What’s with this ‘ditsy’ thing....?

[Notarealmum]

When did the word ‘ditsy’ (which I’ve always understood to mean a bit dizzy/silly) start to mean ‘covered in tiny flowers’? I can see that a flirty, lightweight dress might reasonably be described thus, floral or otherwise, but some of the dresses are really quite stolid and boring. I’m really quite puzzled by this, what am I missing? 🤔

I blame Johnny Boden

I’ve always thought ditsy meant mindless and without thought. This may describe my style accurately though.

Ditsy floral...covered in tiny flowers. Quite cute...very summery. Popular in grungecera. Wear with dm boots to toughen up.

Ditsy floral number teamed with biker jacket in vegan leather ... very classy and on trend takes you from brunch with the gals to hot tinder date at the bar.

Gals? Lol.
Hot Tinder date?
Desperate shag more like.

Finfintytint 😄

I do have a (vintage 70s therefore, I suspect, quite ‘on trend’’?) frock that could well be termed ditsy, though I’m loathe to call it that myself. But who/what originated the term I wonder?

Well i never!

vintagefashionguild.org/fabric-resource/ditzy-print-ditsy-print/

JackPaul beat me to it, but ditsy print has been around for a long time. I have always seen the print spelled ditsy, and the word that means silly spelled ditzy.

Maybe because you don't have to worry about aligning the pattern to match so you could 'ditzily' sew it 🤷🏼‍♀️
I aleo thought ditsy means small, itsy bitsy witsy 😂
Think the heat + accompanying lack of sleep has got to me...

It’s the specific name for a type of printed fabric with very small flowers.

I think it's largely American originally....as the link above shows, it's been in use for some time but I reckon it only arrived in the UK as a term in the past 10 years. I've heard it since then...but think it was because of Ebay and Etsy...I'd see fabrics on there from US sellers and think "What's that mean!?"

Interesting! Thanks for the link to the Vintage Fashion Guild in particular. I’d no idea it was an old description for that type of fabric as I’ve only heard it in recent years (possibly because it was originally an American term).

Yes, as you say Fortunesfave (I think our posts crossed), eBay was where I first spotted it.

But you yourself use a 'silly' word like 'flirty' to describe a dress. Flirty? Ditsy? Both impart qualities to a garment that really in this day and age shouldn't be imparted.
This is a dress with a small floral pattern that appeals to me because I like little yellow flowers.

Why would you be loathe to use the term? It's just the name for a print, in the same way that a navy and white striped top is a Breton.

Definitely a resurrected word. I somehow know now it means tiny flowers but i wouldnt have known that 15 years ago. It only meant silly or happily vaccuous.

@malificent7

Ditsy floral...covered in tiny flowers. Quite cute...very summery. Popular in grungecera. Wear with dm boots to toughen up.

Only if you're about 17. (More if you were actually 17 and wearing it when Grunge was new music, but kids wearing 'old fashioned' clothes has always been a thing)

For anybody else, it looks like you've got your Nan's frock on.

I'd love for there to actually be some plain longer dresses available, as the only ones at present seem to be tits/legs out, bodycon in black.

@Finfintytint

Gals? Lol. Hot Tinder date? Desperate shag more like.

💯😂 With a trip to the GUM clinic after.

@Finfintytint

My thoughts entirely

"Finfintytint Thu 13-Aug-20 05:04:08
Gals? Lol.
Hot Tinder date?
Desperate shag more like."

Ditsy floral has been around for at least a decade. I remember coveting a ditsy floral romper in about 2008.

At least since the ‘70’s. I can remember having a ditsy print dress!

I always thought ditsy as in ditsy floral meant busy/disorderd. Similar to ditzy as in messy/unorganised mind? Now I’ve written it down could well be wrong

Ditsy florals were around in the 1990s, (I was there, it was definitely a thing). It's not a new term, I'm pretty sure it goes way back before then (there were ditsy florals in the 1940s, tea dresses etc) but I won't claim to have personal knowledge of the term before the 1990s.

It's not related to "ditzy" meaning silly.

I remember the term in the 90s. When ditsy print dresses were a popular grunge fashion.

I always thought that it was "ditzy" when describing some a bit dizzy/silly (Goldie Hawn in Rowan & Martin's laugh in always comes to mind!)

And ditsy for the fabric!