…………..A little known fact about the POLKA DOT pattern…….” During the medieval period in Europe, the dotted fabric was one of the forbidden items considered….TABOO…..This is because this pattern symbolized bad omens and disease that struck their civilization….such as leprosy…smallpox…and Bubonic plague……..How times have change….Today the polka dot is considered, fun and joyful…..The spring croquis above were the start of a thought I was having about polka dots and other solid spring attire, and accessories such as the head scarf with the self fabric flower and the polka dot “Bucket hat”……..The polka dot is iconic…..a classic that constantly shows up on many designer runways……Just on this past Oscar night, Jennifer Lawrence was wearing a beautiful, polka dot strapless gown and shawl from Dior…..
Louis, Thank you for the ongoing education about design–polka dots and (I had to look up the definition) croquis. It made me wonder what it was like for you the first few weeks at Parsons, what was familiar, what was mind-blowing. Maybe sometime you could tell us more about your student years. Always a grateful fan, whatever your topic. P.S. Just found a clean Brick Red Double-Breasted Swing Jacket online; the back pleat was still stitched closed and I could hear your voice, “Ladies, be sure to snip those threads before you wear it!” 🙂
I could tell you my first few days at Parsons was terrifying!!!!! I was a country bumpkin from Long Island….very unsophisticated. Everything was intimidating….The fashion design students were very isolated from the other students. and they were such snobs. The upper classmen looked down on us beginners….that was the culture of the design department….we were supposed to be the creme de la creme of the school, and the head of the department didn’t want the design students associating with the other departments, or with the upper classes…..After a while as I caught on to what was going on, and made friends in my class, Donna Karan being my best friend, things got much better….but we were very isolated. The head of the department was very strict, and made sure our lunch break or any other break did not coincide with the other students. We were also on a separate floor most of the day so meeting other students was almost impossible. The head of the department wanted us to be above “the fray”.
Thank you! Looking forward to more about how you grew so fast as a designer.
Polka dot series so interesting!