This Old Thing? T&C Reviews: Polka Dots

If good vibes are what we're after right now, there is no better place to start.

- BY LEENA KIM

We're all tempted to crawl into bed and get lost in a dream. Alessandro Michele captured that mood with his resort 2026 collection for Valentino. VALENTINO GOWN ($16,500) AND TIGHTS ($690). VALENTINO GARAVANI SANDALS ($1,190), AVAILABLE AT VALENTINO BOUTIQUES

We may love them now, but polka dots used to have a serious image problem.

Before the Industrial Revolution brought about machines that could produce the pattern in a symmetrical and uniform way, any cluster of imperfect circles had a tendency to bear an unfortunate resemblance to smallpox. The technological advances of the late 18th century changed all that, allowing polka dots to join the ranks of such popular motifs as stripes, paisleys, and florals.