I love Paisley
On my travels through India in search of textiles I came across Paisley everywhere in some form or another. It’s on the motifs, all throughout their architecture, and so many textual designs have a form of paisley through them!
Back in the 1870s, when the west discovered the humble but very practical (and let’s not forget comfortable) pyjama’s, Paisley seemed to be the traditional print. The Indians can trace the Paisley print back to their Persian ancestors, in fact back to the Sassanian Dynasty, and the design has been popular ever since.
Did you know that Pyjama is actually taken from the Hindi word “Paejama” which means covering the leg?
The west adopted pyjamas (covering the legs) around 1890, using them as nightwear for men instead of the nightshirt. The humble pyjama was also a comfortable “at home” lounge wear at night.
We can thank Coco Chanel for bringing the PJ to us girls, she chose beautiful exuberant cottons and marketed them to an affluent Parisian society. She didn’t stop at nightwear, she ventured into lounge pyjamas for the evenings, she then introduced the shirt to match!
1900s Hollywood also embraced the elegant but humble pyjamas, actresses such as Claudette Colbert and Greta Garbo eventually could not resist the allure of the lounge wear garment, even daring to mix and match to create a certain ensemble. Even in 2014 we are still in love with our PJs!
My particular favourite use of the paisley pattern is in the exquisite bedspreads found in India! Each time I go to India I am amazed by the unique pattern that each bedspread has, and I just can’t stop myself from bringing a few back with me. The following is one of my favourite paisley bedspreads, and is a gorgeous way to spruce up any room in your house.
Paisley Bedspread
I’d love to know what your favourite paisley patterns and colours are, so please leave a comment below.
– Serena
