A history of polka dots: the pattern's enduring fashion appeal


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The humble polka dot, aside from adorning the Duchess of Cambridge at the service of thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, has enjoyed a wide and varied history.

Throughout the Middle Ages, Europeans generally avoided spotty patterns, largely to its unfortunate resemblance to the blotches and boils of the plague and smallpox — both virulent diseases at the time.

During the 1800s, however, that all changed, when a new dance craze called the polka swept across Europe. The exact origins of the name are a little hazy, with many favouring the theory that it referred to the Czech word pulka, meaning half, in reference to the small steps taken in the dance.

Kate, Duchess of Cambridge wears a black and white polka dot dress by Alessandra Rich as she arrives for the service of thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, with her daughter, Princess Charlotte, at Westminster Abbey, London, on March 29, 2022. EPA
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge wears a black and white polka dot dress by Alessandra Rich as she arrives for the service of thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, with her daughter, Princess Charlotte, at Westminster Abbey, London, on March 29, 2022. EPA

The arrival of the Industrial Revolution, and mechanised weaving in the late 1700s, meant that, for the first time, it was possible to produce identical, evenly spaced dots across a length of cloth. This led to something of a frenzy for the new design, around the same time as the dance, so the names began to merge.

It is not clear how or when this happened, but fashionable ladies rushed to be seen in the new pattern, resulting in must-have items such as the polka jacket and the polka hat. While these have all since faded from memory, the polka dot has survived.

The English name "polka dots", however, first appeared in print in 1857, when the Godey’s Lady’s Book, a women’s magazine of the time, described a “scarf of muslin, for light summer wear, surrounded by a scalloped edge, embroidered in rows of round polka dots." Until this arrival, spotted fabric had gone by various monikers, including dotted-Swiss, the Spanish name lunares, the French term quinconce, and thalertupfen in German.

While the dance slipped into obscurity over the years, the pattern has remained, becoming an accepted fixture with its suggestion of a clean-cut wholesomeness. When Norma Smallwood became the first Native American woman to be crowned Miss America in 1926, she wore a polka dot swimsuit, while in 1935, Walt Disney dressed the character Minnie Mouse in yellow polka dots for the first time — yes, yellow, her famous red and white look didn't appear until 1941.

During the 1950s, everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Elizabeth Taylor was seen in the jaunty, summery print, and by 1954, the best selling version of Christian Dior’s famous New Look was the polka dot. Hubert de Givenchy launched his owned spotty gown the following year, reversed as black on white, while for Carolina Herrera, the design was so key to her work in the 1980s and 1990s, that when she launched her first fragrance in 1988, it arrived in a polka dotted box.

An outfit from Off-White's autumn/winter 2022 collection. Photo: Off-White
An outfit from Off-White's autumn/winter 2022 collection. Photo: Off-White

Another British royal, Princess Diana, was a big fan of polka dots, and wore them repeatedly during her lifetime, including when leaving the hospital clutching her newborn son, Prince William, in 1982. This was mirrored by Prince William's wife, Duchess of Cambridge, who wore a blue polka dot dress to leave the hospital with their firstborn, Prince George, 31 years later in 2013.

Julia Roberts's character wore a polka dot dress in the 1990 film Pretty Woman. While the film delivers some very dubious messaging, it is notable that when her character wants to appear of higher social status, she opts for a polka dot dress and a straw boater.

Fashion brands have too embraced the trend, most notably Dolce & Gabbana, where the pattern has been reworked numerous times, making it part of the house's DNA, while brands such as Gucci, Armani, Marc Jacobs, Balmain and even Versace have all, at some point, embraced the dots.

Fatherland

Kele Okereke

(BMG)

Habib El Qalb

Assi Al Hallani

(Rotana)

TCL INFO

Teams:
Punjabi Legends 
Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan

Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals

MATCH INFO

Burnley 1 (Brady 89')

Manchester City 4 (Jesus 24', 50', Rodri 68', Mahrez 87')

'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Essentials
The flights

Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing. 

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 290hp

Torque: 340Nm

Price: Dh155,800

On sale: now

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

MATCH INFO

Sheffield United 2 Bournemouth 1
United: Sharp (45 2'), Lundstram (84')
Bournemouth: C Wilson (13')

Man of the Match: Jack O’Connell (Sheffield United)

India Test squad

Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Vijay, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur

UAE’s revised Cricket World Cup League Two schedule

August, 2021: Host - United States; Teams - UAE, United States and Scotland

Between September and November, 2021 (dates TBC): Host - Namibia; Teams - Namibia, Oman, UAE

December, 2021: Host - UAE; Teams - UAE, Namibia, Oman

February, 2022: Hosts - Nepal; Teams - UAE, Nepal, PNG

June, 2022: Hosts - Scotland; Teams - UAE, United States, Scotland

September, 2022: Hosts - PNG; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal

February, 2023: Hosts - UAE; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes

Name: Brendalle Belaza

From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines

Arrived in the UAE: 2007

Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus

Favourite photography style: Street photography

Favourite book: Harry Potter

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Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
​​​​​​​Release Date: April 10

Race 3

Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars

List of alleged parties

 

May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff 

May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'

Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff 

Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson 

Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party

Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters 

Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz 

Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party 

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Trump v Khan

2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

'O'
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War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA

Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

Rating: 4.5/5

Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania ​​​​​​​
Verdict: 4 Stars

The biog:

Favourite book: The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma

Pet Peeve: Racism 

Proudest moment: Graduating from Sorbonne 

What puts her off: Dishonesty in all its forms

Happiest period in her life: The beginning of her 30s

Favourite movie: "I have two. The Pursuit of Happiness and Homeless to Harvard"

Role model: Everyone. A child can be my role model 

Slogan: The queen of peace, love and positive energy

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

Our legal advisor

Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.

Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.

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Updated: April 01, 2022, 4:17 AM