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Black Tie International: Now Trending With Alison Minton
Do the Polka

Memorial Day is behind us and quarantine restrictions are easing up, so it may finally be the season to pull out that “itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini,” or anything polka dot, and head outdoors for some fun.  Polka dots are trending for Spring/Summer 2020 and offer a dose of much needed fashion frivolity right now.  A perennial favorite for decades, and always a popular pattern, polka dots re-emerge every few years as a trend, dotting clothes and accessories from casual to couture. 

Eric Javits Dotty hat

This wasn’t always the case for the beloved polka dot, that was originally anathema in Medieval Europe due to its resemblance to the marks covering pox and plague victims.  But fast forward a few hundred years and polka dots became the pattern of lightheartedness and cheerfulness immortalized in mid 20^th century songs like the aforementioned “Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” and “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.”  And, these delectable dots have been going strong ever since.  Black & white versions are most sophisticated, but a colorful print is also in vogue.

Magicsuit Small Bang Angelina swimsuit

My mother in her own vintage Pettirobe by Loungees

Vintage 1980s earrings from the Minton collection

I’ve shared some vintage polka dot fashions from my, and my mother’s, personal collections along with several lovely offerings from modern designers.