How This HBZ Editor Is Wearing Polka Dots This Fall

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Somewhere between my year in London and having to smartly invest in a wardrobe that I could simultaneously work, schmooze, and commute across the city in, my approach to dressing became fairly minimalist. There’s the occasional cherry red sweater, laced moto boot, or handbag stacked with charms, but for the most part, my outfits consist of solid colors, with a focus on mixing textures and some variation of black footwear.

Which is efficient but can occasionally feel in desperate need of something more. The issue with adding something more is that you (by which I mean I) run the risk of periodically cycling through the flurry of in-and-out trends only to find those “key” pieces winding up in the donation bin next season.

But when I saw tiny dotted patterns starting to show up across womenswear, this trend felt different from the others—familiar, like running into an old friend just when you need them. “All patterns in fashion are cyclical; however, the polka dot never seems to be truly ‘out of fashion’—it just tends to pop in at different times,” says Kelly Sparks, co-designer and creative director at Noname.

We can trace polka dots’ reemergence through the runway shows of recent seasons. For Fall/Winter 2024, Batsheva sent models down the runway in dotted, floor-length sheaths, while Tory Burch’s models sported a variation of speckled and ruched minidresses.

Looking further back, Marni’s Fall/Winter 2023 collection paired bold, primary colors with dots big and small. “This collection was covered in Kusama-esque reverberating dots of all different scales in the utmost graphic of degrees,” says Sparks. “It was a plethora of polka dots, and if you were lucky enough to see it in person at the Milan retail location, it spoke volumes of how the polka dot trend was just starting to emerge.”

There’s something extremely pleasing about seeing neat diagonal rows of dots in sharp, contrasting colors. A contained frenetic energy. Maybe that’s why we all suddenly seem to be drawn to them. “Polka dots are for true characters and ooze self-expression,” says Sparks. “In this current political and social climate, people are seeking self expression—not to mention levity—wherever they can, so it seems appropriate that the in-your-face, no-holds-barred polka dot is making a comeback.”

Over the next few weeks, I started adding the print back into my outfits. I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to find pieces that complemented the dots, but as it turns out, that wasn’t difficult at all. Polka dots are a fairly neutral print. More importantly, I felt a familiar buzz. I was getting excited about dressing up again.

The Dress

Marina Moscone’s convertible house dress was love at first sight. The fabric-blocked slip features rows of tiny white dots which, when you look closely, reveal themselves as daisies, a fun riff on florals. Perhaps the easiest way to style the trend is slipping on a dress—that’s 90 percent of the work done right there. Because this dress was the statement piece, I paired it with a pair of black knee-high leather boots and a brown leather tote bag, and let the dress do the talking.

Convertible Satin Twill House Dress

The Tote

Nella Boot

Chris Choker

The Sweater

“If you want to incorporate polka dots into your office attire, try toning them down by pairing them with black classic pieces,” suggests Sparks. “A bold polka dot sweater paired with a black pencil skirt or a sharp black cigarette trouser will give you an on-trend look, while the classic black balances out the frivolity of the dots.” And that’s exactly what I did. I slipped a cropped dotted sweater over my button-down and flared pants and felt chic—not in a way that can easily fall flat, but fun. For an evening look, I’d switch from the boots to a low slingback.

Dotty Mini Cardigan

Organic Cotton Perfect Shirt

Wool Flare Leg Pants

Carine Slingback Pumps

The Skirt

What goes well with dots? More dots. “Dots tend to be one of either black or white, which gives them a grounding effect that allows you to experiment with different scales together and different colorways,” says Sparks. Aritzia’s twirl skirt is a two-for-one, with hollow circles separated by filled-in dots, which I found paired best with a sleeveless turtleneck (warm brown looks especially nice next to black and white) and a leather boot. During my commute, I layered an oversize bomber jacket on top, the boxy silhouette lending a sweet toughness to the softness of the skirt.

Twirl Pleated Skirt

Sleeveless Turtleneck

Meg Knee Boot

Claudia Bomber

Shop more polka dot pieces below

Jersey Sleeveless Top

Skirt

Bianka Slingback Pumps

Open-back Mini Dress

Dot Tight

Silk Georgette Scarf

Mikey Micro Dot Satin Top

Ruched High-Low Midi Dress

Dot Tight

Silk Georgette Scarf

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