STYLE GURU STYLE: Polka-Dot Poppin’

March 19th, 2015 at 2:00am

There is truly nothing more fun than polka-dots. The fall 2015 ready-to-wear show from Emmanuel Ungaro managed to take this classic pattern to a whole new level. Ungaro released a gorgeous collection of all black and white pieces that pay homage to this design. Dots are incorporated into both menswear and feminine looks in this show. When recreating this runway collection, I wanted to incorporate the menswear style tailoring with pieces that highlight a feminine silhouette. And, of course, make sure polka-dots are present!

The look that stood out to me was number 21, in which a model wears a belted long white coat covered in black spots. This reminded me of a Goodwill find already in my wardrobe that I have been dying to wear. This find was my attention-grabbing polka-dot jacket that I admit was a potential Halloween costume in a past life. This jacket is absolutely a statement item and I have not found many opportunities to wear it. Maybe that will change now due to some much needed inspiration from Unargo’s collection.

For the rest of my outfit, I really wanted to create a mix of the masculine and the feminine. I started with a simple black skater dress that has a faint embroidered texture in the fabric. This ensured a more feminine look and also created a flattering silhouette. To maintain a menswear vibe, I wore a button-up shirt underneath the black dress. If you look closely, this button-up is actually covered in small white polka dots. So if the coat was just too much for you, I recommend finding a piece like this that has the dots but is simpler. You can always channel the runway’s looks in a more subtle way that fits your personal comfort level. In my look, the oversized shape of the coat was taking away from the cinched waist of the dress. I solved this by belting the entire ensemble with a wide black belt, which made a very defined waist and flared the fabric outward. For accessories, I kept it minimal with a black bag and black and white earrings.

This outfit is all about monochrome patterns with the only hint of color being my deep red lip. Overall, this style is equally as bold as an outfit full of color because of those eye-catching polka-dots. One way to dress down this outfit for class would be to switch out the heeled boots for a pair of black flats. The overcoat is also versatile enough to look great over a simple black T-shirt and dark wash jeans.

Remember that polka-dots are all about fun. So make sure you are having a good time working them into your look!

Get My Look: 1. Bold polka-dot coat. 2. Perfect little black dress. 3. The darkest lip you can find.

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