If someone told me at the beginning of this year that polka dots would be thee trending print, I would have winced. Images would have come to mind of early aughts looks I’m fine leaving behind and hyper-feminine clothes I hated wearing as a young girl (but was sometimes forced to sport). Yet, polka dots have in fact become the trending print of 2025, and they feel, to my surprise at least, both nostalgic and fresh.
Without question, they’ve been everywhere in fashion this year, from runways like Sandy Liang and Carolina Herrera to a rolodex of celebrities. Hailey Bieber made it her personal mission to be an ambassador for the spotty pattern this season when she stepped out in white-black capris starring the print. Colman Domingo, amid his summer of fantastic fits, rocked them in his Valentino get-up at the Met Gala in May. Leading ladies like Julia Garner, Scarlett Johansson, and Simone Ashley also co-signed the look, each with their own spin. Why has this all worked? Today’s polka dot renaissance seems to break away from the rigid traditions of past decades, when the pattern trended most feverishly.
The storied print, which first gained popularity in fashion in the 1920s, has never truly faded or gone out of style, but it may have had its biggest heyday in the 1950s, popularized by the Americana look of the decade and actors like Marilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball. At each point, polka dots were associated with femininity in often modest silhouettes. What’s made the look feel interesting this year is how it’s moved into new territories. Rihanna championed a new look when she wore white dots on a blue necktie, draping over a sheer bra paired with a tailored jacket. The same is true for Olivia Rodrigo, who wore hers on micro shorts, styled with moto boots and a snug tank top. Designers are even having more fun, like Bernadette, whose fall 2025 column dress features a dotty pattern that morphs into raindrops down the gown. Today’s polka dots are truly, as Vogue put it, more “subverted.”
There’s no shame in channeling that 2000s Betsey Johnson vibe or taking notes from Princess Diana’s archive of looks, but to wear polka dots in a way that feels cool right now, it’s all about bold pieces and bold styling. Taking inspiration from Copenhagen Fashion Week street style, try layering them underneath a different print or layering a fitted and dotty piece over a looser button-up shirt. They also work well on classic blouses paired with trending pant silhouettes, like balloon shapes and barrel jeans. If you’re a little anxious to go all-in, experiment with donning spots on an accessory with an otherwise neutral outfit. For bonus points, go beyond the typical black-white or blue-white pairing and find polka dots in a less common color combo.
Looking at the bigger picture, it sort of makes sense that this year became the one when polka dots ruled. Through fashion, we are often reaching for newness, whether this manifests loudly or as a subtle sartorial rebellion. Polka dots are, in essence, the geometric antithesis to recent trending prints. Their stillness feels like a polar contrast to the dynamism of animal prints, like cheetah and tiger stripes (highly popularized in the past years’ mob wife trend). Their circular shape is far from the stacks of stripes that have been reigning on rugby shirts and baby tees. Yet, today’s spots still carry the spirit and spunk of fashions concerned with play and less about norms than they have been before. They’ve made a reformed polka dot hater out of me, and I have no doubt they’ll continue to get even more fun.
