What Is A Vandyke Motif?

A vandyke motif, which you will also see as van dyke or Van Dyck, is a decorative edge made of deep, V-shaped or triangular points lined up in a row. Those points, called vandyke points, run along the edge of a fabric, lace, collar, sleeve, or trim. The name comes from the seventeenth-century Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), whose portrait sitters so often wore lace collars with these deeply scalloped points that the look took his name. You will find the vandyke motif across fashion, embroidery, lace, dressmaking, decorative trim, hemlines, and wallpaper, always with that signature scalloped, sawtooth edge.

We will look at where the name and shape come from, what makes the design recognizable, how it developed over time, how it appears in modern fashion and textiles, and how it connects to embroidery, sewing, lace, and wallpaper.

What is a vandyke motif?

It is a decorative shape made of deeply indented, V-shaped or triangular points arranged in a row along an edge or border. Each point is sharp, two straight lines meeting at a downward angle to form a V or triangle, and the points repeat in a continuous run to make a deeply scalloped or sawtooth edge.

It is most often used as edging or trim on the border of a dress, collar, sleeve, hem, or textile, and its deep, elongated points are what set it apart from rounded scallop edging and from a plain zigzag; a true vandyke edge has deep, sharp, often long points rather than shallow ones. The shape can be cut directly into the cloth to make a pointed hem or lace edge, embroidered onto a fabric as vandyke embroidery, or appliqued on as a separate band of trim. The method changes the effect a little, but the basic idea, a row of deeply indented points, holds across every use.

Where does the vandyke name come from?

From the painter. Anthony van Dyck was the leading court portraitist of his age, principal painter to Charles I of England, and the elegant sitters in his canvases are forever shown in the deeply pointed lace collars then in fashion. Those collars became so identified with the figures in his portraits that the pointed lace itself was christened the vandyke collar, and the V-shaped points the vandyke points. The same painter lent his name to the vandyke beard, the neat pointed beard his subjects so often wore, and to vandyke brown, the deep brown pigment of his palette. The motif, the collar, the beard, and the color all trace back to one artist and the look of his sitters.

What makes the vandyke design recognizable?

The depth and sharpness of the points. A vandyke edge is unmistakable because its triangles are deep and often elongated, plunging well into the cloth rather than nicking it, and because they repeat in an even, rhythmic row. Set it beside a scallop, which is rounded, or a simple zigzag, which is shallow and angular, and the vandyke reads as bolder and more elegant, almost heraldic. Whether cut, stitched, or appliqued, that row of deep, even, pointed Vs is the signature every time.

How did the vandyke develop over time?

It began as seventeenth-century lace. The deeply pointed collars of van Dyck's era set the template, and the motif then resurfaced whenever fashion looked back to that romantic, cavalier elegance. The Romantic movement of the 1820s and 1830s revived deeply pointed vandyke collars and hems, and Victorian dressmaking used the edge widely on collars, cuffs, and flounces. Through the twentieth century it recurred in lace, bridalwear, and theatrical costume whenever a historical or romantic note was wanted, and it never fully left the dressmaker's repertoire, where a pointed hem or vandyke trim remains a quick way to add drama to an edge.

How is the vandyke used in modern fashion and textiles?

It still earns its keep along edges. In fashion it shapes pointed hems on skirts and dresses, decorative collars and cuffs, and the deep points of bridal and evening lace. In dressmaking and embroidery it is a standard edge finish, worked by hand or machine, and in lace-making the deeply pointed border is a classic form. Beyond clothing it appears as a decorative band on linens, curtains, and lampshades, and as a printed or block-edged border on wallpaper, where the row of points makes a crisp, graphic frieze. Our Wallpaper Trends 2026 guide covers where geometric borders sit in current decoration.

How does the vandyke connect to embroidery, lace, and wallpaper?

Through the edge, in every case. In embroidery, vandyke stitch and vandyke edging build the row of points in thread, a traditional way to finish a hem or panel. In lace, the deeply pointed border is one of the oldest decorative edges there is, central to the collars that gave the motif its name. And on wallpaper, the same shape becomes a border print or a block-edged frieze, a band of even points running along a cornice, a chair rail, or the top of a papered wall. The thread changes, the cloth or paper changes, but the deep, repeating V stays constant. Browse border and geometric designs at William Morris Wallpaper.

Vandyke motif questions

What is a vandyke motif?

It is a decorative edge of deep, V-shaped or triangular points arranged in a row, making a scalloped, sawtooth border. The points, called vandyke points, run along a fabric, lace, collar, hem, or trim.

Where does the vandyke name come from?

From the Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), court painter to Charles I, whose portrait figures wore deeply pointed lace collars. The collars and their points took his name, as did the vandyke beard and vandyke brown pigment.

What makes a vandyke edge different from a scallop?

Depth and shape. A vandyke edge is made of deep, sharp, often elongated triangular points, while a scallop is rounded and a zigzag is shallow. The deep, even points are the vandyke's signature.

How is the vandyke used today?

On pointed hems, collars, and cuffs, in bridal and evening lace, as an embroidery and dressmaking edge finish, and as a printed border on linens, lampshades, and wallpaper. It adds a crisp, slightly historical drama to any edge.

What is vandyke embroidery?

It is embroidery that works the row of deep V-shaped points in thread, by hand or machine, as a decorative edge on a hem or panel. Vandyke stitch is the traditional stitch used to build the shape.

How did the vandyke develop over time?

From seventeenth-century lace collars it was revived in the Romantic 1820s and 1830s and used widely in Victorian dressmaking, then recurred through the twentieth century in lace, bridalwear, and costume whenever a romantic or historical look was wanted.

How does the vandyke appear on wallpaper?

As a border print or block-edged frieze, a band of even, deep points running along a cornice, chair rail, or the top of a papered wall. It makes a crisp, graphic edge that frames a plainer field.

Where can I buy vandyke-influenced wallpaper?

You can browse border and geometric designs at William Morris Wallpaper.