Color Trends
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Fall 2011−The Art of Color−Sensible and Spirited
Designers take a painterly approach to fall 2011 by artfully combining bright colors with staple neutrals, reminiscent of how an artist would construct a stunning work of art, said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. Much like a painter's masterpiece, there is a certain romance to this season's palette.
Women's color palette for Fall 2011:
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Bamboo, a surprising fall hue, brings a warm, exotic flavor to the season. Like a filtered sunset on the waning days of fall, Bamboo is a standout yellow with a subtle green undertone. This dappled shade pairs dramatically with several of the top 10, including Phlox, Teal and Honeysuckle.
Radiant Emberglow, a traditional autumnal tone, emanates the warmth of a glowing fire – the perfect panacea to the crisp air of fall. Combine Emberglow with Coffee Liqueúr for a classic look, or with Honeysuckle for something a bit more retro. Add a spark with shoes or a handbag in Emberglow, or perhaps a patterned scarf combining purpled Phlox or Deep Teal.
Offering a sense of continuity from spring, dynamic Honeysuckle adds a bold punctuation point. This playful, reddish pink works with any other color in the palette, especially fall staples like Coffee Liqueúr and Nougat. To add some intensity, pair it with complementary Bamboo. Flirtatious and festive, Honeysuckle produces a healthy glow – great for cosmetics and holiday soirees.
Phlox, a magical, deep purple with a hint of mystery, is an outstanding statement when worn on its own. Add Phlox to this season's neutrals to create a bit of drama, or combine it with Cedar, Deep Teal or Coffee Liqueúr for something extraordinary. To add even more excitement, pair Phlox with Honeysuckle or Bamboo against a Cedar background – a combination inspired by Mother Nature.
Evoking the freshness of a cool mist in a dark forest, Cedar is a versatile, mid-tone neutral green. It is a natural with Deep Teal, and sophisticated and timeless with Phlox or Orchid Hush. Deep Teal, a strong, blue-toned green, suggests ocean depths and the color of the sky as daylight descends into darkness. A great standard when used with Cedar, its color-wheel neighbor, Deep Teal is also a unique counterpoint to Honeysuckle.
Consumers continue to add stability to their wardrobes with neutrals. Rich, decadent Coffee Liqueúr brings a sense of elegance to fall, and is a savory alternative to basic black. A deliciously warm camel tan, Nougat is tastefully embellished by Phlox, Emberglow or Honeysuckle. Orchid Hush, a unique tone of gray with complex orchid undertones, blends well with any other color in the palette. Quarry, a reliable medium gray, remains, as always, a practical, dependable staple.
Men's color palette for fall 2011: |
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Similar to the women's palette, men's hues take a painterly approach for fall 2011, but with a few nuanced variations, depicting a more masculine style. Reliable basics, including Nougat, Coffee Liqueúr, Cedar, Deep Teal, Quarry and Cadet, anchor the palette for menswear, while vibrant accents like Bamboo, Burnt Sienna, Raspberry Wine and Phox add pops of vivid color.
Taking orange in a more masculine direction, Burnt Sienna serves as the standard, fall classic. Accent pieces including ties, scarves and pocket squares in this warm orange are a must. Providing men an alternative to Honeysuckle, Raspberry Wine has more sparkle than a merlot, making a statement with its vital red characteristics. The assemblage of Deep Teal, Cedar and Raspberry Wine is a spectacular composition.
Cadet, the perfect marriage of blue and gray, is another indisputable classic, serving as a dependable backbone that can be worn from season to season. Magical purple Phlox blooms against a neutral background of Nougat, Coffee Liqueúr and Quarry.
A HISTORIC COLOR STORY BY DECADE
Scroll down and see if you can
spot the pattern:
1890: Innovation, Gilded Age, Art Nouveau, Mauve, Cobalt Blue.
1900: Bungalow Movement, Silent Movies, Immigrants, Cubism, Organic/Simple Décor, Frank Lloyd Wright.
1910: Grand Central Station, Norman Rockwell, WWI, Working Women, Craftsman Style, Home Magazines (E.G., Good Housekeeping), Use Of Bolder, Richer Tones W/White Contrast.
1920: Soldiers Home. Women Empowered, Roaring 20’s, Flapper Dress, Jazz Era, Bob Haircut, Art Deco, Soft/Muted Colors.
1930: Great Depression, Escapism, Wizard Of Oz, Practical, Simple, Mix & Match, Finding Joy In Color (E.G., “Depression Glass”), Frank Lloyed Wright Falling Waters
1940: WWII, Rosie The Riveter, Telephones In The Home, Tupperware, Polaroid, Shoulder Pads, Simple Design, Big Band, Movies, Willingly Making Sacrifices For The War, Dorothy Draper (1939 Book Decorating Is Fun!, Subtitled How To Be Your Own Decorator)
1950: War Over, Women At Home, Suburban Sprawl, TV’s In The Home, Poodle Skirts, Elvis, I Love Lucy, Youthful Attitude, Baby Boomers Emerge, Convenience, 2 Car Garages, DIY, Barbie, Fiestaware, Formica.
1960: Civil Rights Movement, Youth Culture, Protests, Alternative Fashion, Mixed Patterns, Bold/ Psychedelic Colors, Acid, Bowl-Cut Hair, Beatles, Empire Waistline.
1970: Watergate, Vietnam Ends, VCR, Atari, Mood Rings, Earth Shoes, SNL, Saturday Night Fever, Grounded Colors Toned Down, Organic.
1980: Me, Money & Materialism ~ Doty Horn, Celebrity President, Berlin Wall, Live Aid, DINKS, Yuppies, Minivans, MTV, Michael Jackson, E.T., Miami Vice, Unemotional Time, Color Colors, Spacious Rooms Without Boundaries, Natural Light.
1990: U.S. as World Leader, Bill Clinton, Internet, Y2K, Environmental Awareness, Retro, Green Decade, Recycling, Natural Materials And Fabrics.
2000: 9/11, Economy Shifts, Wall Street Declines, Ecommerce, Green A Way Of Life, Social Networking, Rebirth Of Color Not Afraid To Bring Color In The Home, HGTV.
Did you notice the pattern?
There is an oscillation of color from decade to decade which is driven by the world around us and our emotional state of being. The even decades show paler and less emotional colors while the odd decade colors are more saturated, edgier and organic. We are in the decade of strong organic colors and rich color palettes as evidenced by the color stories shown above in the January 2011 and February 2011 color forecast.
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Le Cuir A Paris - Spring/Summer 2011 Color TrendsSomething's happening. We have entered a new era of freedom. We don't know what will happen next....No longer just a bored or simply interested spectator, we have become author, actor, part of the performance. Giving into spontaneity, we allow ourselves surrealist dreams, ramblings and infringements. We have digested the natural and outraged the virtual. We create as part of a group, or as a solo initiative. We swap the "I, me" for the "I, us". We throw the dice up in the air without knowing the result. Our references jostle and pile up, thrusting us into tomorrow. We add a zest of dissidence and lots of irony, to drive headlong into seasone that we want to be measured, joyful and impertinent.
ARCHAIC GARDEN PALETTE
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Archaic Garden So we cultivate an archaic garden where primitive joins forces with antique. Where archaeologists decipher hieroglyphics that speak of Gods, of man and plants unknown. Forbidden fruits and flowers bear forgotten names: Kumquat, oponce, papyrus, tuberose, rosewood. Nestled in shadowy niches, worn mosaics hide behind twisted and dried branches of ivy. Collapsed columns and arches form a mound of worn stones, hiding fossils. Colors The range is whitened, stony, mineral or delicately fruity. The softness of faded, evanescent, light and serious color |
| Underwater Variation Ebbing and flowing with the tide, we swim "under-current". Dive into abysses, explore the ocean depths. We discover marine flora and fauna, submerged cities, buried amphora and pots. A mysterious world, an aquatic and amniotic bubble. A stormy summer's day, bright with magnetic lightening, the horizon plunging into the ocean. Colors The range delves into the blue, and extends to an aqua green. Sea anemone pink is enhanced by inky blues and purples. Navy and brown darken the landscape. White soap bubbles refresh the saturated atmosphere. |
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TROPICAL DRAMATURGY PALETTE
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Tropical Dramaturgy Wild nature plays all its cards, calling on Rousseau to lure us into a game of paradise lost with all its misleading tricks. Pretty green vines encircle us, exuberant flowers are giant to better devour us. The beaks of multicolored macaws pinch the cheeks of lost Janes. Colors The range is solar, incandescent, spicy and suffocating. Yellow singing at the top of its voice, uninhibited parrot green, the orange of Tibetan monks, the entire spectrum of reds from purple to salmon pink. Bushy brown, deep blue. |
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Enchanted Picnic Folies in Versailles, rave party in Schönbrunn, Murder in an English garden. Jacques Tati on vacation in a golden carriage. Pretty DIY by Lewis Carroll, Fragonard gate-crashes the camp site. Hansel and Gretel sample molecular cuisine. Technical research and reasoned ecology show their impertinent sides. A festival of glamorous and fun materials. The dawn of artificial preciousness. Colors The range sets your teeth on edge. The neon colors are whitened. Jelly pink is transparent, the pastels are over-bright. The brights are on fire, tempered by a reasonable grey and a measured beige. |
SHADOWY SHORES PALETTE
| Shadowy Shores A static place, metaphor of elsewhere. An undefined place between Cyrene and Cartagena, between Libya and Syria. Desert of sand, desert of sea, wreckers, pirates, warriors from another era. Alternation of ambiguous shade and dulled light. They illuminate, or dissimulate, the decks of ships run ashore, rusty anchors, ragged sails, driftwood, soft-shell crabs and tortoise shells. Colors The range is tinged with vegetal colors. Bathed in red, boat hull; dark navy, hut; strong green, canvas. Or lightened colors, bleached by the salt, faded by the sun and the sea. |
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PANTONE COLORS SPRING & SUMMER
This page provides color inspiration for all, be it fashion or home interiors.
Emphasize beauty through use of color. Find inspiration in the world of flowers. Love gold, bronze and all warm metallics. Go for simple, basic shapes in complex final products. These are just some of the rules of Symmetry, our multi-platform forecast for Spring/Summer 2011 offering seasonal inspiration for men's, women's, active, cosmetics, interiors and industrial design
A Color for All Seasons: Honeysuckle - Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you,lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it.
While the 2010 color of the year, PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, served as an escape for many, Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.
“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”
Eiseman continues, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”
Honeysuckle is guaranteed to produce a healthy glow when worn by both men and women. It’s a striking, eye-catching hue that works well for day and night in women’s apparel, accessories and cosmetics, and in men’s ties, shirts and sportswear. Add a lively flair to interior spaces with Honeysuckle patterned pillows, bedspreads, small appliances and tabletop accessories. Looking for an inexpensive way to perk up your home? Paint a wall in Honeysuckle for a dynamic burst of energy in the family room, kitchen or hallway.
SPRING/SUMMER 2011 COLOR PALETTE FOR WOMEN & MEN:
Citing exotic destinations like Africa, India, Peru and Turkey as inspiration for spring 2011, designers continue to satisfy consumers’ need to escape everyday challenges with intriguing color combinations that transport them to foreign lands.
"The colors designers have chosen for the spring season present an interesting marriage of unexpected warm and cool tones," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. "By cleverly combining complementary colors, those that are opposites on the color wheel, they have created a striking intensity to the palette. These unique color combinations make it possible for consumers to pair existing pieces in colors traditionally associated with fall, with new favorites to punch up springtime wardrobes."
The following are fabulous colors for womens wardrobes this Spring 2011:
Flirtatious Honeysuckle is a feel-good hue that brings a festive sense of playfulness to this season’s palette. This vibrant pinkish-red for both apparel and cosmetics makes consumers feel alive, and is a perfect post-winter pick-me-up. Honeysuckle has also been named Pantone's Color of the Year for 2011.
Spicy, gregarious and persuasive describe Coral Rose, a sophisticated orange that, much like Beeswax, a warm, honeyed yellow, conjures up feelings of faraway lands and locales. Pair either of these piquant hues with a cool, refreshing color-wheel opposite like Regatta for a vibrant color combination that will add zest to any wardrobe. Romantic, fanciful Lavender implies sensuality with its subtle hint of red undertone. Combine it with Beeswax or Coral Rose for a unique counterpoint.
Alluring Blue Curacao evokes thoughts of tropical destinations and pays homage to the 2010 Color of the Year, Turquoise. Practical consumers can continue to incorporate enticing Caribbean blues into spring by pairing Blue Curacao with warm, complementary colors like Honeysuckle or Coral Rose. Peapod, a fresh yellow-green, brings an organic element to the palette and is reminiscent of the green shoots that signify change and new beginnings traditionally found in spring.
Trans-seasonal neutrals ground this season’s palette and provide a stable backdrop for all the other colors. The so-called "nude hues" are represented in the range of ethereal Silver Peony to dramatically deep Russet. Another dependable background color, Silver Cloud, is the quintessential neutral that consumers can rely on to coordinate with everything in their closet.
For 17 years, Pantone, the global authority on color, has surveyed the designers of New York Fashion Week and beyond to bring you the season’s most important color trends. This report previews the most prominent hues for spring 2011.
The Spring/Summer 2011 Color Palette for men is below:
