I began my collection of polka dot shirts about ten years ago. It was a collection that originated out of boredom. When I went to thrift stores with friends, it always seemed like I would end up waiting for them to get done with their shopping. At the time I was only interested in bric a brac and I could speed through this section in minutes. To combat the boredom of waiting, I initiated a search for this thing that was visually arresting, easy to spot, cheap and readily available, and located in an area of the store that I normally didn’t look, women’s blouses. The first time this happened I found three or four shirts that fit (the collection). I quickly defined the parameters of the search. They must be polyester (the color lasts longer), the dots must have clean edges, no spots or splotches, they couldn’t have any other shapes competing with the dots, like stripes or squares, (unless these shapes were backgrounds for dot patterns). The acquisition of these beauties has slowed down quite a bit in recent years, mainly because I don’t go to thrift stores that much anymore. I used to
wear them a lot, but that trend has also played itself out.
