White polka dot dresses with crisp black dots

Black dots on white look good with the plainest shoes you own, and that’s half the charm of a white polka dot dress. Ours are summer minis and midis, each with its own neckline and sleeve.

Monday at work, Saturday in the garden

Work first. Our midi with the flounce at the hem is the one we’d wear to the office, since your knees stay covered and the keyhole by the collar is tiny. Flat sandals. A woven bag on your shoulder.

Air conditioning on full blast all afternoon? Hang a short jacket over your chair.

Then the weekend, a family lunch in somebody’s garden. That’s a job for the wrap midi. You won’t need a belt with it. Once the sun drops, a short white cardigan over your shoulders keeps you warm and lets the dots stay the main thing.

We made the midi with a bow at the neck with summer dates in mind. It’s silk-look satin, 98 % polyester and 2 % elastane, light on the skin and a little stretchy. Black sandals or ballet flats and a small black bag pick up the color of the dots.

Coffee with friends? The V-neck mini with short sleeves. A thin chain instead of a necklace, and a denim jacket for later.

Prom’s possible in a white polka dot dress, too. Go with the wrap or the bowed midi, wear heels and put your hair up.

Loose, wrapped or flounced at the hem

The bowed midi hangs loose, so your bust measurement is all you need. With the wrap, check bust and waist both. The ruffled midi’s flounce widens the hem a little, and that looks great on narrow hips while the waist still shows.

Then there’s the mini with big, full long sleeves and a round neck. They keep the sun off your arms by day and the chill off at night. White sandals keep the white polka dot dress light. Black pumps make it a bit retro.

We cut each one from XS to XL. If you’re usually a US 4, you’re our S. The satin midi likes cool water on a delicate cycle and a warm iron on the wrong side.

These are all warm-weather styles, and they’re back in the catalog every March. Dots in other colors are among our polka dot styles, and if you’d like no print at all, see the plain white summer dresses.

Frequently asked questions

Which one’s the most modest?

The ruffled midi. Knees covered, a small keyhole, short sleeves.

Black or white shoes?

Go black to pick up the dots and look sharper. White keeps the whole thing soft and summery, especially with the long-sleeve mini.

Is there one with long sleeves?

Just the mini with the full sleeves, since every other style here has short ones, and that’s the one to take to a party out of town when it gets chilly after sunset.