Whoever would have thought that Minnie Mouse would start a fashion trend? It didn’t take too long after Mrs. Mouse appeared in a red polka dot dress with a matching bow in 1928 that this look caught.
Actually though, polka dots were in style a lot earlier. While it is assumed that there is a correlation between the dance that became popular in the 1800’s and the pattern, there is not any conclusive evidence about how the term originated. One theory is that it comes from the word “polka,” which was a name used in Central and Eastern Europe for Polish women. The dance became popular in this part of the world and immigrants brought it with them when they migrated to the United States. Eventually, polka clubs were organized and jackets with colored dots were worn to identify their clubs. In effect, it was a uniform.
Two years before Minnie Mouse made polka dots famous, Miss America wore a not so itsy bitsy polka dot one piece bathing suit during the contest. Throughout the 1930’s and 40’s, Katherine Hepburn and other actresses from Hollywood’s Golden Age sported polka dots on and off screen. The WWII pin-up, Chili Williams remained uncredited for most of her bit movie parts but nearly everyone knew her as the “The Polka Dot Girl,” for a series of photographs she appeared in wearing a polka dot bathing suit for Life Magazine in 1943. One of Frank Sinatra’s earliest hits, “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” was among the most popular songs during this time.
Even after polka dots popularity started to wane as the 50’s approached one of the most celebrated images of Marilyn Monroe was taken in 1951 where she is wearing a polka dot bikini.
Polka dots started coming back in the next decade when Brian Hyland’s song, “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” became a smash. Twiggy, Brigitte Bardot and other icons from that decade helped spread polka dot love to a new generation. Also around this time, polka dots became part of men’s fashion as well thanks in part to the creation of Polka-Dot Man, a DC Comics super hero. As men and women’s fashion started to merge in the 60’s, artists, musicians and actors could be seen sporting polka dots and eventually, it spread into mainstream fashion culture.
While polka dots have had surges in popularity ever time, they have never completely gone away. There is something festive about them, even when they are black on white. I think that as an accessory for men or women, polka dots show a little flare and as the centerpiece of an outfit they can be classy and sassy at the same time.
