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Chicago Trends: Pantone colors
From Women's Wear Daily
Published: Thursday, February 02, 2006
Fashion's Foliage
By Cecily Hall
Top Pantone colors chosen by New York designers for fall 2006.
Is it fall again already? It certainly is for the fashion industry,
and fall fashions this year are offering a color palette mixed with
neutrals and rich, dark tones. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director
of Pantone Color Institute, said of the top 10: "We're seeing a
return of colors that are more trustworthy, more dependable. There's
a great deal of elegance, and a sophisticated subtlety." A number
of the colors offer a smoky overcast, such as number-one-ranked
Bijou Blue, while others, such as the neutral tones, could be seen
paired with richer colors - like Purple Magic, ranked number four.
Eiseman also pointed out the trend of colors evolving from seasons
past. Take spring's number-one color, Sand Dollar, as an example.
Already considered a neutral color, it has morphed into Pale Khaki,
even into Simply Taupe, for fall.
PANTONE 18-3921 Bijou Blue
Chosen by 20.1 percent of designers Zac
Posen chose prominent colors, such as Bijou Blue, for fall. "There
is nothing sexier and more real than navy and jet," he told Pantone.
His inspiration for the season was to view his girl as a "perfectionist
rebel," so he chose colors that "evoke her fierce and moody side,
as well as her classic luxury." Leatrice Eiseman of Pantone noted
the color paired well against others in the palette, such as Frost
Gray. "Bijou Blue is a continuation of spring's Ultramarine,"
she said. "It's so flattering for everyone - people with all types
of [skin] coloring can wear it."
PANTONE 17-0000 Frost Gray
16.3 percent "The
prominence of Frost Gray reflects the dependability of the neutrals,"
said Eiseman. "Grays have been around, they rarely go out of fashion,
they're so stable - but to have it ranked so highly tells us that
it's stability people are looking for in their wardrobe." Though
there is a practical element to the color, it has almost a silver
characteristic. "These gunmetal gowns we're seeing on the red
carpet - they're glamorous." Eiseman mentioned the shade's ability
to be paired well with Purple Magic and Red Mahogany, both of
which are ranked in the top 10. Peter Som, who used Frost Gray,
mentioned his color philosophy was "a graphic but feminine combination
of colors, which are sleek without being overpowering."
PANTONE 17-1537 Mineral Red
13.9 percent While
red wasn't used much for spring, it's making a nice comeback this
fall. "Red is certainly not unusual to see in the fall - this
is a very warm-based tone," said Eiseman. "It has that kind of
wonderful quality that attracts people - it's something that gives
us warmth, yet it still has an elegance." She also noted the color
can be used across multiple areas of clothing, from sportswear
to eveningwear, for example. Nanette Lepore chose Mineral Red
for fall, acknowledging her inspiration was the "salons of Edwardian
England."
PANTONE 19-3540 Purple Magic
12.4 percent Various
shades of purple have been prominent for several seasons now,
and this fall's variation is very deep, but still has a touch
of a red undertone, said Eiseman. "This has a magical quality,
just as the name suggests," she said. The color could go ideally
with chiffon or taffeta, but it also has been seen in knitwear.
"I think there's this general acceptance for the color purple
nowadays. There's a quietness to purple - and this is an elegant,
regal kind of purple that is widely accepted." Both Michael Vollbracht
for Bill Blass and Gilles Mendel for J.Mendel incorporated versions
of Purple Magic into their dresses for fall.
PANTONE 19-1521 Red Mahogany
11.6 percent "Red
Mahogany is essentially a brown with red undertones - but there's
a wine overcast to it, because it has this plummy, red characteristic,"
said Eiseman. Brown has long been a staple for fall, but these
days, designers and consumers are viewing it as a dressier color.
"For years, brown was never worn after five, but nowadays, it's
in gowns on the red carpet." Behnaz Sarafpour, whose inspiration
was derived from "all things traditional," worked with a color
palette of rich, deep tones - including Red Mahogany - for fall.
PANTONE 17-1045 Apple Cinnamon
10.9 percent The
description of this color stems from a shade of tea, noted Eiseman:
"It's a warm, comforting color." Apple Cinnamon is also a tone
that can be used as a classic or a neutral. "Think about it in
combination with colors like Golden Ochre or Mineral Red," she
continued. Kimora Lee Simmons for Baby Phat chose Apple Cinnamon
as part of her palette for the season. She told Pantone she was
inspired by the elegance and panache of 20th-century red-carpet
glamour. "Expect to see vamped-up suits, dresses, prints and fabrics,
where retro glam meets hip-hop royalty," she hinted.
PANTONE 17-0613 Vetiver
6.2 percent Nicole
Miller chose Vetiver as part of her palette for fall, attributing
her inspiration to Byzantine plates. The name Vetiver is a play
on the French word for green, vert. Said Eiseman, "This is the
green that I felt is not the green in the khaki sense, this has
more of a gray cast to it, which makes it so classic and so subtle."
Because the shade contains a gray cast, she described the color
as having a "smoky" quality, like others in the top 10. "This
color can be used in leather goods and jackets, but also in some
of the wools we're seeing that have that deep, resonating quality
to them," she said.
PANTONE 16-1346 Golden Ochre
4.7 percent "This
variation of orange is one of the most elegant I've seen," said
Eiseman. "Orange is not generally one of America's favorite colors.
But it really started to show itself in the Nineties and has continued
to gain acceptance ever since." Eiseman attributed much of that
acceptance to a broader use of multicultural mixes of colors,
haute couture embracing the tone and because of the introduction
of orange into computers, such as the iMac. She also said that,
for fall, designers will incorporate the color more into tweeds
and wool designs, where it can be used in combination with other
hues. Wunderkind designer Wolfgang Joop wanted his prominent colors
to reflect muted earth tones, thus bringing Golden Ochre into
his fall designs.
PANTONE 16-0906 Simply Taupe
2.3 percent This
color, said Eiseman, can be used when you really just need that
one reliable shade that can be paired with deeper tones. "It's
truly one of the most basic of the neutral colors that is a reliable
presence in the wardrobe," she said. "But it can stand alone,
as well." Simply Taupe was used by Laura Poretzky, designer for
Abaeté. Her inspiration stemmed from warm tones combined with
black in furniture made by Bugatti.
PANTONE 15-1216 Pale Khaki
1.6 percent "Pale
Khaki, Vetiver and Bijou Blue is a stunning combination," said
Eiseman. "Again, Pale Khaki is a wonderful shade that's totally
reliable. When used in combination with richer colors, it's elegant
but not overdone." Akiko Ogawa's color philosophy stemmed from
"graduations of gray and gold." The designer told Pantone, "For
fall, I wanted my colors to be highly nuanced and evoke a classical,
refined ambience."
Zac
Posen chose prominent colors, such as Bijou Blue, for fall. "There
is nothing sexier and more real than navy and jet," he told Pantone.
His inspiration for the season was to view his girl as a "perfectionist
rebel," so he chose colors that "evoke her fierce and moody side,
as well as her classic luxury." Leatrice Eiseman of Pantone noted
the color paired well against others in the palette, such as Frost
Gray. "Bijou Blue is a continuation of spring's Ultramarine,"
she said. "It's so flattering for everyone - people with all types
of [skin] coloring can wear it."
"The
prominence of Frost Gray reflects the dependability of the neutrals,"
said Eiseman. "Grays have been around, they rarely go out of fashion,
they're so stable - but to have it ranked so highly tells us that
it's stability people are looking for in their wardrobe." Though
there is a practical element to the color, it has almost a silver
characteristic. "These gunmetal gowns we're seeing on the red
carpet - they're glamorous." Eiseman mentioned the shade's ability
to be paired well with Purple Magic and Red Mahogany, both of
which are ranked in the top 10. Peter Som, who used Frost Gray,
mentioned his color philosophy was "a graphic but feminine combination
of colors, which are sleek without being overpowering."
While
red wasn't used much for spring, it's making a nice comeback this
fall. "Red is certainly not unusual to see in the fall - this
is a very warm-based tone," said Eiseman. "It has that kind of
wonderful quality that attracts people - it's something that gives
us warmth, yet it still has an elegance." She also noted the color
can be used across multiple areas of clothing, from sportswear
to eveningwear, for example. Nanette Lepore chose Mineral Red
for fall, acknowledging her inspiration was the "salons of Edwardian
England."
Various
shades of purple have been prominent for several seasons now,
and this fall's variation is very deep, but still has a touch
of a red undertone, said Eiseman. "This has a magical quality,
just as the name suggests," she said. The color could go ideally
with chiffon or taffeta, but it also has been seen in knitwear.
"I think there's this general acceptance for the color purple
nowadays. There's a quietness to purple - and this is an elegant,
regal kind of purple that is widely accepted." Both Michael Vollbracht
for Bill Blass and Gilles Mendel for J.Mendel incorporated versions
of Purple Magic into their dresses for fall.
"Red
Mahogany is essentially a brown with red undertones - but there's
a wine overcast to it, because it has this plummy, red characteristic,"
said Eiseman. Brown has long been a staple for fall, but these
days, designers and consumers are viewing it as a dressier color.
"For years, brown was never worn after five, but nowadays, it's
in gowns on the red carpet." Behnaz Sarafpour, whose inspiration
was derived from "all things traditional," worked with a color
palette of rich, deep tones - including Red Mahogany - for fall.
The
description of this color stems from a shade of tea, noted Eiseman:
"It's a warm, comforting color." Apple Cinnamon is also a tone
that can be used as a classic or a neutral. "Think about it in
combination with colors like Golden Ochre or Mineral Red," she
continued. Kimora Lee Simmons for Baby Phat chose Apple Cinnamon
as part of her palette for the season. She told Pantone she was
inspired by the elegance and panache of 20th-century red-carpet
glamour. "Expect to see vamped-up suits, dresses, prints and fabrics,
where retro glam meets hip-hop royalty," she hinted.
Nicole
Miller chose Vetiver as part of her palette for fall, attributing
her inspiration to Byzantine plates. The name Vetiver is a play
on the French word for green, vert. Said Eiseman, "This is the
green that I felt is not the green in the khaki sense, this has
more of a gray cast to it, which makes it so classic and so subtle."
Because the shade contains a gray cast, she described the color
as having a "smoky" quality, like others in the top 10. "This
color can be used in leather goods and jackets, but also in some
of the wools we're seeing that have that deep, resonating quality
to them," she said.
"This
variation of orange is one of the most elegant I've seen," said
Eiseman. "Orange is not generally one of America's favorite colors.
But it really started to show itself in the Nineties and has continued
to gain acceptance ever since." Eiseman attributed much of that
acceptance to a broader use of multicultural mixes of colors,
haute couture embracing the tone and because of the introduction
of orange into computers, such as the iMac. She also said that,
for fall, designers will incorporate the color more into tweeds
and wool designs, where it can be used in combination with other
hues. Wunderkind designer Wolfgang Joop wanted his prominent colors
to reflect muted earth tones, thus bringing Golden Ochre into
his fall designs.
This
color, said Eiseman, can be used when you really just need that
one reliable shade that can be paired with deeper tones. "It's
truly one of the most basic of the neutral colors that is a reliable
presence in the wardrobe," she said. "But it can stand alone,
as well." Simply Taupe was used by Laura Poretzky, designer for
Abaeté. Her inspiration stemmed from warm tones combined with
black in furniture made by Bugatti.
"Pale
Khaki, Vetiver and Bijou Blue is a stunning combination," said
Eiseman. "Again, Pale Khaki is a wonderful shade that's totally
reliable. When used in combination with richer colors, it's elegant
but not overdone." Akiko Ogawa's color philosophy stemmed from
"graduations of gray and gold." The designer told Pantone, "For
fall, I wanted my colors to be highly nuanced and evoke a classical,
refined ambience."