Pantone swatches

Pantone have launched their Fashion colour report for autumn 2010.  Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute® describes the palette as an“innovative take on fundamental basics, as well as transporting, lively colours that conjure images of travel and adventure, whether real or aspirational.”

Several leading American designers describe their inspiration for the selected colours that we’ll be seeing in fashion retail later in the year.  I thought I would take a look at the colour chips described and offer my own thoughts on how I think these colours work together.

Oyster Gray and Rose Dust have the ethereal qualities of the attractive and harmonious cool, muted summer palette. The addition of Purple Orchid brings the palette to life adding excitement and depth. These colours are indeed ‘aspirational’ alluding to quality, elegance and timelessness. Soft and light like a summery breeze they are suited to flowing, diaphanous fabrics, cashmere wools and silks.

Endive, Golden Glow, Living Coral, Lipstick Red, Chocolate Truffle, Lagoon, Woodbine and Lagoon appear more rich and muted. Fiery and intense these flavorsome earthy autumn shades are more ‘adventurous’ and work well together in a palette suiting perhaps textured, substantial and sumptuous fabrics. The Chocolate Truffle (yummy!) is an excellent wearable choice instead of black; it has the depth and gravitas but yet is warmer and more approachable. Piquant Lipstick Red and Golden Glow add spice and energy to the collection. Endive and Living Coral are both slightly ‘livelier’ colours adding a little sparkle to the group, whilst Lagoon adds a touch of calm to the collection.

I’m encouraged by the way the reports’ designers think about and view colour and as a colourist fully embrace the message of how colour can make you feel. I would be interested to hear your own views and comments too.

“My new fashion colours rule: Try it you might like it. In the last few years there’s been such an influx of colour in fashion, including the new neutrals which range from the iciest pinks to the lightest lavenders. Faced with all these choices, women may revert to black, but I urge them to give colour a try”.

Constance White – ebay Style Director

“It’s never been more important to show who you are and what you believe in and there’s not a more subtle way of doing that than with colour”

Collier Strong Celebrity Make-up Artist

“You’ll be amazed at what a splash of colour can do to both your’look’ and your ‘outlook’”

Cate Adair Costume Designer – Desperate Housewives

Personal colour psychology – find out for yourself how the colours that you wear have an effect on how you feel http://www.incolourconsultancy.com/personal_colour.htm

View the Pantone Fashion Colour Report here:
http://www.pantone.co.uk/downloads/articles/pdfs/PANTONE_Fashion_Color_Report_Fall_2010.pdf

Hello! Have any of your New Year resolutions included the one about watching what you eat? Thought so! However, it seems that no sooner have we got over the excess of Christmas than we are surrounded by the further temptation of the ‘choc-fest’ that is Valentines. This is the day that we celebrate romance and associate with declarations of love and the giving of hearts and flowers.

I thought you might be interested to know a little of the background to this tradition.The origin of the celebration of Valentines Day is said to have had its roots in the times of the Roman Empire and the pagan Feast of Lupercalia. Each year in the month of February the shepherds would gather to praise their god Lupercus, in the hope that he would protect their flocks from the wolves that prowled around Rome.

The fertility goddess Juno was also honoured as part of this ritual. Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses, Juno was associated with the moon and with all aspects and cycles of womanhood. The festival of Matronalia celebrated this goddess of childbirth, motherhood and women in general. Women would participate in rituals at the temple and would receive gifts from their daughters and husbands whom were expected to offer prayers for their wives(!).

In these times the lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. But, on the eve of the festival of Lupercalia a match-making custom took place where the names of young girls would be written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl’s name from the jar and they both would then be partners for the duration of the festival.

However it was the actions of Saint Valentine, a priest in Rome at this time, whose name also became synonymous with this ancient custom when coming to the aid of marrying couples in secret, led to his death at the hands of  Emperor Claudius II in 270AD.

Through the ages many different ‘Valentines’ traditions have continued including the custom of sending our ’sweethearts’ loving messages on this day. The colour that we associate with ‘love’ and it’s qualities of nurture, romance and compassion is the ultimate universal ‘feminine’ colour – pink.

Wearing shades or tones of pink emphasise our approachable, soft and caring qualities and wearing the right pink will make you appear quite ‘alluring’ – even attracting the attention of a possible mate! Lighter pinks seem to us softer and sweeter, perhaps more gentle. Brighter, clearer pinks can be seen as more youthful and fun. Dynamic hot fuchsia or magenta pinks are stronger and more assertive. Deeper pinks or red-pinks can seem more passionate.

More likely than not when we think of romantic thoughts our mood can be described as ‘in the pink’ meaning happy and in the best possible health. Many cosmetic and some skin related healthcare products will be packaged in pink. In colour psychology the colour pink also represents the physical self, reminding us of skin it is physically soothing so it can be a colour to think about using for the bathroom where of course we are in the ‘psychological mode’ of thinking about our bodies. Similarly you might like to consider using shades of pink in your bedroom where you get dressed, apply skincare and make-up. Warmer orangey-pink tones are more ’sensual’ colours to use in the bedroom and can remind us of warm sunsets before the darkness of night-time settles in.

Warm orangey-pink tones are more sensual

Which are your most ‘romantic’ colours?

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