February 18, 2009
Excerpt from
PANTONE Fashion Color Report,
Volume 31, February 2009. Pantone, Inc.
PANTONE®fashionCOLORREPORTfall2009
A Study in Contrasts NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
The psychology of color and world events plays into deigner choices.
Subtle contrasts, like those found in a painter’s masterpiece, make up the diverse color palette for fall 2009. Designers play with a broad spectrum of unique color combinations this season, resulting in distinct, yet cohesive color palettes.
“The fall 2009 palette is more unique and thoughtful than the typical autumnal hues of years past,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Designers recognize the desire for fundamental basics that speak to current economic conditions, but also understand the need to incorporate vibrant color to grab the consumers’ eyes and entice them to buy.”
A natural choice during uncertain times, patriotic American Beauty, a wonderfully balanced, true red, speaks to the need for cohesiveness. Perfect for all skin tones, American Beauty is a feel-good color. Purple Heart connotes a sense of refinement and sensuality, adding an air of creativity and excitement to the top 10, especially when paired with American Beauty.
A warmer, more subdued Honey Yellow carries the 2009 color of the year, PANTONE 14-0848 Mimosa, through to fall and winter with its golden tones. Pairing Honey Yellow with its color wheel opposite, Purple Heart, will surely add a surprising flair. Or, for a more typical fall combination, group Honey Yellow with Burnt Sienna and Iron.
Strong yet understated Iron serves as the “new black,” making traditional basics much more interesting. Neither gray nor brown, Iron is a grounding color that coordinates well with all colors in the palette. Crème Brûlée, a grayed-down beige, and Nomad, which bridges the gap between beige and light gray, also speak to the need for timeless neutrals. All three classics can stand alone or serve as anchors when paired with other colors.
Fall would not be complete without a seasonal favorite like Burnt Sienna, a deepened, earthy shade of orange, reminiscent of an autumn sunset. Pair this versatile hue with Nomad and Rapture Rose for a different twist.
Adding spark to the fall palette, Rapture Rose artfully captures the vibrancy of fuchsia and the softness of pink. Under scored by nurturing and feminine tones, the addition of Rapture Rose enlivens the more traditionally subdued fall hues. Look for it in cosmetics as well as clothing and accessories. Like the olive in a martini, Warm Olive, a rich yellow-green, adds a touch of elegance and sophistication to fall. When combined, this tangy, intriguing hue makes all other colors come alive. Look for it paired with Majolica Blue, a deep, mysterious teal blue with more vibrancy than the usual navy. Majolica Blue brings an exotic flair to the group, especially when paired with Burnt Sienna or Purple Heart.
Each season, Pantone surveys the designers of New York Fashion Week to identify the 10 most directional colors. Like a painter’s palette, fall 2009 offers choice and diversity, but the unique integration of colors is what makes it
so appealing.
COLOR ADVICE
“Don’t shy away from color. Color
is not only a great and budget-
conscious way to update your
wardrobe, it is a wonderful pick-me-
up. A couple of tips to keep in mind
when shopping for color:
• Color reads best in quality fabrics,
hues appear richer and more
vibrant in fine wools, cottons and
silks. I am a firm believer that if you
invest in a few good pieces now,
you will benefit for years to come.
• Be mindful when choosing color.
You can’t just admire the color of
a garment on a hanger or on your
friend, the color must be right for
you. Your skin-tone and hair color
both come into play. If you like a
color and you are unsure, my
advice —try it on!”
Tim Gunn
February 10, 2009
Woman's Day
Excerpt from Live Well
by Gretchen Roberts
How to find your perfect red
Wearing red boosts your mood instantly because it's energizing and commands attention. If you aren't bold enough to wear it but still want an emotional pick-me-up, try a subtler shade in the same color family, suggests Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of More Alive With Color.
Excerpt from
More Alive With Color
pp 129 & 130
by
Leatrice Eiseman
YOUR CREATIVE ENERGIES AND COLOR
In this chapter, you'll find out more about your color preferences. It's only natural for you to like some individual colors in your Colortime® palette much more than others. Luckily, if you realy dislike a color, it probably won't be in your Colortime®. Though every color family appears in each Colortime®, the intensities and values vary, and you're bound to have different emotional responses.
YOUR CREATIVE ENERGIES AND COLOR
That's why I always listen carefully to each client and try to determine his or her orientation to different colors before making recommendations. Unfortunately, I can't be with you personally, but I can share certain universal concepts to make some useful observations about your personal color choices.
Please remember that your likes and dislikes can change during different periods of your life. Your responses simply tell you where you are in your life right now. Your preferences may also indicate some of your secret desires. For example, red is considered the most ardent and passionate of all colors. You may not see yourself as ardent or passionate, but if red is your favorite color, maybe you have hidden traits just dying to be expressed (you little devil!)
Red
LIKE:
Just as red sits on top of the rainbow, you like to stay on top of things. You have a zest for life. Remember that red can speed up the pulse, increase the respiration rate, and raise blood pressure. It is associated with fire, heat, and blood, so it is impossible to ignore. And so are you (would like to be). You are high maintenance and high profile, a mover and a shaker.
The key words associated with red are winner, achiever, intense, impulsive, active, competitive, daring , aggressive. Red people are exciting, animated, optimistic, emotional and extroverted. Desire is the key word (see "ardent" and passionate" above), so you hunger for fullness of experience and living. Red is a force to be reckoned with and is always up for adventure. Your passion is infectious.
Now that you have all the good news, let's hear it for the bad news. Since you crave so much excitement in your life, routine can drive you nuts. Restlessness can make you fickle in your pursuit of new things to turn you on. It's hard for you to be objective, and you can be opinionated and overbearing. You have a tendency to listen to what others tell you and then do whatever you please. Patience is not one of your virtues. If you're unhappy about something watch out!
DISLKE:
Since red is primarily associated with a zest for life, excitement, and passion, disliking this hue could mean that these feelings are a bit much for you to handle at this point in your life. Perhaps you are bothered by the aggressiveness and intensity that red signifies. Or perhaps you really want more fulfillment but are afraid to get involved. People who are irritable, ill exhausted, or bothered by many problems often reject red and turn to the calmer colors for rest and relaxation. They are very self-protective.
TD Monthly is a newsletter to retailers
by Alison Marek
"Pop" Toys Out
"Although conventional wisdom states that neutral backgrounds are best for
display areas, conventional wisdom is not always wise," says Lee Eiseman,
leading color consultant, author and speaker for business, in her book
Color: Messages and Meanings. "Don't underestimate the impact of darker or
more vibrant color as background to make the merchandise 'pop'. And the
space doesn't have to be large to have a visual impact. Even the smallest
area will benefit from colorful backgrounds as they will always draw the
customer's eye."
Excerpt from
Earnshaw's
by Nicole Yee
Catch Them If You Can
Like their adult counterparts, celebrity kids serve as the touchstone for what's hip. Here's a look a t what some of the most fashionable tots will be wearing next spring.
Misha Lulu Tutto Piccolo
Anime represents the spontaneity and free spirit of kids," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. "It's not about matching; it's about expression. " For Spring, Pantone reports anime as a leading trend that revels in clashing colors.
Eiseman reported that Pantone has named one of the spring color trends "honest," a family that includes soft, natural colors with some of the pink and red accents. "It's all about vegetable dyes, non-chemicals and recycling." she stressed.
September 3, 2008
Tidbits from
Fall fashion preview
by LaMont Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
There's something about men's and women's fashions for this fall and winter that flies in the face of the nation's fiscal freefall.
Styles are more subtle, pared down and less flamboyant than last year. But there's still a feel of luxury, and it's derived from beautiful fabrics, touches of fur, embellishments and shine, observed eBay style director Constance White.
"For the most part, it's a very polished, luxurious season, along with a glamorous, conservative season," she said. "Conservatism is the overarching mood of the season. You can't help but draw an inference from the difficult economic climate and the rise of conservative fashion that we're seeing. There's no question that women and men are reacting to the high gas prices, to higher food prices, and the fallout from the real estate market."
The color palette for men and women tends to darken as weather transitions from hot to warm to cool to cold, and silhouettes this season definitely veer toward lean and clean.
Consider color, which pops against canvases of black, chocolate and an array of grays.
Blue hues continue strong from spring and summer in shades such as Caribbean Sea, Blue Iris and Twilight Blue, while purple reigns as the most ubiquitous color for fall-winter.
Some loud retro colors are still in the mix, a la chartreuse and fuchsia, but the palette goes more traditional and natural with a little extra pigment giving a jolt to berry shades and gem tones.
"Fall is traditionally a time for subdued, quiet colors, but this season we are seeing a shift toward cool hues with bright, exciting undertones," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. "Conventional tones such as warm autumn hues, chocolate browns and steel grays are also among the fall color choices."
W e f o u n d a n o t h e r c o l o r t i d b i t o n t h i s s h a d e . . . .
THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
Can’t we all agree on something?
If it’s purple, yes.
As found in Fashion & Style's Front Row in the New York Times July 31, 2008
In a Divisive Campaign, Purple Becomes the New Neutral
By ERIC WILSON
CABLE news networks may never agree which program is fairer and more balanced, which talking head is the puppet of whose talking points, whether John McCain, in his latest advertisement, was undignified or whether Barack Obama, on his European tour, was presumptuous. But on one crucial point, the pundits have surprisingly taken the same position.
Purple is in.
Keith Olbermann, the commentator on MSNBC, has worn solid pale purple ties twice in the last week. And on Tuesday, he wore another one with purple stripes. Lester Holt, the weekend anchor of NBC Nightly News, appeared on camera in a more vibrant shade, approaching magenta. Over on Fox News, pretty much the polar opposite on the political spectrum, Bill O’Reilly was in shiny grape, and Kelly Wright, an anchor of “Fox and Friends Weekend,” showed that purple is bipartisan.
Is a color that represents the middle ground between Republican Red and Democratic Blue a sartorial statement of objectivity?
“Purple is the new neutral,” said Jim Moore, the creative director of GQ, who was making a point with two meanings.
A silvery shade of purple happens to be in vogue at the moment because it goes with a lot of the gray fabrics of the season. But in this election, the news media’s objectivity has also been part of the story, with complaints that the press is alternatively too soft on Mr. McCain or Mr. Obama. So rather than risk the appearance of favoritism by wearing red or blue, the press has gone purple.
This is not an isolated trend, as the list goes on. In the last week, Charles Gibson, George Stephanopoulos, Al Roker, Michael Reagan, Jay Leno (while introducing an “Obama Mia!” sketch), Jim Hoagland of The Washington Post and Jim Lehrer have worn variants of the plum cravat, plus a pocket square in Mr. Roker’s case. Even Brian Williams, not a big fan of the style pages, wore a tie that could be described as a soft periwinkle for his interview with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“I’m surprised to see it on so many people throughout this whole political season,” said Tommy Fazio, the men’s fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman. “There are other ways of not being partisan.”
June 9, 2008
Do Fashion Trends Trickle-Down or Bubble-Up?
The influence can trickle down or bubble up, however, the trickle down effect is still the most-used way, especially as so many high-end looks now have become aspirational.
For example, I saw a kid of about 17 on the ferry yesterday that runs between Bainbridge Island where I live and Seattle. He had on a pair of jeans, not designer, a striped knit shirt that did not appear to be a designer look, maybe Old Navy, sneakers that appeared to be customized but I could not tell the brand and a very large Louis Vuitton duffle that was new and not a fake!!
His style sense ‘on the street’ might inspire a designer who saw his look to do other looks like that, still his clothing is already out in the marketplace, so it is not the individual pieces of clothing that is so inspirational, but the way that he put it all together. Very individualized, incorporating high, mid and low. It was the bag that he held very proudly— and wanted everyone to see.
June 2, 2008
Summer fashion trends from New York
Desicribed by Lee
The summer season 2008 has some really fun colors to chase the winter doldrums away. The Spring forecast from the fashion collections shown in New York has some vibrant tones guaranteed to lift every mood.
Included is a lively blue, a refreshing alternative to navy, while the sunniest possible yellow, sparkles with vitality. A yellow green, the color of a lime, brings a splash of citrus, while a delicious melon tone adds a special deliciousness. A brilliant tango red instills a scintillating energy and a pinkish-purple color, like typical bright spring flower injects some magic into the mix.
Lee states, ‘while it is fun and inspiring to look at the trend colors, the
ultimate challenge for most people is creating combinations for a ‘real-life” wardrobe.
As explained in Lee's book More Alive With Color: “We all know how the denim blues work with every other color. Another alternative hue is a shade of blue that looks like the sky on a gorgeous spring day that is a backdrop to every color that appears in nature. Think of any color of flowers—from cheerful daisies to pink roses or exotic purple orchids against the beautiful blue of the sky—would we ever say Mother Nature made a mistake is combining her colors?!
Sky Blue blends beautifully with cool tones and adds a balancing touch to warmer combinations, especially in the expected warmth summer. You can’t help but create beautiful combinations using nature as the inspiration. Variations of green, from the deep forest shades to pale khaki, also make a wonderful background to many other colors, just as they do in natural surroundings.
The deepest black or midnight blues as well as earthy browns also contribute to the shades that Lee refers to in her book as the Crossover colors. These are the hues that become the background shades in the wardrobe and are fashion classics.
Lee also explains how so many neutrals that are found frequently in nature will blend and harmonize with so many other colors. Think of the comforting shades of warm sand; imagine the quiet grays of stone and pebbles. But the Crossover colors are not all neutral or dark. Think to Mother Nature and she uses vibrant reds as accents in berries and flowers or ripe fruit, or the warming touch of sunshine yellow to make your day brighter.
Summer 08 includes neutrals like toasty tans and silver grays. But again, as Lee advises: “In this season of renewal, punch up those dependable basics with the vibrant bright tones to bring a sense of vitality to you and your wardrobe’.
For more information about Lee’s color concepts, her books, fanguides for matching and combining, online career training and enhancement training program utilizing color, please visit morealivewithcolor.com.
April 21, 2008
What’s Your Perfect Color?
InStyle Magazine April Issue 2008 by Charles Masters
Sure, black is nice. It's slimming, sohpisticated and makes coordinating clothes a no-brainer. But color, the right color-like a perwinkle that brings out those baby blues or a bright cardinal that matches your fiery personality-can transform your looks and your attitude.
Emotions run high for those intense and daring types who declare red as their favorite color. “Your passion is infectious, though all that feeling so close to the surface may come off as restless,” says Lee. If your taste leans toward the soft side (think pink), you’re less fervent and a bit more delicate-a blush silk camisole is what lights your fire.”
The color of traffic cones, orange is a hue that works hard to be noticed. The same can be said of the people who lot it. Extroverted and expansive, these adventure lovers don’t shy away from a good time. Careful, warns Lee; while some could perceive that energy has charming and magnetic, others may think it leads to wardrobe choices that veer into way-too flamboyant territory.
Fans of this vibrant shade-yellow radiates light-aren’t afraid to be noticed. In fact they embrace going against the grain. So if you’re attracted to lemon, daffodil or even bumblebee, you’re likely to be innovative and idealistic. “Friends love your ‘up’ attitude,” says Lee. But there’s a dark side to this sunny outlook: You may be slightly egotistical, refusing to accept second best.
The so-called green movement is aptly named since the color represent more than a healthy world: Devotees of green are described as generous, caring and balanced. Green lovers “have a high moral sense and are sensitive about doing the right thing. But all of this do-gooding can come off as a bit smug. (And since it’s also the color of envy, greenies can be wicked gossips.)
Like a cloudless sky or or tranquil ocean, blue addicts are peaceful, even-tempered lot. Gentle, loyal, discreet-these are all quiet traits shared by those who count the innumerable shades, from powder to peacock, as their favorites. But remember: Still waters run deep, so caution to those who betray you, warns Lee. “Blue lovers form strong attachments. You’re deeply hurt when trust is betrayed.”
“Mystical concepts hold great appeal for those dreamers,” says Lee of anyone who’s predisposed to eggplant, lavender and the like. Enigmatic and unconventional, there’s a reason why deep violet is the shade of choice for Prince – and a symbol for other, actual royalty. Equal parts witty and moody, secretive and seductive, purple people like a good mystery and keep those close to them guessing.
April 17, 2008
What are your spring colors?
SKIN INC Magazine March Issue 2008 by Abby Penning
Spring is in the Air
The rush of new greenery on trees, bushes and lawns is also pairing with recent environmental awareness to push the natural shade as a hot seasonal hue. "The green colorings can be seen as an extension of the whole natural theme, and in particular, yellow-greens represent that," says executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of More Alive With Color Leatrice Eiseman.
With lip options at both ends of the spectrum, a variety of shades are popping up. At one end, Eiseman describes the lighter look, saying that, "There are the cantaloupe-y shades, vibrant colors with softer tones, and, this spring, colors are going to bring about the possibility of doing more of the subtle, soft lip color."
The woman makes the makeup
Eiseman is also a fan of mixing the vivid makeup shades with classic standbys in more muted hues. "Using neutrals, you get something you can wear for several seasons and then accessorize with some of the more trendy pops of color," she says. "In a time when people are concerned about politics, the election, the war and so on, some vitality in cosmetics can be a lift.
Spring fling
With its exciting flashes of color and innate flow, springtime is the perfect time to invent a new, refreshing look for your clients-and even yourself. Whether creating a bold statement with brightly line eyes and whisper-soft lips, or merely using blushes of pink and orange to grace lids and cheeks with touches of warmth, Eiseman recommends seeing makeup as an extension of the woman. "It's viewing the faces as a palette and using makeup in an artistic way," she says. "There are a lot of women who don't do that, but makeup as art will be a big influence for the next year."
April 15, 2008
Mirroring the economy’s dour mood, designers back to black
Recession Chic
As described in Time Magazine for April
Christian Labroid, a designer, usually known for bright colors, says his somber fall collection may be "linked unconsciously to recession,"
The article goes on to describe More recent films, like TIm Burton's Sweeny Todd, have also inspired the somber palette. "We're seeing a lot of dark movies these days, and they definitely influence the color story," says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. Black is always the color people rely on most often in tough times, especially if they’re going to spend on big ticket items." Eiseman, who prepares an annual color forecast for the fashion and home markets, says black will most likely be included in pantone's selection of the top 10 colors of 2008. "Psychologically, it's also the color people wrap themselves in to become impervious to the outside world. It's a security blanket," she adds.
April 1, 2008
Gray Matters
April Issue of W Magazine by Jane Larkworthy
Mention of the word "gray" has always sparked associations in the dour and the dowdy: "gray skies," "gray mood," "gray hair." But these days, gray is downright chic and showing up everywhere: in Anne Kreamer's recent eye-opening book, Going Gray; in the current Jasper Johns exhibition, "Gray," at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and where you'd least expect it - on the spring runways.
WHY WOULD YOU WANT A... GRAY NAIL POLISH?
Lee's interview with O Magazine in January's issue 2008
"I can't remember the last time gray or navy nail polish was a trend. We're in a time of big changes in the world, and (basics like) gray represent stability. Gray nail polish also suggests uniqueness; wearing it, you're making a statement about being a bit off beat." If you like offbeat, you're in for a treat: Lee predicts canary yellow polish for next year.
