Have you noticed between rails of sale goods the first trickle of the new autumn stock? At least 2 years ago trend forecasters will have provided designers and retailers with the research and ‘trend intelligence’ that have influenced what we currently see on the clothes rails.

Observations of cultural and social developments and socio-economic changes influence the future choices of the style, colours, shapes and textures that we are wearing today.  Autumn/Winter 2010/11 trend/colour palettes fall broadly in to three categories given similar themed names by forecasters that for the most part will be repeated for 2011/12 trends too. Below is a snapshot of the upcoming trends with a my take on each of the colour palettes, what moods or feelings they evoke and what type of personality would suit the trends.

image thanks to www.millionlooks.com

A/W 2010-11 Tribe/Origins/Primal: These earthy, warm, yellow based, muted, intense, fiery shades communicate qualities of passion, friendship/kinship, environmental concern, culture, spiritual and values. The ‘native’ styling trend influences the fabrics, textures and detail. In 2011-12 the ‘natural’ print theme becomes more ‘camouflage’ and animal inspired! The look is relaxed, natural and comfortable and quite suited to the autumn-linked personality.

A/W 2010-11 Order/Cleanse/innovate: These clear, blue based, strong contrasting saturated colours or icy tints are ‘forward thinking’ and communicate technology, science and the avante-garde. Luxurious fabrics, almost futuristic, structured and sculpted design lends itself to the drama of the winter personality.

A/W 2010-11 Escape/synergy: These cool, blue based, greyish, muted soft tones communicate harmony, simplicity, escapism, balance, elegance, aspiration and quality. Dream-like, these soft, fluid shapes and the exquisite detailing lend themselves to the summer personality beautifully.

With thanks to www.mudpie.co.uk for trend information.

New! Autumn course dates – click the links or contact us for further details

The study of colour psychology is a fascinating subject and whether for personal development or to add an in depth understanding of the subject to add another dimension to your professional skills, in:colour offer a variety of courses and workshops to suit you.

Workshops – coming up

The power of colour psychology – an introductory 2 day workshop in to the world of colour psychology

Colour your business – 1 day workshop on how to use colour effectively in your branding and business communications

The secrets of colour - this 1 day workshop for stylists and fashion professionals adds depth and understanding to your knowledge of colour, which will enhance your client consultations

Autumn courses

Personal colour psychology consultant - become a personal and lifestyle colour psychology consultant

Colour psychology for interior design – discover how to use colour psychology to improve your clients environment

Colour psychology for design and communication - use the language and power of colour psychology to improve your marketing communications

Have you planned your getaway for the summer holidays yet?

Colour by numbers - the Pantone Hotel

In my pursuit of colourful design ideas my attention was drawn this week to the Pantone Hotel in Brussels. The ‘Pantone Hotel Experience’ invites you to travel to a “colorific world – experienced through a lens of colour and spectrum of comforts”. The design ethos is described as an ‘exceptional use of contrast where a white canvas provides clean space for saturated colours to pop’.

Quite startling in design, definition and drama are certainly created by the space and reflective qualities of white married with intense bursts of colour in the furnishings and artwork.

The feeling among many designers of different disciplines about including white in design is that it adds impeccable, classy, elegant, clean, simple, peaceful, sophisticated qualities; whilst making other colours in its space appear more intense and vibrant. As white doesn’t alter the reflection of light from its surface it will appear ‘bright’ compared to its surroundings and appear to open up a space.

Citrus at the Semiramus

Another eye popping colourful hotel worth a look is the Semiramis in Athens. Designed by Karim Rashid the look is ultra contemporary and I like the way that colour is used to define space. The colour palettes are sugared almond  (complete with squishy looking marshmallow chairs in the lobby!) or bright and citrusy countered with a lot of white.

Other colourful hotels worth a look are the Mykonos Theoxenia, Greece and the Hi Hotel in Nice

Want to brighten up your space? The Dulux Light & Space range offer a range of ‘whites’ (with a hint of colour) that reflect up to twice as much light around a room.

I was asked this week by a journalist about suitable colours for ‘men’s bedrooms’. Should there be a difference in the way that men or women decorate their bedroom?

Well… yes and no.

I had to comment a few years ago on the décor chosen by a TV designer for just such a room. Whilst it ticked all the boxes for gadgets and hardware, the colour scheme used for everything from the walls, to the floor to the bedlinen was red and black. Everywhere.

We respond to combinations of colour. The heated energy of red together with the power and mystery of black could be perhaps one of the most uncomfortable pairings I can think of for a bedroom. The interviewer was waiting and I was kind of lost for words as I was thinking that most female of the species when seduced in to this lair would want to run for their lives.

It can be a common mistake to go for what we might associate with ‘male’ or ‘female’ colours when the better approach to take would be to ask yourself how you actually use the room. Sometimes our bedroom can be more than just somewhere we go to sleep and then wake up to dress for the day.  It can be our personal sanctuary to read, meditate and relax. Consider how well you sleep, do you wake up refreshed and ready to go in the morning? Do you study or watch TV in your room? A tint or less intense shade of the colour that you wish to use can enable you to fall asleep more easily, and then balance it with a secondary colour that is stimulating enough to wake up to. Much like creating a

sensual and romantic?

recipe for a favourite dish, interior decoration requires a careful balance between the ‘ingredients’ of colour.

Shades, tints or tones of pink/peach are physically soothing. The more orangey they are the more ‘sensual’ they can seem and this could be quite an attractive quality to have in a bedroom.

calming but too cool?

Light blue which can be calming for the mind whereas the right colour green can be refreshing and restorative.

However be aware. Yellow although a bright, cheery colour is also emotionally stimulating and it’s quite likely that you may find it more difficult to drop off to sleep than usual. If you don’t want to banish yellow all together and quite like seeing it in the morning for it’s ‘wakey wakey’ properties then I would suggest keeping it on one wall and painting the others using a balancing colour in your room such as a soft or toning purple which will make it much more restful.

Find out about an interior colour consultation for your home

NEW – Bookable online spring/summer  workshops!

What is colour? Why does it have an effect on us and how can we harness its benefits? The Power of Colour Psychology Weekend Workshop 24th/25th July

If colour is a language – what are the colours of your business communications saying about you? Colour Your Business Workshop 8th June and 6th July

Did anyone catch last weeks ‘presidential’ TV debate? If not live then you almost certainly can’t have failed to hear about it in the rest of the media!

One of the points that I often try to make about colour is that it is – to quote Angela Wright, ‘the universal non verbal language’. We use colour to communicate. Everyday we make choices (mostly subconsciously) about what colours to wear that whether we realise it or not, express how we feel.

Each leader David, Gordon and Nick all wore ties in their respective party colour of course, and one of the things that struck me as interesting when reading about last weeks debate was that each of the party leaders also appeared to exhibit qualities in their behaviour which reflected their party colour!

Perhaps previously considered the underdog, the overall impression was that Nick Clegg’s polished performance had ‘come out on top’ with a confident address to the viewers. A more noticeable colour, the positive aspects of the liberal party colour yellow express qualities of confidence, optimism and positivity.

Contrast this delivery with the overriding opinion of Gordon Brown’s performance in the Labour ‘red corner’ as being ‘aggressive and attacking, repeatedly interrupting and becoming increasingly frustrated’. These ‘behaviours’ are most synonymous with the negative traits of the colour red whilst David Cameron in the ‘blue corner’ was described as ‘statesmanlike, holding his nerve under a barrage from the Prime Minister’. Cool, calm and collected blue can appear authorative if a little predictable and safe.

Purple Power – Gordon Brown and team tapping in to the potential of purple

According to reports in one daily newspaper on Budget day the Labour party front benches ‘were awash with ties in epsicopal mauve’ and more recently our prime minister and his wife have been photographed wearing the colour purple. What can this mean?

Normally we associate the Labour party with the colour red which is physically stimulating but there are times when other qualities need to come to the fore when planning for a possible future victory.

Considered a ‘regal’ colour purple is a symbol of authority and rank. Before more modern dyeing and colouring processes the colour purple was difficult to obtain and therefore usually only worn by royalty, the higher echelons of the church and the very wealthy.

Although purple may not be considered a colour  for ‘partying’, none the less a prospective governing or official group could do worse than adopt purple as a colour; it expresses aspects of the ‘higher mind’. The purposeful and authentic qualities of purple that Gordon Brown and his team are favouring would seem to show that they share a sense of truth, quality and authority.

Other variations of purple might be described as violet, lilac, lavender, mauve and heather. Currently still a strong high street colour, the lighter or softer variations may make us appear more approachable and wearing or surrounding yourself with purple would help you to find inspiration and develop your imagination. Team purple with a complementing version of yellow and you have a visually inspiring, winning, confident and powerful combination!

NEW – Bookable online spring/summer  workshops!

What is colour? Why does it have an effect on us and how can we harness its benefits? The Power of Colour Psychology Weekend Workshop 22nd/23rd May and 24th/25th July

If colour is a language – what are the colours of your business communications saying about you? Colour Your Business Workshop 8th June and 6th July

Personal style is a growing profession – differentiate yourself with an enhanced knowledge of colour! The Secrets of Colour Workshop May 14th.