Symbol of energy: polka dots are in fashion this summer | Fashion

IIt may not have reached the viral heights of the 40-point Zara polka dot dress that stole summer 2019, but a chocolate brown maxi dress 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, leading to a long waiting list for it to be restocked.

At Mango, a navy polka-dot midi dress reminiscent of a Roy Lichtenstein painting is also sold out, while a polka-dot set is one of the best-selling pieces on online retailer Asos.

It's part of what appears to be a power-sharing deal between peas and other summer perennials, flowers, and stripes. Peas are back in power for summer 2024.

From the size of a mustard seed to that of a coin, they are everywhere, from bucket hats to bikinis to ballet flats. And everywhere, from Centre Court to the red carpet to the bus stop.

At the recent Wimbledon tournament, the stands were packed with spectators in polka dots. Barbie actress Margot Robbie watched the men’s singles semifinals in a black and white polka dot dress by Alaa, while Southwestern star Sienna Miller wore a polka dot two-piece by Prada. For the New York premiere of Kindness in June, Emma Stone gave the trend a gothic twist with a sheer black speckled mesh dress by Louis Vuitton, while in March, Jennifer Lawrence wore a black and white polka dot strapless gown by Dior to the Oscars.

Over the past three weeks, searches for polka dots have increased by 151.8% on TikTok. But the mood isn’t limited to fashion. Visitors to Kensington Gardens in west London can’t miss Yayoi Kusama’s recently installed six-metre-tall yellow pumpkin, covered in spots inspired by the Japanese artist’s hallucinations.

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

Vintage-inspired dresses from British womenswear labels, adorned with hand-painted prints, have become catnip for shoppers looking for standout formalwear, and this year, it’s polka dots that are adding the zing. Her Meg dress, adorned with black and white polka dots fused with leopard print, has become one of Rixos’s best-selling pieces of all time. While not traditionally a neutral, polka dots have a simplicity that allows them to blend seamlessly with bolder prints like leopard, McCloskey said.

Print wasn’t always popular. In the Middle Ages, polka dot fabrics were shunned because of their ominous connotations linked to diseases such as smallpox. It was during the 20th century that they became popular, with everyone from Minnie Mouse to Marilyn Monroe pairing them with polka dot patterns.

A pea is shaped like the sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our life, and also like the moon, which is calm, Kusama wrote in her 2005 book Manhattan Suicide Addict. Round, soft, colorful, senseless, unconscious peas become movement. Peas are a path to infinity.

It’s this sense of optimism that seems to capture the zeitgeist, and it’s a mood that has gained traction during other turbulent times. After the 2008 financial crisis, designers like Valentino and Marc Jacobs brought polka dots to the runways, while during the 2020 pandemic, Celine and Balenciaga followed suit. In Celine’s show notes, its creative director, Hedi Slimane, said he wanted to show, through youth, [and] optimism, hope [in] this uncertain period.

This year, the shows at Balmain, Maison Margiela and Stella McCartney were awash in the comforting pattern. It’s a pattern that Joe Biden seems to rely on for reassurance, with the blue and white polka dot tie being his signature.