Trend alert! Polka dots

Since top fashion creatives like Lanvin and Yves Saint Laurent took to the catwalks with their dotty designs at LFW the polka-dot trend has been inescapable both high-end and high street. Stella McCartney kicked it off with her wearable multi-fabric dotty dresses as the focal point of her Autumn/Winter 2011 collection where we saw textured circles appliquéd onto sheer satins across a monochrome-inspired colour palette. Stella's spotty style soon became a sophisticated look for chic stars like Kate Winslet who donned Stella's dots for the premiere of her new film Mildred Pierce. Get a spitting image spotty number at Warehouse! Never one to shy away from making a statement, Marc Jacobs, has influenced our polka-dot purchases too with his speckled wool dresses and spotty faux furs- a great look for the colder winter months. It didn't take long for uber-stylish Topshop Unique to catch this trend-train either with the label taking polka-dots one step further with fun Dalmatian inspired designs at their show. Similar spotty styles can be found at Dolce & Gabbana and are a big high street hit with French Connectionand Oasis too. Polka-dots are great to play with as seen at David Koma where spots were super-sized and super-small on LBDs and at Diane Von Furstenburg who moved away from stark contrasting black and white instead working with muted tones of creams and greys. Try this toned-down take on the trend with simple accessories and flat monochrome pumps for a more relaxed daytime look. Our top tip however is to dress this trend up with full-on retro glam; think big hair, full lips, and killer patent shoes like TeamLBD favourite Olivia Wildedid in her top-to-toe sheer Gucci spotty maxi. Or follow in the fashion footsteps of Alexa Chung and Fearne Cotton who are rocking snippets of spots on blouses and tights with plain tailored blazers and soft midi skirts- team this with a polka-dot bag or circle pendant to get the trend spot on! Shop the polka dot trend now!