Polka Dots are for Everyone

The BEST fall trend, if you can even call them that.

An old Comme des Garçons polka dot dress that brings joy to every outing. Paired with a silk blazer and driving Mocs. These are The Row. But these are also fantastic.

I once had a boss who came at me for suggesting a story on polka dots. I don’t have PTSD about it anymore, but I will never forget it. (We are talking like 15 years ago.) She told me no one over five years old would or should wear polka dots….it gets worse but I’ll spare you.

I was young and inexperienced and didn’t have the fashion vocabulary to fight back, but luckily for you, I DO NOW! It would be hard to find a more universally fantastic print than polka dots. A print that could and can communicate so many identities. Playfulness, femininity (see Miu Miu), rebellion (see Comme des Garçons!), power (see Saint Laurent), mod, retro, balance. You name it, polka dots can pretty much always swoop in and give a look some depth.

Have I sold you on this lime green Tory cardigan yet? It’s on sale. Manolo Blahnik ballerinas. Whoever asked last week, I like the Margaux ones too! Haven’t had a minute to get to the comments with return to fall!

BUT, not all polka dots are created equal. A sophisticated polka dot gives off a sense of control. A messy polka dot (as I call them) can veer into chaos.

Basically, the polka dots of 2023 are small, evenly spaced and create a pattern - either grid-like, or spaced every/other. You’ll notice it now. Polka dots that appear to be slapped on at random or are clownishly large (with a few VERY EXPENSIVE exceptions) are distracting! They don’t let you, the person, lead, but walk into the room before you. A small polka dot on the other hand could be swapped out with your navy and white stripes relatively seamlessly.

Welcome back to layering season! Our tried and true AG Jeans layering t-shirt underneath, which after many years is gone from the website! NOOOO! This AGoldE one looks like it might be our replacement. A Madewell cashmere sweater around the waist. Gucci loafers on my feet. Sidney Garber pearls in my ears. These are also a great option.

Getting there…

Tip for creating Miu Miu FW23’s messy hair: Get a toddler back on a Sept. schedule, don’t have time to wash your hair, sleep in a ponytail, get dressed in a tizzy with three seconds left until you need to leave the house. It’s that simple! :) Paired here with an old (and I mean OLD) Donna Karan bag that I’m pretty sure was never produced but just made for a show because I once found a huge box of them in their archive closet when pulling for a Glamour cover shoot (maybe in 2012?) and I begged to take one home. She’s been by my side ever since. She’s cute! So is she.

In fact, it’s kind of hard to even call polka dots a trend at all. They’re a print that you can feel confident you won’t be sick of in a year. And even if you are, you’ll definitely like them again in a few more.

Shot this on the 97 degree day with 200% humidity this week. Cute for a cocktail party after it’s time to store those summer florals but it’s still sweltering. No?

I just liked this little belted photo, so including it. Its a belt from an old Oscar de la Renta dress in the back of my closet. Wear the dress maybe once every other year. Wear the belt all the time. Just a note in wearing your stuff in more ways. What in your closet can you take the belt from??

Works with our black jackets/gold buttons. This one is vintage Sonia Rykiel, but this Proenza one is the best long line alternate I’ve found.

We are all gaga over Miu Miu’s FW23 collection, naturally. The below pull out from the Vogue.com review of the collection discusses the balance between youth and well-worn elegance. To me, this is front and center, specifically in the polka dotted looks.

“Elegance isn’t as easy as subscribing to a trend. Dressing and acting elegantly are inevitably something that comes with age, and try as they may, thankfully the younger generation whose mindset Miu Miu reflects and affects are still living life their own way. Prada wrapped that infectious sentiment of youth into a Miu Miu collection that read like a shopping list for the fall 2023 wardrobe.”

It’s a print that reminds many of their youth (see: Rei Kawakubo. or friend of 5 Things Rya B.) but it takes a certain level of design knowhow to turn the silly little spots into sheer ELEGANCE! To make them feel fresh, but 100% grown up at the same time.

There are lots of places to find these petite points. Below, I’ll show you where (and how) to look for them. Broken down into five general categories but really just a bunch of great spots that you can throw on whenever you have to leave the house.

Miu Miu Fall 2023 Show

Comme des Garçons is a natural search term you should start with. There are second-hand deals to be had all over the place. There are pages on The RealReal and eBay.

There is a smattering of Miu Miu dots that are new this season across the internet and some Saint Laurent power dots in a slew of separates. But there are also Mango dots and Zara dots! And men’s dots and dotted scarves. Silky dots and sheer dots. ETC. ETC. ETC. The dots below all have a few things in common. Their smaller size. Their neutral palette. And, the fact that I’d wear any of them. :)

Saint Laurent Spring 2023 Show. Proof that dots are seasonless!!!

TOPS

The easiest way to add dots into the rotation: the silk blouse. But it needn’t be basic! This Bode shirt with tie closures is so delicious. A little sexy as a blouse but undone over a white ribbed tank makes it so good for any time of day. The Saint Laurent shirt at right is the most perfect iteration of a silk dot blouse. The dots are so small you almost wouldn’t see them from afar. This shirt will morph with the context: barely buttoned with skinny jeans for girls night. With a trumpet skirt for an important meeting. with jeans and a sweater with the little collar peeking out for new parent coffee. :)

Left: Zara shirt, not bad!!!! Middle: CDG on TRR. Right: Louis Vuitton. Gouge your eyes out expensive but I mean, just look at it. So beautiful. The layers, the little cuffs, the pleats, the featherweight fabric. Part of today is going to be a study in what expensive polka dots deliver. So you know what to look for on your own! *Also, I did find it for half off at TRR in the opposite combo (white on black.)

SKIRTS: aka my favorite category of dots

Imgine this with a white cotton poplin shirt tucked in, sleeves rolled up, a great little slingback or maybe a gold strappy heeled sandal? How elegant! Or maybe you just want to throw it on with a white tshirt and black ballerina flats and run out the door. Or with a double breasted blazer (unbuttoned of course) with the pleats softly swooshing out of the bottom as you walk. What. A. DREAM.

Two navy numbers I would happily wear. Left: Reformation. Right: Lauren RL (on sale!)

Miu Miu’s saucy pencil. Which I’m seriously eyeing but waiting until I get to Paris at the end of the month (gotta get that VAT!) It’s also available in navy which is probably a more responsible choice but I am really into this one.

And I’ll rarely include a knock off, but this Mango skirt with built-in undies is pretty cute! Can’t speak for the fabric of course. But if you wore a long sweater or button down over it that covers the bum, it might be a seasonal hero, for a hundred bucks. See… how to wear sheer.

DRESSES

Left: My ACTUAL Alaia dream dress. I kind of can’t believe I’m even telling you! Middle: Molly Goddard, for those who lean into volume, how cute is this? With tights and a boot come winter. Or a loafer right now. Right: Me+Em. This dress is so pretty, but if you are taller than 5’5” I’d probably treat it more like a tunic. Cute with long biker shorts under it, or jeans, or our black work pants and a belt?

Left: Miu Miu. Right two CDG TRR finds.

PANTS

TBH, not a ton of variety in this category, but these looked so easy to wear I decided to keep the category. Left: Zara. If you look at the site, they aren’t as sheer as this picture is leading us to believe. They kind of just look like a fun weekend throw on with a tshirt and Birkenstocks, instead of jeans? Right: Maryam Nassir Zadeh TRR find. Life of the party!!

SCARVES (well really, just one awesome scarf)

Begg & Co lightweight scarf. Steep. But it looks basically perfect in every way? Starting that holiday list early I guess.

And there you have it. Many more than five this week (we will go back to a tight edit next week, don’t worry) but I think you get the idea now. Happy shopping!

Yours TRULY,

Becky

Goodbye!

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