Costume history:
A series on archetypical dessins, prints and techniques in fashion.
A series on archetypical dessins, prints and techniques in fashion.
Polka Dots
Yayoi Kusama, Chloè dresses photo by Alex Chatelaine, Jan. 1972. Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, a hitsong from the 1960’s
History in a nutshell: An early recorded use of the term “polka dot” is in 1854 in The Yale literary magazine, Volym 122, Page 7.[1] The pattern is named for the dance of the same name, making one suspect there is a connection linking the pattern to the dance. Instead, the name was settled upon merely because of the dance’s popularity at the time the pattern became fashionable. Many other products and fashions of the era also adopted the polka name
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“The most interesting part of the classic patterns is that they are set in our memory.” (Mimi Berlin, 2011)