SPRING CONFETTI

Polka Dots, Chocolate Umbrellas, Boyfriends and Girlfriends

Apr 01, 2024

Hello and happy April! Some spring cheer for the cruelest month:

Roger Vivier Polka Dot Shoe AKA my dream shoe (and perfect for April showers!) at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in 2019

Polka Dot Diary

For the past couple of years I’ve felt drawn towards polka dots (the most cheerful pattern) and I tend to prefer them to florals for spring, for clothing at least. Here are some favourite references and some recent outfits:

Junya Watanabe’s rain on the runway and waterproof polka dots from Spring 2000.

Polka dot leggings (and what the author calls ‘high energy dressing’) from Even More Dash Than Cash by Kate Hogg, 1989.
One of my favourite Princess Diana looks: polka dot capris, red shoes, oversized black top. She once also wore a red and white polka dot pleated skirt with red and white polka dot socks + red shoes.
Agnès Varda’s perfect polka dot t-shirt.
About once a year, usually in the spring, I like to make a visit to Gadabout Vintage, a curiosity shop in Toronto. I spend all afternoon going through their many, many drawers filled with scarves, ribbons, various ephemera and, importantly, gloves. I regret not buying this polka dot set but maybe it’s still there…

Eighties Olive Magazine outfit heaven.

Pure JOY - glorious polka dot capris in Willi Smith for Williwear Spring 1978 Presentation.

More joy - a detail of an Oliverio Toscani ad for Esprit, 1987 - polka dot pants + patent ballet flats.

And some spring looks:

Playing around with my Renaissance Renaissance signature tulle ‘fur’ skirt - worn here with a vintage black Esprit button up - I loved the layer cake look it gives with the tullle - my Comme Des Garcons polka dot pleated skirt, and my wedding shoes.

Slight adjustment here to show off the ivory ribbons, I tucked in the shirt and added a Lemaire workwear jacket - this jacket has slits up the side and I loved the idea of a bit of tulle peeking out.

I was lucky to find this organza Max Mara coat for next to nothing at a clearance sale a few years ago - it’s one of my favourite items and it’s the perfect time of year to wear it - I love how it looks over polka dots. The sailor blouse underneath is Molly Goddard, also from a few years ago. I wore this to an Easter brunch of mint frittata, crab toasts, a big green salad, lamb and hot cross buns.

Chocolate Umbrellas

The most playful package design goes to these chocolate umbrellas. Regina Chocolates was founded in Portugal in 1928, taking its name from the Latin word for “absolute lady”. The first time I saw a box filled with rows of these colourful striped umbrellas was when I visited Leila’s Shop in London on a 2017 trip (which was also my first memory of seeing pink radicchio in person, very formative). I’ve since discovered you can buy them at pretty much any corner store or bakery in Little Portugal. One year I tucked them into bouquets of tulips to deliver to friends as a spring gift.

Boyfriends and Girlfriends

I was delighted to contribute to Metrograph Journal's At Home With... column for April (thank you, Anna!). My selection was Éric Rohmer’s Boyfriends and Girlfriends. Although decidedly a summer movie, watching it during an early spring snow provides a perfect escape to Rohmer’s suburban utopia. I’m adding my contribution below (beneath Blanche’s perfect sailor dress), but the whole column month by month is an excellent resource for what-to-watch inspiration and guidance.

“Fifteen TV channels, a lake, tennis courts, golf soon, two legit theaters, who could be bored?” Set in a suburb just outside of Paris (the Eiffel Tower can be seen from one viewpoint of the palatial apartment complex), Boyfriends and Girlfriends is a breezy romantic comedy where nothing bad really happens. I love Rohmer’s films for their inspiringly stylish visuals, and in this one, the colors, clothes, and interiors are delightfully considered, as the wardrobe plays off the setting and story. One of my favorite scenes, clothes-wise, is a party where Blanche and Lea wear complimentary outfits made of white, black, and blue satin, though Blanche’s wardrobe is a particular standout throughout the film. From her party ensemble of a glossy blue blouse, its neckline perfectly askew, tucked into a white pencil skirt, cinched with a black belt and black almond-toe pumps, to her navy sailor dress, her blue blazer (the shoulder pads!), her marigold tank that matches the juice she is drinking, the colors popping against the stark white walls. I could go on, and on, and on….”