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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Dress Codes: Fashion’s most playful print has a fascinating history
By Natalie Hammond, CNN
Updated:
11:13 AM EDT, Tue August 26, 2025
Source: CNN
When Princess Diana arrived at the Royal Ascot in 1988, she turned
heads in a polka-dot dress that was perfectly coordinated to her saucer
hat. More than three decades later, at the popular horse racing event,
Catherine, Princess of Wales, drew comparisons to her late
mother-in-law in a similar dress. This one, by designer Alessandra
Rich, was high-necked and ruffled but also bore the timeless spotted
motif.
Polka dots have maintained their popularity throughout fashion history,
and in recent months, seem to be everywhere. At the July world premiere
of “Weapons” in Los Angeles, the actor Julia Garner wore a
one-shoulder, micro-dotted gown from Gucci’s Cruise 2026 collection.
A day earlier, Rose Byrne attended the season two premiere of
“Platonic” wearing a strapless black and white polka dot dress,
with some dots in the shape of teardrops, by the Antwerp-based label
Bernadette.
Hailey Bieber has also gotten the spotty memo, having been photographed
spending her summer in polka-dot capri pants. Music duo Rihanna and
A$AP Rocky’s recently shared love for polka dots (in particular, a
custom polka dot tie by Californian fashion label ERL) prompted Vogue
to deem it “.” Meanwhile, at Copenhagen Fashion Week in August,
show-goers seemed to favor the print above the usual suspects —
florals, stripes and leopard spots — with several completing their
looks with dotted neck ties, windbreakers, blazers, bloomer shorts or
bandanas.
So prominent are polka dots today that social media site Pinterest
named the print as among . “Polka dot outfits” were up 1,026% from
the previous year, while “polka dot nails” grew 1,296%, according
to the platform.
A spotty past
The radical shift from hand to machine during the Industrial Revolution
made it possible to create “perfectly round and evenly spaced dots
for the first time,” according to Georgina Ripley, principal curator
of modern and contemporary design at National Museums Scotland. “As
the vogue for patterned fabrics thus increased in the 19th century, it
coincided around the 1840s with the Czech Polka dance craze gathering
steam across Europe and in the United States. The Polka name was
attached to several trending items but stuck in the context of the
textile pattern,” she told CNN.
Centuries earlier in the Middle Ages, however, spots of any kind were
treated with suspicion. “Due to the visual similarities shared with
sores caused by diseases such as the plague, leprosy, smallpox,
syphilis, and measles, dots held much more ominous associations with
poor health, contagion and uncleanliness,” said Ripley.
By the early 19th century, associations of the polka dot improved as
“a more effective rendering” of the pattern made it “synonymous
with manmade textiles and therefore with modernity,” said Ripley.
People wanted to wear clothes at the cutting edge, which gave dotty
fabrics woven by machine a natural fanbase among the society ladies who
could afford them. On a so-called “fashion plate” from 1827, which
forms part of the collection at the Genesee Country Village & Museum in
Mumford, New York, a woman has been illustrated wearing a
pink-and-black polka-dot frock with puffs at the wrist and tiers at the
hem.
In the 1920s, polka dots experienced a boom, explained Ripley, thanks
in part to Norma Smallwood, 1926’s Miss Oklahoma and winner of the
Miss America pageant that same year, who wore a spotted bathing suit
during the competition. Two years later, the print received another
ringing endorsement. “That Walt Disney debuted Minnie Mouse in 1928
dressed in a red polka dot dress and matching bow is testament to its
place in 1920s popular culture,” said Ripley.
From then on, the polka dot can be seen in pop culture of every
subsequent decade, observed Ripley. In the 1942 film “Woman of the
Year,” Katharine Hepburn’s pantsuit featuring black and white polka
dots is one of the most memorable fashion moments from the movie. (The
outfit, along with her other tailored suits, contributed to Hepburn’s
memorable on-screen style and helped solidify her reputation as a
fashion icon.) Dots were also worn by “Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s,
Twiggy in 1960s Mod culture, Princess Diana in the 1980s, and Julia
Roberts in the polo match scene in “Pretty Woman” (1990),” said
Ripley.
They’ve also been a source of inspiration for brands. Comme des
Garçons Play, founded by Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo, has turned
dotty tees (and high-top trainers) into cult fashion commodities. The
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, meanwhile, has built a life’s work
around an exploration of polka dots. Her first collaboration with Louis
Vuitton in 2012 saw primary-colored spots daubed across the French
brand’s monogrammed bags.
The pattern has also left its mark on the high street. Of all the viral
summer dresses of the past decade, Zara’s 2019 polka dot sensation (a
long-sleeved print dress that cost $50) is among the most recognized,
partly thanks to its social media presence on Instagram. Between 2019
and 2021, a dedicated account, @, documented widespread sightings of
the dress.
Contemporary visions
Polka dots have been cycling in and out of fashion — though, since
the Spring-Summer 2025 shows, where labels including Valentino and
Carolina Herrera sent a glorious array of polka dots down the runway,
they’ve had a resurgence. For Fall-Winter 2025, Dries Van Noten, Nina
Ricci, Sandy Liang, Schiaparelli and Rokh offered their own takes on
the print. Dots also featured in — the debut of new designer Michael
Rider — where it featured as a trim on the neckline of a gown to a
swatch on a full skirt.
In 2025, the polka dot’s versatility is still its greatest asset.
“They can be bold or subtle, playful or elegant, depending on how
they’re used,” said Katie Ruensumran, a creative consultant and
polka-dot aficionado. Offering styling advice, she said: “It’s all
about contrast and scale. I like mixing oversized polka dots with
stripes or other pattern pieces — it keeps the look graphic and bold.
Accessories are also a fun way to play. The key is balance.”
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