04/29/2026
I wanted to learn more about chinoiserie so I did a little research, after I learned to spell it. 🤣 Did you know the blue and white patterns we all know and love have been traveling the world for over a thousand years?
The cobalt blue in classic blue and white pottery? It didn’t originate in China. The pigment was actually imported from Persia during the Tang dynasty — and from there, Chinese potters turned it into something the entire world eventually wanted. By the 17th and 18th centuries, European traders were so obsessed with Chinese porcelain that they couldn’t import it fast enough. So they started making their own version. They called it chinoiserie — French for “in the Chinese style” — and it spread from pottery to textiles to wallpaper to furniture. It showed up at Versailles. It’s never fully gone away, and honestly, why would it?
Which brings me to something I’ve been sitting on for a few months now.
Tilda’s Something Blue collection was directly inspired by designer Tone Finnanger’s love of blue and white pottery. When I first saw it, I understood immediately. The florals, the delicacy, the way the prints seem almost porcelain-like — it’s that same centuries-old aesthetic, translated into fabric.
I’m pre-selling both Something Blue and the coordinating Poppy Seed collection now. Shipping June 1st.
I’ll be sharing more over the next few weeks. If blue and white anything makes your heart skip a beat, stick around.
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