Polka dots and lace should not work together and yet when they do, the result is genuinely memorable. The problem with both individually is that they each carry weight. Dots can tip into novelty. Lace can tip into costume. Put them together carelessly and you have something that tries too hard and lands nowhere useful. But the dresses we have pulled together here do neither of those things. The dots are scaled well, the lace is used with intention rather than just draped over everything for effect, and the overall result reads as dressed up without feeling overdressed. These are the kinds of dresses that work for occasions where you want to look like you thought about it but not like you agonised over it. A wedding guest outfit that does not look like a uniform. A summer evening where you want to feel genuinely pretty rather than simply put together. We have been selective. There are a lot of polka dot lace dresses out there and most of them are not interesting. These ones are. When two patterns this distinctive are handled well, the dress earns every bit of the attention it gets.