FASHION TREND REPORT EXCLUSIVELY FOR RANDOLPH STREET MARKET BY NENA IVON, nenasnotes

Polka dot fashions always herald Spring to me. Ruthy, my mother, always wore polka dot dresses usually in navy with white dots in silk crepe at the first sigh of spring. While I usually had garments that reflected hers (never ever mother/daughter dresses, although I would have loved that), but rather a similar color palette. She made many of my garments (and my doll, also named Ruth, a forerunner of the American Dolls, I never was fond of baby dolls, had matching garments!). Mom was a superb seamstress, did smocking, exquisite embroidery, etc. and taught me to sew at a very early age. My father adored polka dot ties of every size and color…still a handsome look today.

But I digress… I found many looks from the Spring 2019 designer collections including, Wes Gordon’s first collection for Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, etc. as well as polka dots in past collections. We will look at those further into our trip of “polka dots through the ages”…

Let’s look at some influences through the years and see why Polka Dots are Always Classic Always New!

From Impressionist paintings to the pointillism of Seurat to the modernism of Yayoi Kusama…

To film….here The Little Shop Around the Corner, 1940…

To a Shirley Temple dress….

To 30’s fashions…

To 1940’s fashion…

To Christian Dior late 1940’s…

To yellow polka dot bikinis…

To the 50’s

To Anne Fogarty….in the early 1960’s…

To Bill Blass Vogue pattern…

To Marilyn…Elizabeth…Diana…Kate…

To the collections of… Beene… Lacroix… Ungaro… Yves Saint Laurent… Lauren… de la Renta… Herrera… and…

Of course, Barbie…

And Minnie and Katy…

And… Nena in her Carolina Herrera perfume launch scarf…photo courtesy of the Nena Ivon Archives at Columbia College Chicago.

I feel, with few exceptions, each garment I have chosen to illustrate this piece could be worn today. Be sure to check the vintage clothing vendors at the monthly Randolph Street Market to find your perfect polka dot piece, be it a full outfit or an accessory and think Spring!!!!

—–
by Nena Ivon
www.nenasnotes.com

All photos from Pinterest photo credits unknown.