TAmong the prints that are redefining the alphabet of Spring-Summer 2026, the polka dots they play an unexpectedly chic game. No longer just micro, no longer just black&white: they become oversized, placed on butter, pearl grey, midnight blue backgrounds, combining with everything. The trend within the trend? The polka dot shirt.
Worn under relaxed suits or left unbuttoned over a minimal tank, it is the garment to be rediscovered in the coming months. A graphic detail that makes the difference.
Where we have already seen it
The polka dot shirt is not born romanticeven if the collective imagination tends to tell it that way. Polka dots entered the women’s wardrobe as early as the 1920s as a modern graphic sign, crossed over into the 1950s, becoming an icon of elegance calibrated in black and white, then became ironic and theatrical between the 1980s and 1990s. On the Spring-Summer 2026 catwalks In recent seasons Altuzarra he proposed it in light chiffon tucked into dark men’s suits; Fendi he focused on regular micro polka dots on structured shirts; Jacquemus he chose them on clear backgrounds, while Sandy Liang he inserted them into more girlish looks but always balanced by blazers and masculine shoes.
Ann Demeulemeester Resort 2026. (Spotlight Launchmetrics)
Anticipating the spring collections, Ann Demeulemeester presents in the collection Resorts 2026 an ivory model dotted with black micro polka dots. With a straight but soft line and with a long integrated sash at the neck, more tie than bow, dropped vertically over the hem, here the polka dot is a poetic detail in a rigorous look.
How to match the polka dot shirt, anything but bon ton
In Ann Demeulemeester’s Resort 2026 the polka dot shirt is worn under a sand-colored trench coat double-breasted. Below, black flared trousers, which touch the black ankle boots with slightly tapered toes. To complete, a compact black bag worn over the shoulder.
The polka dot shirt in a vintage look.
To reinterpret it in everyday life, the same shirt can be worn under a suit light gray for a more contemporary office, or worn with dark denim high-waisted and black belt for a more relaxed but still refined look. Those who want to dare can combine it with one leather midi skirt black and thin slingbacks, leaving the sash loose to create movement.
Alternatively, under a black blazer cropped and with tailored trousers beige, the polka dot shirt becomes a perfect passe-partout for updating the spring wardrobe without distorting it.
