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Paisley or Paisley pattern is a droplet-shaped vegetal motif, similar to half of the Yin yang symbol, the Indian bodhi tree leaf, or the mango tree. The pattern is sometimes called "persian pickles" by American traditionalists, especially quiltmakers.
Origins
A floral motif called buta, which originated in the Safavid Dynasty of Persia, was adapted in India to its familiar shape and spread to Scotland when soldiers returning from the colonies brought home cashmere shawls.
From roughly 1800 to 1850, using Jacquard looms, the weavers of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, adapted the design and wove woollen shawls, hence the design is popularly known as the Paisley pattern. Changes in fashion led to the demise of the shawl, bringing hardship to the weavers in Scotland and the originators in Kashmir.
Modern popularity
The shape has been widely adopted since its early use. Although the influence is not clear, the Turkish tughra calligraphic seal strongly resembles the paisley shape. Some design scholars call the distinct shape boteh and believe it is the convergence of a stylized floral spray and a cypress tree: a Zoroastrian symbol of life and eternity. It has been suggested that paisley is also a representation of fractals.
Paisley was particularly popular during the Summer of Love. John Lennon had a Rolls Royce painted with the design in 1967. Also, Fender Guitars made a Pink Paisley version of their Telecaster guitar, by sticking paisley wallpaper onto the guitar bodies.
Paisley became popular again in the late 1980s/early 1990s particularly with African-American gangs, the Bloods and the Crips, when, respectively, red or blue paisley bandanas were worn as a signifier of gang affliation. Thus in modern times, paisley bandanas are often (but not always) used as a signifier of gangland affiliation, particularly in contemporary rap videos by the likes of Snoop Dogg and The Game (rapper).
Paisley design had a renaissance in 2000/2001 and most recently 2004 and early 2005, when men's designers such as Robert Talbott began using the pattern again in ties.
Paisley is a popular motif in Vera Bradley bags.
Bill Lumbergh, the incompetent boss in the motion picture Office Space, showed a particular affinity for Paisley.
"Paisley (design)"