Cerulean is not lapis or turquoise, and it is certainly never blue.
Anyone who remembers the iconic scene in “The Devil Wears Prada” when Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly berates her bulky sweater-wearing assistant for thinking all blues are created equal may never confuse yellow for Mimosa again. But many of us are probably unaware of the major role the Pantone Color Institute has in establishing seasonal color trends that can unconsciously sway us to choose Cabaret over Honeysuckle lipstick.
Olympian Blue at Bill Blass.
Each season before fashion week, Pantone, considered the world-renowned authority on color since 1963, surveys designers, who submit illustrations of their garments, along with their philosophy about color, what inspires them, and their rationales for selecting specific Pantone colors for their collection, according to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. Pantone then compiles the data and releases its much-anticipated fashion color report, a list of 10 hues that will dominate runways and pop up everywhere from cocktail dresses and lipsticks to iPhone covers and coffee mugs. The most directional colors this fall include a bold, but slightly more sedate palette than featured in fall 2011, with shades like Ultramarine Green, Pink Flambé, Honey Gold, Olympian Blue, French Roast, Titanium, Rose Smoke, Rhapsody, Bright Chartreuse, and this year’s standout star: Tangerine Tango.
“We know that in troublesome times, we need to be bold in choice of color—to make a statement about our aspirations and to use our creative sense to overcome problems,” Eiseman said of the fall palette.
Tangerine Tango at Jonathan Saunders.
Eiseman, who has been called “America’s color guru,” holds a degree in psychology and her approach to color is as ruminative as one might expect. When reflecting on Tangerine Tango – an invigorating fusion of orange and red that Pantone crowned its 2012 Color of the Year – the color specialist explained why the spirited hue was so influential with designers as disparate as Jonathan Saunders and Bill Blass. “For several reasons – one is purely cyclical,” she said. “It was time for orange to become an acknowledged ‘star’ of the color world. Secondly, it really does fulfill the mission of bringing the dynamism of the red together with the friendliness of yellow, forming a happy new union that is bound to lift your spirits. The time is just right.”
Ultramarine Green represented in this Dior nail shade.
Pantone’s influence doesn’t end on the runway. KitchenAid has released a mixer in tangerine, Bob Vila’s Urban Gasfire can be purchased in the same shade, and beauty mavens will be delighted to find an impressive selection of tangerine, deep pink, marine green, and bright blue eyeshadow and lipstick shades hit the shelves this fall. If you want to pinpoint a direct connection between Pantone and the cosmetics industry, look no further than Sephora + Pantone Universe Color of the Year Collector’s Edition Set – a six-piece set of products including blush, lipstick, and lipgloss, in tangerine-inspired hues. Sephora even offers Tangerine Tango Faux Lash sets – proof that it will be tangerine as far as the eye can see this season.
Visit Pantone’s website to learn more about the Pantone Color Institute, search their archives for past fashion color reports, or take Pantone’s color survey.
This article was featured in JENESEQUA Issue 10, download the app here.
Author: Lisa Fogarty Photos: Pantone, Style.com, Style.com, Sephora.
