn Close, so keep big dots to a controlled minimum. 

 

Make Bad Choices

When it comes down to it, even the most lavish and expensive-looking pattern can be rendered tawdry and cheap if it is on the wrong material. A velvet polka dot could look luxurious and elevated, or it might look like the couch in your grandmother’s living room that you aren’t allowed to sit on. A heavier fabric like velvet can help to anchor the polka dot, however, and rein the pattern in to a more elegant place.  On the other end, a basic cotton garment will give your polka dots that fun and flirty spring aesthetic, and a silk will lend a more sultry note to the overall piece.     

So whether you’re dressing for Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Spring 2017, or literally any other spring season, we have secured you a spot in the street-style hall of fame with these few easy tips.  Trust in the knowledge of vintage style bloggers like Yesterday Girl and Diary of a Vintage Girl to guide you on your journey to the past. Keep it cute, keep it current, and keep it cutting-edge.

Eloquently Yours,

Posh Paprika