It might not have reached the viral heights of the £40 spotty Zara dress that stole the summer of 2019, but a chocolate brown maxidress 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 – resulting in a lengthy waiting list for it to be restocked.
Over at Mango a navy midi dress with tiny dots reminiscent of a Roy Lichtenstein painting has also sold out, while a spotted co-ord is one of the fastest-selling pieces on the online retailer Asos.
It is part of what seems to be a power-sharing agreement between polka dots and those other summer perennials, florals and stripe. Spots are back in power for summer 2024.
Varying from the size of mustard seeds to pound coins, they are on everything from bucket hats to bikinis and ballet pumps. And everywhere, from Centre Court to the red carpet and bus stop.
At the recent Wimbledon championships, the stands were peppered with spectators in polka dots. The Barbie actor Margot Robbie watched the men’s singles semi-finals in a black and white spotted dress from Alaïa, while SW19 stalwart Sienna Miller wore a dotted two-piece from Prada. For the New York premiere of Kinds of Kindness in June, Emma Stone put a gothic spin on the trend, choosing a sheer speckled black fishnet dress from Louis Vuitton, while in March, Jennifer Lawrence wore a black and white strapless polka gown from Dior to the Oscars.