This year, fashion has pointed it out

«There is no ideal moment for polka dots»: words from Marc Jacobs, who, as mischievous as ever, chose this timeless pop pattern for his latest women's collection, drawing inspiration from the world of comics and Walt Disney cartoons, from Minnie onward, with the result of launching it everywhere as a real trend. Playful, romantic, and far from anonymous, starting in Summer 2024, polka dots have returned to flood dresses, accessories, and even tights, both on the runway and red carpets, setting the fashion agenda for the coming year. In this overdose of polka dots, the TikTok trend "Sophia Loren Summer", launched by influencer Sarah Jordan Arcuri and recently so popular, certainly played a key role. Beloved by Yves Saint Laurent, Emanuel Ungaro, Comme des Garçons, Gianfranco Ferré, and Gianni Versace, these iconic motifs full of charm mark a revival that is both vibrant and reassuring. The vitality of this graphic theme in collections and on celebrity looks confirms the unpredictable character of this pattern, which recalls the perfection of the circular idea as well as the coquettish mantle of ladybugs. When Cate Blanchett materialized at the end of summer in Venice wearing a bold black pantsuit with oversized white polka dots by Moschino, it became clear how fabric pointillism is allergic to banality. Giorgio Armani also realized this, being a long-time champion of cloistered minimalism, when during his 1975 debut show in Milan, he decided to paint oversized polka dots on his fabrics himself with a marker, giving a hippie flavor to his early designs in homage to the counterculture.

Yves Saint Laurent, SS 1981

Yves Saint Laurent, 1990

Yves Saint Laurent, Spring 1990

Yves Saint Laurent, SS 1981

Comme des Garçons, SS 1998

Emanuel Ungaro, SS 1985 RTW

Emanuel Ungaro, Spring 1988 Couture

Emanuel Ungaro, Spring 1988 Couture

Dior Couture by Gianfranco Ferré, FW 1990

Dior Couture by Gianfranco Ferré, FW 1990

Dior Couture by Gianfranco Ferré, FW 1990

More recently, Hollywood divas have thrown sharp support behind polka dots. Instead of opting for the ostentatious opulence of embroidery or sculptural draping, at the last Oscars, Jennifer Lawrence chose a long polka-dot dress by Dior Couture, designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri: discreet yet precious, it required 1,500 hours of work, transforming the actress into a kind of regal swan. Unsurprisingly, Lady Diana often wore the same pattern, as Kate Middleton today. The British princess was echoed by Monica Bellucci, who embraced polka-dot mania at a recent Venice photocall in her tailored dress by Dolce&Gabbana. Not to mention the midi skirt of pop star Levante or Lady Gaga, who, to present her latest film Joker - Folie à deux in Venice, wore a playful cocktail minidress adorned with pure white dots on a black background. And in Rome, during last autumn's film festivals, several actresses, following the lead of Alba Rohrwacher, sported polka-dot jackets blessed by Alessandro Michele, who, for Valentino's Summer 2025 collection, designed the liveliest jacket ever (dotted with pointed polka dots and closed with a gallant bow tie). Even Belen Rodriguez, usually devoted to a more aggressive image, softened her look, showing how easy it is to glamourize polka dots, so beloved in the past by a very demure Audrey Hepburn, transforming them into something sensual with a simple halter-neck dress, decidedly bratty.

Besides being the preferred look of Marilyn Monroe and pin-up girls, small ‘black dots’ also adorn the dresses of voluptuous flamenco dancers, imposing a lush Latin folk version of the pattern in the collective imagination. Refined yet surprising for its versatility, the polka-dot pattern emerged in the early 20th century alongside the polka dance—a popular Bohemian couple's dance, which led to the English term polka dots. Today, it has taken on new connotations, with irregular forms shaping unexpected, modern volumes free of cloying sweetness. For instance, one of the most clicked-on looks from Vivetta's latest runway featured gigantic spotted patterns coupled with a profusion of feathers, reminiscent of a playful short dress from Federico Forquet in the 1960s, during the optical euphoria and love of graphic diversions.

Valentino, SS25

Valentino, SS25

Valentino, SS25

Carolina Herrera, SS25

Carolina Herrera, SS25

Carolina Herrera, SS25

Acne Studios, SS25

Acne Studios, SS25

Acne Studios, SS25

Marc Jacobs, FW24 RTW

Marc Jacobs, FW24 RTW

Marc Jacobs, FW24 RTW

Moschino, SS25

Moschino, SS25

Moschino, SS25

Balmain, SS24

Balmain, SS24

Balmain, SS24

For Summer 2025, as an antidote to the minimalism of previous seasons, Carolina Herrera, Valentino, Balmain, Moschino, and Acne Studios brought hypnotic virtuosity to the cheerful dots that, in certain sci-fi-inspired dresses by Prada, became dazzling decorative details. Thus, rather than embodying a resilient bourgeois trend reminiscent of prim 1950s housewives, circles, spots, and polka dots represent a subtly subversive factor, as evidenced by their popularity in contemporary art. Following in the footsteps of avant-garde movements, they reveal new semantic values. Already in the 1920s, during the Jazz Age, Sonia Delaunay's ‘simultaneous dresses’ displayed a frenzy of stylized circles as poetic geometries complementing Orphic Cubism. Polka dots later appeared in the works of Roy Lichtenstein and recent projects by Damien Hirst, ultimately conquering the vision of Yayoi Kusama. Known since the 1960s as the "queen of polka dots," the Japanese artist has obsessively explored circular patterns as a metaphor for infinity. Her surreal and therapeutic compositions often rest on giant pumpkins, making her a self-described «dot lost in a universe of dots». Kusama has turned polka dots into a symbol of freedom and love, challenging the expressive boundaries of contemporary artistic research with creations of high visual impact.