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….as well as quotable quotes from our colorful leader and color expert, Leatrice (Lee) Eiseman. Lee has written seven books on color. She is the Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, the Director of the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training and a color/design consultant to many industries. Fortune Magazine has named her as one of the 10 top decision makers for her work in color and she is widely quoted in the media. Enjoy!!
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April 29, 2009
Dear Color Lovers,
Thank you for your patience, it must have looked like our color wheel went berserk. Anyway, we're back after a few colorful technical splatters. We've recovered and hope you continue to find our blog a creative source of inspiration!
PRWeb
Press Release Newswire
by Vicky Melen
Beauty Business Staying Strong for Neill Corporation
Experiences, not Possessions, Leads to Greater Happiness for Today's Consumer
Conde Nast Portfolio recently announced the results of a poll they conducted asking readers where they had made cuts--or were planning to--in their budgets.
Hair color by David Adams for Aveda
In a move that shows a lesser focus on possessions and status and more on experiences, the last area in which cuts were being made, with only 1.1% of readers, is "Stop coloring hair" (after "Stop giving to charity," "Selling my house" and "Let go of nanny.") This is the latest information in a string of recent reporting that indicates that buying experiences, not possessions, leads to greater happiness.
This statement also supports the long-held theory that the last thing for women to cut out of their budget is beauty; they still want to look, and feel better, even when going through tough times.
"Being a hair colorist, obviously this information is news to my ears," says David Adams, president of hair color training company Red Chocolate, and celebrity colorist. "But I think this is about more than just the aesthetic. When women go for professional beauty services such as a hair color, they are hopefully getting a great, personalized and relaxing service as well in a change in their look. We all need some of that, especially now."
Over the last year, professors at San Francisco State University have been researching consumers' most recent purchases in relation to how they feel. Participants indicated that experiential purchases, such as a meal out or theater tickets, represented money better spent and greater happiness for both themselves and others; these experiences satisfy higher order needs, specifically the need for social connectedness and vitality. This leads to longer-term satisfaction.
"Maybe this belief has held because money is making some people happy some of the time, at least when they spend it on life experiences," says Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University. "And why they maybe be happier is that experiential purchases may provide 'positive memory capital.'"
But there is a catch: only up to a certain point, is the experience worthwhile. Within the life experience category, data showed no correlation between cost of a purchase and the happiness reported. "This is a fascinating indicator," says Howell, "it tells us that when times are tough people don't need to stop buying life experiences, they just buy the less expensive ones. We know that up to $400 there is no greater happiness associated to the purchase, than, say a $30 experience; they both make you equally more happy than a material item."
Paris Parker is a line of salons and spas across the Southeast of Louisiana--and a company that has recently seen increases of certain service sales along with the decreases.
Even though customers may be extending their haircuts by waiting an extra 4-6 weeks for a new appointment, women are still seeing their hair colorist on a regular basis, although perhaps getting less concentrated treatments, such as highlights around the face, or a color-melt only, rather than all-over foils.
In addition, more than 20% of all calls answered per day are now requests for value pricing, from men as well as women, leading to an increase in bookings with newer artists. This system supports both the junior artists who need to build their client base, and the customer who is looking for a more economical option--providing a win-win for everyone involved.
"Businesses need to adapt, and they need to do it now," says Sharilyn Abbajay, Chief Operating Officer for Neill Corporation, owner of Paris Parker Salons and Spas. "It's time to listen to our customers and adapt to their needs. Every one of us, especially during hard and stressful times, will not compromise on finding a gratifying experience that for a moment creates an escape of pure joy."
"Whatever the reasoning behind this new research, one thing is certain," says Debra-Neill Baker, Chairman of Neill Corporation, "…women will always want to look and feel beautiful. Now is a time for business leaders the world over to realize the opportunity they have to make a positive impact on every one of their customers."
April 27, 2009
Cleveland.com
Fashion and Style
Marylou Luther
“Yet another comment about mimosa yellow— the color chosen by Lee as Pantone’s color of the year.”
The 'now' color for spring and summer is yellow
Dear Marylou:
You told us about the colors for next fall, but what about the colors for the more immediate spring and summer? - J.L., Chagrin Falls.
The "now" color is yellow, especially the shade called mimosa, says color guru Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
"No other color expresses hope and reassurance more than yellow because it exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun," she says. New York designer Joanna Mastroianni, whose spring collection is a veritable rainbow of color, says that not only was she drawn to yellow as a predominant color in her collection, but her customers also reacted enthusiastically. "The consumer, especially the luxury consumer, is incredibly direct. If she likes it, she will respond.
"When we started our trunk shows, the consumer came right over to color. I think color reflects the psychology of the moment. Women want to feel better. Color can be uplifting."
Mastroianni, whose amethyst goddess gown was worn by Alison Krauss as she accepted her Grammy Awards in February, says her overall color inspiration was design legend Tony Duquette, "whose work in costume and set design was always about color." She calls the dress in her illustration Ms. Sunny Flirt "because she seems really happy, feminine, modern and comfortable."
April 21, 2009
By William Loeffler
PITTSBURG TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Yellow makes a spring splash
  
When the chips are down, break out the yellow.
Color experts are touting the sunny shade as a balm to recession-weary America.
Yellow walls in the kitchen or living room can stand in for sunshine. A yellow camisole or pair of gladiator sandals can add pop to an outfit. And there are hundreds, if not thousands of shades, from saffron to citrus to honey.There's also mimosa, a golden hue which was chosen by Pantone, a color research and marketing firm in New Jersey, as their color of the year for 2009.
Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, echoed the Obama administration's buzzwords in her description of yellow.
"We know that yellow is the color of change and hope and enlightenment," Eiseman says. "It's the color that most people associate with sunlight, which gives us a feeling of warmth." Yellow's coming-out party may have been the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration, when Michelle Obama wore a yellow sheath dress and matching coat, designed by Isabel Toledo. It was hailed as a departure from the traditional red or blue usually worn by first ladies.
Elsewhere, Oscar-winner "Slumdog Millionaire" featured actress Freida Pinto wearing golden shades of yellow. The mustard-yellow scarf she wore in the scene at the train station inspired many fashionistas to sport their own golden-hued scarves. Michael Kors 2009 spring collection for men features a pair of traffic-stopping yellow clamdiggers paired with a black cardigan, and a bright yellow turtleneck with checked shorts.
"I think that there are many more people who have gotten the message of bringing light into the atmosphere by using yellow paint," Eiseman says. "But you're also seeing yellow in housewares. You're seeing it in small appliances. You're seeing it in prints and patterns, and sofas and wall coverings and accessories."
Also, Eiseman says that there are so many different shades of yellow that just about anyone can find one that flatters them.
"There is this urban legend that yellow makes babies cry and makes people more irritable," she says. "There is no justification for any of those claims."
Excerpt from Colors For Your Every Mood
By Leatrice Eiseman
YELLOW
Energy and Life
Give any child a piece of paper and yellow crayon. Immediately there appears a drawing of the sun, complete with a little yellow rays sparkling optimistically around a big vibrant yellow circle. Child and adult alike feel cheered and comforted when enveloped in sunshine. We instinctively lift our faces to the sun, just as the buttercups and daffodils do.
From the beginning of time, humans have worshiped the golden glow of the sun. The association of yellow to the sun is universal. For many ancient civilizations, yellow and its glimmering sister of gold were deified and sacred. Because of their proximity to the heavens, these colors signified divine love and enlightened human understanding.
The Golden Glow
In most cultures gold also expresses status and prestige. It is the most precious of all metals. The pursuit of turning a baser metals into gold (a process known as alchemy) may have been practiced a far back as 3,000 B.C. with the Egyptians, who first developed the technique of gilding. In medieval times this chemistry flourished, but it died out with the arrival of Descartes and the Age of Rationalism in the 17th century.
Because of the ancient associations of sun and gold to the gods, this most perfect of metals was equated to the perfect spirit The golden-yellow aura that meant power for the Egyptians came to mean glory in the Christian world. In Western Christian civilizations, gold-leaf backgrounds of sacred paintings and altar covers signify salvation and divine glory.
In classical times, yellow was the color of the sun god Apollo. It stood for generosity, nobility, widow, and divinity. In ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, the bridges and priests wore yellow because it was considered sacred.
In most languages, it is almost impossible to separate the meaning of gold from yellow. The English word for yellow is derived primarily from the Indo-European ghelwo, "related to gold" or "to gleam." Additional inspiration for yellow names comes from less lofty sources: flowers, animals, vegetable, fruits and minerals: LEMONADE, DANDELION, PRIMROSE YELLOW, NUGGET GOLD, CANARY YELLOW AND POPCORN.
Visit Colors For Your Every Mood for more information about yellow
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Color/Design Training Program
Bainbridge Island, WA
July 16-19, 2009
By Leatrice Eiseman
If you have a background in color and a passion for color....
Click here for
Color/Design information packet
or send an email to leiseman@nwlink.com
April 10, 2009
Elle
Fashion/Fashion Spotlight
By Candace Lombardi
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF POLITICAL FASHION
A look at how color and style choices in Washington convey messages in politics
When Michelle Obama showed up for her first day on the job wearing a lemon-colored shift dress and coat combo, her Inauguration Day attire wasn’t just another example of her heady sartorial choices. Her classic yellow tweed Isabel Toledo ensemble, whether the first lady knew it or not, had a political agenda in mind. In fact, the sunny shade, a seemingly unconventional color for a city mired in red and blue, first debuted in political circles during the suffrage movement.
At the turn of the twentieth century, politicians wore a yellow rose in their lapel if they were for the Nineteenth Amendment (granting women the right to vote) and a red rose if they were against it. As a result, yellow is seen as a positive political color today, according to Dr. Mary Ellen Balchunis, a professor at La Salle University who specializes in women and politics.
Purple, a color used in suffrage banners because it was said to stand for dignity—and a hue oft spotted on the fashionable first lady—can also signal a positive attitude. While many politicians wore blue or red ties to indicate blue-state or red-state loyalty during the Bush administration, purple is worn to signal a spirit of bipartisanship, according to Laura Schwartz, political consultant and former director of events for the White House social office during the Clinton administration.
Sometimes a trend even becomes a classic. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright wore lapel pins, many of them by Ann Hand, Washington’s reigning patriotic jeweler, as a way to convey her mood throughout her tenure.
”The pin trend that started with Albright developed in the ’90s and has completely held its value. It's now a timeless piece in political fashion," said Schwartz. Today, Ann Hand wearers include Laura Bush, Elizabeth Edwards, Tipper Gore, Theresa Heinz Kerry, Cindy McCain, and Condoleezza Rice.
Lifestyle changes also carry over into political fashion. “As the first lady, Hillary Clinton wore a lot of St. John clothing, and it really flattered her,” says Schwartz. “When she ran for the Senate in 2000, she switched to more tailored pantsuits to break from her softer first lady role, but she kept the look feminine by adding vibrant color, like bright pink, under her suits." Then during her presidential campaign, she went even bolder with colored pantsuits: “When you’re at a rally with 5,000 people you’ve got to stand out among the other politicians onstage,” says Schwartz.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also turned to vibrant color as a way to assert herself visually at press conferences alongside the plethora of congressmen in dark suits.
During the Bush administration, tech gadgets became fashion accessories. BlackBerrys, iPhones, ID badges on lanyards, and building passes on retractable reels worn on the belt became de rigueur. Always having to be reachable, in touch with incoming news, or equipped with a high-tech pass sent the signal that you were indispensable.
While some thought the country's current economic state might force fashion to take a backseat during the Obama administration, a classic look has already popped up as a trend, according to Paula Baxter, curator of exhibitions at the New York Public Library. Baxter produced the "Rakish History of Men's Wear" exhibit and maintains the library's blog on American fashion history.
”The one thing I have picked up on and am watching for a steady rate of appearance is a tendency of men shedding jackets and appearing in their shirtsleeves,” says Baxter. ”This is meant to convey readiness to go right to work, a critical psychological factor with today's economic crisis."
Mrs. Obama's casual office look could also be an attempt to connect with and court government bureaucrats, for example, during visits with the Department of Energy and Department of Education. “Looking relatable to them is just as important as connecting with the American people,” says Balchunis, “since it's the men and women in the agencies that can determine whether President Obama's policies are successfully implemented.”
Furthermore, Mrs. Obama's trim and casual look ties in with her promotion of healthy eating and helping moms balance work life with family life. "I love that she goes to J.Crew,” says Balchunis. “Especially in this economy, it would send a terrible message if she relied only on expensive designers like Jackie Kennedy did. People are losing their jobs and their homes. To see the first lady in expensive garb would turn off a lot of voters.”
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