Ever since I was little I've been crazy about polka dots. As part of my adoration, I had a dotted play tea set, dotted hair clips, hair bands and ribbons and if an article of clothing had dots on it, I was almost guaranteed to crave it.
It lead to a lot of fashion transgressions in my teens, one which is particularly memorable. Namely a pair of white pants, high-waisted with pleats in the front, ruffles on the elastic waistband with .... orange polka dots all over and a matching polka-dotted fabric belt!!!!
Close your eyes and imagine that for a minute. While everyone collectively shudders at the insane number of fashion blunders in that single sentence, let me assure you those pants looked as bad as they sound. I looked like a diseased white elephant but I wore them with great fondness for a very long time. When I bought them the thinking was that the ruffles were like icing on cake, ummm yes, I loved ruffles too.
A lot of times I look at old pictures and have to scold my mom for letting me out and about looking like a short, plump mess. She did try her best though, so for a long time after the dotted disaster above I was convinced that dots were too young for me and they were completely eradicated from my closet.
It lead to a lot of fashion transgressions in my teens, one which is particularly memorable. Namely a pair of white pants, high-waisted with pleats in the front, ruffles on the elastic waistband with .... orange polka dots all over and a matching polka-dotted fabric belt!!!!
Close your eyes and imagine that for a minute. While everyone collectively shudders at the insane number of fashion blunders in that single sentence, let me assure you those pants looked as bad as they sound. I looked like a diseased white elephant but I wore them with great fondness for a very long time. When I bought them the thinking was that the ruffles were like icing on cake, ummm yes, I loved ruffles too.
A lot of times I look at old pictures and have to scold my mom for letting me out and about looking like a short, plump mess. She did try her best though, so for a long time after the dotted disaster above I was convinced that dots were too young for me and they were completely eradicated from my closet.
If the 'young' thing didn't convince me, mom used to flash me a picture either real or a mental one of the hideousness of the white pants to make me lose all interest in my current dotty craving. She's all kinds of crafty, my mom!
And it's mostly worked for the better part of my adulthood, until a couple of months ago when I came upon the little black and cream number featured in the set below. And, all my dormant polka-dotted fantasies roared back to life. I WANT it, I whined rebelliously though it was my own mental blocked self I had to convince!!!
And it's mostly worked for the better part of my adulthood, until a couple of months ago when I came upon the little black and cream number featured in the set below. And, all my dormant polka-dotted fantasies roared back to life. I WANT it, I whined rebelliously though it was my own mental blocked self I had to convince!!!
I was good for a couple months, but couldn't stop thinking about it and in keeping with the theme of the regression of my fashion choices .... it's mine now. Yay! I love it, it's so much fun to wear, the scalloped hem looks adorable and the workmanship is excellent, the lining even has an edging of pretty cream-colored lace. I love thoughtful little details like that.
I styled it as shown in the set below (yes, the cardi has ruffles too but I think this is a more successful pairing than my poor chicken-pox pants), and cannot wait until it's warmer when I wont have to cover my arms or legs and will have cute sandals to pair it with. Will winter never leave?!!
I styled it as shown in the set below (yes, the cardi has ruffles too but I think this is a more successful pairing than my poor chicken-pox pants), and cannot wait until it's warmer when I wont have to cover my arms or legs and will have cute sandals to pair it with. Will winter never leave?!!
But, to also avoid going over board, I've promised myself that I will only possess ONE polka-dotted item in my closet at a time. This is in addition to my existing rules of owning only one plaid item, no white pants, no wide belts, and only one black item of any kind i.e. dress, sweater, jeans, skirt, kurti, shoe etc (this one's broken already, it only exists to stop me from buying black each time) ... of course when I'm shopping, it's hard to remember them at all. Sigh.
Anyway, moving on from my fashion woes- how about you? Dotty about dots ... or not? Do you have fashion rules for yourself or just wear what pleases you?
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12 comments:
I once had a salwar kameez in a dark lavender-light purple base with black polka dots. Though it is large large polkas that I really like, I have owned tops and sal-kam's in all kind of dot sizes. Even as we speak I have a churidar set in peach background and white polka, which awaits a summer airing.
Summer is here for us, with some cool highlights. :D
Avdi - Even I love the large polka dots, my reason is because you cannot make out the pattern on the teeny ones from a distance. If you wear it, flaunt it, I say! The peach and white sounds lovely and so gorgeously summery!!!! Have fun with it :)
I bet you love the game twister too then huh :)
Btw I love how you do pictures of the Clothes/ Shoes you talk about !
Like you, I overdosed on dots during my teen years and now tend to avoid them.
I do like what you have selected and how you have put it together. Looks really sharp :)
Angel - The aesthetics of twister are so much fun, but I'm not exactly the most flexible person so I dont think I would like it much! Have you visited polyvore (the site where I make the fashion sets)? I've been playing at fashion editor ever since I came across it!!! :D
Nishita - Thanks :) I think I'm just impressionable, polka dots are in fashion now and after writing up this post I spotted atleast 2 more items which I'm secretly coveting. I wish I hadnt made up that one item rule ... surely 2 wont be all that bad?!
I am cursing myself for reading this in office because I CAN NOT view the pictures!!! Home I come!!! :)
U just had to describe the dress and I was laughing!! There was no need to close my eyes to imagine it :D but seriously as kids we were to stuck up with our fantasies to see the reality or horror of our fantasies ;-)
Vaise even I have also been eternally in love with polka dots!!! I had that skirt & top combo of Bhagyashree from Maine Pyar Kiya (she wears in aya mausam dosti ka song :D)!!! I fought with my mom when she gave it way while i was in college!!
As far as my fashion rules are concerned I have NONE!!! You will find my wardrobe full of pink dresses & I don't hesitate in buying more because of the only fashion rule that i have "I won't be wearing all of them togther ;-)"
He he I have more of ethnic taste and colours and hence did not venture much into polka dots but I have loved saree with them. sushmita sen wore one such in Main Hoon Na and she looked sexy!
This dress rocks and I am sure you will look too good in them
I used to have a sandalwood colour frock with black polka dots. Somehow I'm not very fond of polka dots now. I'm on the lookout for a full length denim skirt for long, but apparently that's outdated and its not available ANYWHERE in UK. Can u believe it?
The weather is spring like this week:) very pleasant.
Smita - I've read about your MPK dress before :) Too true about our blindness as kids and hey, you know I love your fashion rule, I might just adopt it myself :) Though, in my case the color is black, I love my closet in winter months but when summer comes around I invariably end up cursing myself.
WIAN - Ooh, must look out for Sush's saree, might have to involve me watching the movie which isnt such a hardship :) Havnt seen you around much, been busy?
Bubbles - Yeah, it is getting better here too, I think by next week any lingering coldness will be gone!! I looked around for long denim skirts for you online, you can check them out at the link below
http://www.shopstyle.co.uk/browse/long-skirts?fts=denim+skirt
But, yeah, the selection seems quite limited. US retailers do have more options (same site, just change the location to US). Maybe you can research if someone will ship out to you. Enjoy the weather and hope you find one that works for you :)
To keep things really simple, I have one rule - "never shop for yourself"... I have great taste in buying things for others but really bad when buying for self... The white pants were a delight to read about... Post a picture? :-)
Spike - You reminded me, must get hold of them and burn them pronto! Sounds like you are a good friend to have :)
I'll leave it upto my friends to decide that (cough.. yes)
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