History of Polka Dot in Fashion Graphic made by Cecelia Lipman
All throughout social media, microtrends have always been around. Microtrends are rapidly rising and falling aesthetics or consumer trends. They have short lifespans largely accelerated by social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and fast-fashion. Some microtrends include bows, cheetah print, camo print, Stanley cups and stars. The newest trend that people on social media now consider a microtrend is polka dots.
When and Where Polka Dots Started
In the Middle Ages, dotted patterns were rare. Only associated with diseases like the plague, smallpox and leprosy, not a fashion pattern. By the Industrial Revolution, (1760-1840s) early sewing machines were invented. Allowing people to experiment and be able to create perfectly round and evenly spaced dots. During the mid to late 1800s the, “Polka Craze,” began. The “Polka Craze,” was a massive European and American dance, music and fashion phenomenon. As the polka dance spread, “polka-branded,” goods became popular. The dotted fabric was officially dubbed, “polka dots,” in the 1850s, worn frequently by women to show club affiliation and fashionable cheer.
Although the, “Polka Craze,” heavily influenced polka dots, it does not compare to the influence polka dots had on American culture during the 1950s. Almost a hundred years later, polka dots made a huge comeback. Polka dots in the 1950s symbolized post-war optimism, innocence and charming femininity. They became a defining, playful staple of the era’s fashion. The popularity of the pattern was so profound that it became a lasting, iconic element of 1950s design and is very much still associated with the 1950s today. The trend was also very heavily popularized by Hollywood icons like Marilyn Monroe.
Monroe is famously associated with the pattern, wearing it throughout the 1950s. Monroe’s most notable white halter dress with black spots in The Seven Year Itch, (1955) and a polka-dot bikini in a 1951 photoshoot are her most famous pieces wearing the pattern.
Making a Fashion Comeback
Polka dots have officially made their comeback into the fashion world. Despite never going out of style, they have made a major comeback and have been plastered on everything from skirts to coin purses. Because of their extreme popularity, people were quick to point it out as a microtrend that will die down after a couple of months. Considering their past, this is unlikely. Polka dots have been around for centuries and have been in and out of fashion for forever. If polka dots do die down, they are guaranteed to come back like they have done many times before.
