Ever wondered why they’re called polka dots? Here are some interesting facts about the polka dot pattern, along with some catwalk looks and shopping ideas.
The featured image shows (l-r): Maison Margiela AW2019 Couture, Marianna Senchina SS2019, Ronald van der Kemp AW2019 Couture, Yasya Minochkina AW2017, Saint Laurent SS2024 Menswear.
Polka dots most probably got their name in the mid 1800s when the pattern became fashionable at the same time as the polka dance. Other items at the time were also named after the dance – there were polka hats and even polka pudding.
Back then, it was important for the dots to be evenly spaced – unevenly spaced dots were associated with skin disease. When textile printing became mechanized, the polka dot pattern was very easy to print, and it become more widespread.
Other countries have their own name for polka dots; in Germany they’re called ‘thalertupfen’ after the thaler coin. In France, the term is ‘á pois’, where ‘pois’ means ‘peas’, and in Spanish, polka dots are known as ‘de lunares’ – ‘lunares’ are ‘moles’.
Certain artists and designers are associated with the polka dot – Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is known for her hallucinatory art full of dots. Carolina Herrera used the print extensively on dresses in the late 80s and early 90s, and also on the boxes of some perfumes, including Carolina Herrera, AquaFlore, and Flore.
