Where have all the polka dots gone? Looking over my collection of vintage pictures and catalogs, polka dot dresses, tops, and swimsuits were all very popular from the 1920s to the 1960s. Large and small white dots on a colored background were plentiful in the mid-century. Black and white polka dots, red and black polka dots, and blue and white polka dot dresses were also very common. Around the world, polka dot prints are also called ditsy, spotty or dotty prints. Vintage polka dot dresses were fun, youthful, trendy and sometimes high fashion. Polka dots can’t help but make women smile, which is why I think they were trendy during difficult times.
Today’s photo roundup is a salute to vintage polka dot dresses and clothing!
The middle woman is wearing a polka dot walking dress! About 1910
The first picture I have is from around 1910. The lady in the middle is wearing a small polka dot walking dress with white piping for trim. This is very unusual for this time period, but it goes to show you that the polka dot dress fad was coming soon.
1920s Polka Dots
1922 Polka Dot Dress Prints- For house dresses
Early 20s polka dot house dress
1927 Polka Dot Dress Fabrics in Silk- for semi formal dresses.
1929 Doris Zinkeisen wearing a polka dot blouse
In the early 1920s, polka dots captured the youth driven look fashion was founded on. They were especially popular as house dresses and even garden dresses if the dots were small and set against a white background (1922 picture above). By the mid to late 1920s, the polka dot dress left the house and became a staple pattern for semi formal afternoon dresses. Polka dot print fabric never crossed into evening wear, but beaded dot patterns were certainly a common design element on Art Deco/ geometric inspired designs.
Most polka dots prints remained with sportier looks such as on blouses, skirts, and pajamas.
Polka dot dress at the beach
1929 polka dot party dress is almost 60s mod!
I love these cute 1920s drop waist dresses with mixed polka dots! The beach outfit appears to be in two colors over white. I wonder what colors they were?
1930s Polka Dot Dresses
1930s polka dot dress
Myrna Loy in When Ladies Meet (1933) sporting a more casual dress with polka dot trim.
1937 polka dot chiffon dress with jacket
1930s polka dot blouse
1930s polka dot summer evening dress
Polka dot dresses in the 1930s were even more popular than in the 1920s. They also moved away from being just the main dress print to a pretty trim. Still casual and playful, they became more sophisticated as all 1930s fashion did – especially when worn by Hollywood’s bright young stars!
Mary Pickford in polka dot beach pajamas or jumper
Polka dots were not just for dresses. They made a great print for beach pajamas too. Mary Pickford’s outfit above looks more like a beach pajama overall or jumper.
1940s Polka Dot Dresses
1940s polka dot dresses from 1943-1947
The 1940s era loved polka dot dresses for all occasions. Small dots and large dots were equally common, as well as prints that looked liked dots from a distance but were perhaps oval or another non strict circular shape. Polka dot materials were made into suits and maternity dresses as well (rightmost dress above).
Rose Barrack designer 1945 polka dot dress
Just like in the previous decades, polka dots dresses were a mostly casual day or afternoon dresses. That all was beginning to change after the war. Going into the 1950s, polka dots were seen as elegant when matched with accessories: gloves, hats, purses, and even shoes.
1948, polka blouse in yellow and black
1944 grey polka dot suit
Jeanne Crain wearing a polka dot swimsuit
Polka dot swimsuits were not new to the 1940s but they certainly were cute! I just love this one that Jeanne Crain is modeling.
Popular retro polka dot dresses at Unique-Vintage.com
Lucky for us, 1940s retro polka dot dresses are extremely popular with designers and shoppers alike. The “Madden” dress at Unique Vintage continues to be a best seller year after year. I love the 1940s silhouette of this dress.
1950s Polka Dot Dresses
1950s polka dot print dresses
1951 Polka Dot Dresses and Suit for the Plus Size Woman
Model Karen Stark is striking in this cheerful yellow polka dot dress
1950s Polka dot lined jacket, umbrella, hat and dress.
1958 white and red dot party dress
1958 Polka top or dress
Everything in the 1950s got big! Big dresses, big skirts, big accessories, and big personalities. Polka dot patterns grew big too. Extra large polka dot prints came on dresses and matching accessories and were at once the biggest fashion statement of the decade. Everything had polka dots. Women of all ages wore them, too. They were no longer just for the young woman’s wardrobe.
1950s red polka dot swimsuits
Ginger Rogers playing tennis in a polka dot top
An explosion of polka dots naturally continued on to sportswear. Tops and bottom both featured prints (although they weren’t worn at the same time). Crop pants were often rolled so the hem showed a polka dot lining. Tops could be all dots or only the cuffs and collars. Colored socks, hair scarves, and jewelry came in polka dots too. It was a time when polka dots accessorized everything.
1951 hat and scarf in polka dots
1960s Polka Dot Dresses
1968 pink polka dot dress with matching jacket
1964 polka dot jacket over white ensemble- very mod
Bright modish polka dress on the right
1960s Mod dress with polka dot used as accents
The 1960s had two looks that each adopted polka dots. The first was the return to the school girl style. Polka dot prints appeared on baby doll dresses trimmed with white collars and ruffled lines. It was a similar response that the 1920s had on their young girls look.
The second look was the mod style. Polka dots were no longer symmetrical. Instead, all shapes and sizes appeared in bold, shocking colors. Polka dots as an accent was very mod too (last dress above).
Retro Polka Dot Dresses Today
Join the love affair with polka dots and you will step back in time. Shop new retro style polka dot dresses here:
Debbie Sessions has been teaching fashion history and helping people dress for vintage themed events since 2009. She has turned a hobby into VintageDancer.com with hundreds of well researched articles and hand picked links to vintage inspired clothing online. She aims to make dressing accurately (or not) an affordable option for all. Oh, and she dances too.
