Each month, our fashion editor Elizabeth shares her style mood board with us. She has an eye on the industry, and here’s what she (and the rest of the fashion world) is obsessing over this July.
Most of us have sung the line, “It was an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini” from Brian Hyland’s 1960’s chart-topper. But few of us know that the polka dot frenzy began way before the hit single.
As early as 1926, the newly crowned Miss America became a trendsetter after a photograph was taken of her in a polka dot bathing suit. Soon after came Disney’s (adorably cute) Minnie Mouse with her signature dot style.
We saw a sophisticated take on the trend when Christian Dior debuted his “New Look” collections with polka dots decorating the now-iconic portrayals of idealized femininity. Hollywood breathed new life into the print when the 1980s era of decadence ushered in polka dot mania.
While forever a classic, today the current dot craze is more subversive with cool-girl iterations seen on street-style stars. One thing we know – this iconic print is here to stay.
Written by Elizabeth Burns, Staff Writer
