I Usually Hate Dresses - But This Popular High Street Style Changed My Mind
When I think of my spring/summer wardrobe, I think of buttery pastels, muted florals and heaps of linen - but this year, I've had to rethink my wardrobe because of one trend in particular. Now, I'm not suggesting you start listing all your existing clothes on Vinted, instead, consider making space for polka dots. As you've probably seen by now, the perennial dotted print is elbowing out ditsy florals and neutral linens, and this year polka dots have made a departure from the classic styles we saw on the likes of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman , to become more grown-up, in a new palette of colours and dots of all shapes and sizes - backed by designers like Valentino, Jacquemus and Carolina Herrera.
If I had to single out one high street style that's managed to convinced me to swap my beloved florals for something more 2025, it would be the Puff-Sleeve Mini Dress from & Other Stories. Equal parts coquettish and cool, the latest polka dot phenomenon is cut to a mini length, with a subtly cinched waist and voluminous puff sleeves. Its monochrome colourway - a black base finished with small white polka dots - provides an interesting contrast that can most definitely hold itself among a more eclectic wardrobe, but also retains some of that old-school Hollywood glamour you'd expect in a polka dot number.
©Instagram/@hellovalentine
Puff-Sleeve Mini Dress
& Other Stories' Puff Sleeve Mini Dress is one you can take on holiday, and then wear to a wedding, garden party, Christening - or pretty much any other social date you have in your calendar. With an open back that's gloriously chic and voluminous puff sleeves, I expect this dress will be one to sell out.
Styling the mini dress is delightfully simple, particularly if you have your favourite pair of chunky sandals in tow. For a look fit for cafe-hopping in (insert European city of your choice), pair the polka dot mini dress with tan sandals and a Dragon Diffusion bag. Alternatively for the evening, swap out the flat sandals for strappy kitten heels or platform sandals and the tote for something smaller. If, it gets towards the end of summer you find it's a little cold to wear a mini dress, you can always layer a sheer turtleneck top underneath the dress and add a pair of knee-high boots.
& Other Stories' polka dot mini joins this season's polka dot dress hall-of-famers, earning its place alongside the bandeau-style Felicity Dress from Nobody's Child and Reformation's fuss-free Nara dress. The & Other Stories iteration finds itself somewhere in the middle - between polished and playful - and it's mini length sets it apart from the sea of midis and floor-sweeping maxis. It probably comes as no surprise then, that it's already selling out (and fast).
Main image credit: Instagram/@lanitonnu
Gemma Lavers is a fashion commerce writer at Grazia, where she tracks down viral pieces and is as comfortable navigating the M&S new-in page as she is dissecting the latest celebrity look. When not writing, shopping or at Reformer Pilates (a cliché but she's hooked), Gemma will likely be planning her next holiday (and what she's going to wear). For a glimpse into said travels, outfit inspo and life as a journalist, follow her on Instagram or TikTok.
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