The Met Store Four Seasons Paisley Oversize Structured Tote* Bags

An art tote bag inspired by The Met collection.

Tote around a bit of The Met with this artful structured bag. In the early 19th century, luxurious shawls from Kashmir became indispensable fashion accessories for the stylish European woman. The patterns on these costly, hand-woven shawls generally incorporated the boteh form, an ancient Persian motif based on the tree of life. By the midcentury, machine-made reproductions were being produced with popularity in Europe. Paisley, which is derived from the boteh design, gets its name from the Scottish town that produced many of these shawls until they fell out of favor in the 1870s. A mid-19th-century French or Scottish example in The Met collection, presenting a “four seasons” layout swirling around a central point, informs our stylish…See More