Taigan Fetch Magazine by Taigan

I’ve never encountered a pattern with quite so many shifts in personality as paisley. Though it can be used in serious rooms, like libraries and sitting rooms, it’s certainly more laid-back than a slightly stuck-up toile du jouy and its graphic appeal, when used en masse, isn’t as upfront as a bold stripe.

When it’s repeated in shades of lavendar, pale blue or rosy pink it can be somewhat soft-around-the-edges, but there’s no mistaking it for a prissy floral.

Quite frankly, there’s just something about it you can’t put your finger on. Just think: Bad boy John Lennon, of 1960’s Beatles-fame painted his Rolls Royce with the design. The waspy apparel company, Brooks Brothers, with a reputation for all that’s prim and proper, once designed an entire suit in it. And, skiers in the 2010 winter Olympics clad in a bright multi-colored version of it.

The nuances of the pattern are what I find most appealing. A buttoned-up room covered in it can secretly convey a rebellious nature, leaving you to decide whether you want to sit down with a serious read or, instead, just have a cigarette. One of my favorite rooms is a dining room by Chicago designer Alessandra Branca, with walls covered in a paisley block-print by the textile company Les Indiennes. It’s a typical room in the sense there’s a round table and eight chairs with a chandelier centered above, except that there are oversized indigo-colored paisley shapes repeated all over the walls, adding an unexpected, bohemian flare. You can just imagine that the conversations around the table are the juicy, interesting kind.

Its origins trace back to ancient Babylon, where the shape (resembling a tear-drop, of course) was a symbol representing the growing shoot of a date palm. At the time, the palm provided essential food, clothing and shelter, and was so importantly regarded it became known as ‘The Tree of Life’, often accepted as a symbol of fertility.

Paisley, as an actual textile, however, originated in India and Persia in the form of “shawls”–en vogue among women, but also used by men in the form of waist girdles. The name, came around later in the 1800s when the Scottish town, Paisley, ingeniously capitalized on the Middle Eastern pattern with the invention of a loom that could weave up to 15 colors, as opposed to the Eastern two-colored ones. After that, Paisley prints increasingly became masse produced and eventually winded up stamped on cotton squares giving birth to the modern-day bandana.

So paisley’s romp through history just might be the ultimate “high-low” experience, considering its long-ago popular demand among ancient royalty who regarded its vibrant colors and intricate detail, all the way to neck of a modern day cowboy.

– Beaty Coleman

Above, from left: Style Paris off-the-shoulder summer top in blue-and-white silk/cotton
Center, top: Hollyhock June Street chair in Green Paisley by Suzanne Rheinstein for Lee Jofa.
Bottom: Hollyhock Robin Chair in Paisley Linen by Suzanne Rheinstein for Lee Jofa.
Right: Robert Graham Men’s Beat Shirt from Maverick Western Wear

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