In praise of the polka dot...
When I think of polka dots, they conjure very early memories of two things -a particular grey/blue polka dot silk summer blouse my mother used to wear and a multi-pastel coloured Diana Ware platter, that I saved from being thrown out and still have, though it's seriously chipped.
Maybe those early recollections left a permanent polka dot pattern impression somewhere deep in my psyche because those gay little circles cause a ripple of reaction in me. They're a very basic design and found in nature - in the delicate furls of flowers and the spectacular coats of animals. I love them, yet have to be in the right mood to wear them.,
Polka dots make a strong statement and when employed as a fashion accessory, if used to excess, can overwhelm the wearer. Generally though they add a touch of whimsy and gaiety to an outfit - a splash of colourful eccentricity in what can sometimes be a grey, conservative world.
Why are they called polka dots...? Well apparently this is because the pattern became popular in the UK around the same time time as the polka dance - toward the end of the 19th century. The dot pattern is also a traditional design for the costumes of flamenco dancers. In the early 20th century the pattern became a popular choice for baby linen and children and by the 1930s dots were making a regular appearance in women's dresses and shoe designs.
However the heyday of the polka dot was in the ostentatious, design-loving 1950s, appearing on scarves, skirts shirts, ties and dresses as well as kitchen ware and soft furnishings.
According to a
Slate article on the topic, in the medieval era, it was considered a taboo to wear a spotted pattern on clothing...possibly because, without machinery, it was hard to get the pattern uniform and irregular dots conjured up unpleasant associations with blemishes and disease. Yet in the ancient Australian aboriginal culture, intricate patterns created with tiny dots feature heavily in the aesthetic design of art and tools.
Polka dots of course, come in many guises - big and absurd, disturbingly irregular, tiny and conservatively understated or middle of the road uniform. There's something very fundamental about the dot..it connects with the human psyche in ways we probably don't even understand. One thing seems certain though - in fashion terms, polka dot=impact.
