The recoil of anisotropic hydroxypropylcellulose solutions was studied by optical microscopy and light scattering. Different stresses were applied before stopping the flow and observing the recoil. At low stress levels, the scaling of the recoverable strain versus scaled relaxation time applies. A change of texture is noticeable only after most of the strain has been recovered. At a high stress level, a band texture appears during recoil. The appearance of this band texture stops the recovery process until the band texture disappears, and the recovery process then continues. The presence of a band texture during recoil is shown to promote a larger recoil.