An apology to polka dots...

A while ago, perhaps back mid-fall, I told my best friend (and fellow Chloe Chic blogger), Maureen, how much I hated polka dots.

I remember seeing women’s tops and dresses with polka dot patterns in fashion-forward stores like H&M and Forever 21 and thinking to myself; I just don’t get it. To me, polka dots seemed childish, silly, and often gaudy. I did not deem them as sophisticated or pretty. I labeled the pattern as these things for most of the fall and winter…until the very end of December.

I was in a small boutique, Mint Julep, in the East Village (NYC), and I fell in love with a chiffon blouse. It was a gorgeous and unusual colour—blush/nude—and the cut was to die for—deep v, scalloped neck line, and ¾ length sleeves that had a bow detail.

It also had medium-sized black polka dots all over it.

You can imagine my surprise—suddenly prior and established feelings of hate for polka dots were mixing with an utter adoration for this exquisite blouse! I tried it on, just to see, and fell even more in love. Suddenly, the polka dots were sophisticated, in a sweet kind of way. Without the dots, the plunging neckline and the see through chiffon material of the blouse may have been too risqué, but the medium dots softened it and gave it a refreshing innocence. Needless to say, I purchased my first polka dotted item of clothing that day and found a new appreciation for the pattern!!

                                                     My top from Mint Julep (by Darling)

Since then, I have purchased a short (above the knee) grey/purple/periwinkle skirt that has small “multi-coloured” polka dots on it (yellow and white dots) as well as a cream chiffon tank (and matching twist scarf/hair scarf) with very tiny black polka dots (all of these items from American Apparel, which now has an assortment of polka dotted pieces!)

                             Polka dotted chiffon tank top and twist hair scarf from American Apparel

Oh, and I almost forgot—I bought a black dress from H&M that has tiny black polka dots…can you say polka dot overload?

The thing is, I’m still not into the big dots. And I’m very picky about the colour contrast involving the background and the colour of the dots. It just has to look ‘right’ in my mind. I think I prefer simple dots and definitely pieces that can be dressed up so that I won’t look childish…or silly.

So polka dots are back “in” and I have finally embraced them. But polka dots were previously popular in the 1950’s, making them wonderfully vintage. Here are some fun vintage polka dotted styles: 

    1950s style dresses

                                                               1950s style bathing suit

              1954, New York, movie star Tippi Hedren models a polka dot dress by Jacques Fath

                                                  -Image by © Genevieve Naylor/CORBIS  

Polka dots have certainly made their comeback this year. Both Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney included polka dotted pieces in their runway collections for 2012.

                                    2012 London Fashion Week, Stella McCartney’s collection

                                                  -Image by BETTERTHANSTYLE.COM

I think what's really great about my new found appreciation for the pattern is that I learned something too. When it comes to fashion and trends, you have to be open minded. I was quick to judge polka dots and snub them, only to then find the style of polka dots that suited me. Quiet often, fashion styles can be rather abstract or quirky but then again, so can art and in my opinion, fashion is a form of art. Some of Alexander McQueen's designs were initially preceived as off putting and many people did not appreciate his art. Others claimed him as a creative genuis. Same goes for Spanish artist, Salvador Dali. He was renowned for his paintings in the genre of Surrealism, but many people did not understand or want to understand his work. It's perfectly fine not to agree with someone's ideas, but it is important to keep an open mind to new and different approaches, and this can certainly be applied to fashion. 

So, in the end; I'm sorry, polka dots. Please forgive me?!

Nicola