For those of you whom are new to the whole PANTONE bit, or don't know what it is – it's a swatch book in plain terms. Looks like this and designers of all backgrounds use them for color reference. Graphic artists like myself, use some form of this swatch book every day, whether digitally via common used computer software or physically. Interior designers use PANTONE for paint and furniture, fashion designers for fabrics, architects for structure materials, and so on. Thus, why I said I love when worlds collide – my every day art direction world and my hobby fashion world.
As you're all probably aware, today kicks off fashion week in NYC and designers are showing off their creations for Fall 2012. I know, it seems odd that they're already practically a year ahead of the rest of the world but that's how it works – otherwise, how would we know incoming trends? Well, what PANTONE did in leu of fashion week is they composed a "what's hot" color library and look-book of things anticipated to hit the runway from different designers. Above are the "it" colors for Fall, readers! Take note! (If you're interested in glancing at the look book I just mentioned, Download the PANTONE Fall 2012 Color Report here*).
Considering we're in that odd transition between Winter and Spring at the current moment, let's take a look at the Spring "it" colors, shall we?:
(Download the full Spring 2012 PANTONE Color Report here)
So, a lot of the same hues I'm noticing. Spring obviously a little bit more pastell, whimsical, and neon – if you've been flipping through fashion magazines lately I'm sure you've noticed a lot of turquoise jewelry coming in for Spring, it's also been a trending nail polish color. I've noticed a ton of yellow paired with grey – even among home decor. I'm personally loving the comeback of the camel-brown neutral – I prefer it over traditional khaki any day. I'm also loving navy being incorporated more with some of the neon colors as a neutral vs. redundant black. Lots of purple and jewel-tones becoming popular for eye shadow, and of course everyone (including myself) is gaga for a coral/red lip. Oh! And I can't forget the colored cigarette pant/skinny – love that trend right now!
Looking to Fall – I'm excited for the change in blue from a navy to a grecian blue – I predict cobalt is going to be huge. I'm also a huge fan of the emerald green incoming for Fall – a color often pushed to the wayside but can be so stunning, especially on those with more ivory skin or red-ish hair. I'm also excited to see an up-play of espresso brown for Fall. I think everybody got sick of it a couple of years ago when it was a huge hit in the interior decor world paired with the pale french blue. I'm looking forward to seeing how designers make espresso brown new again, changing it up from its 70s vibe.
What trends are you loving/excited for?
*Don't forget to stay tuned to my Pinterest, I'll be creating a new board shortly and begin pinning some of my favorite things that tie into these Spring and Fall 2012 color schemes!
