December 11, 2012
One thing we know for a fact: there will NOT be fashion police, running around the world with Pantone swatches, enforcing the “fidelity” of every green item that’s manufactured during 2013. And for us, that’s good news, because this means that there will be a variety of… interpretations… of “emerald” available to purchase. If the authentic emerald isn’t your best green, you will still have lots of options available, if you choose to explore the possibilities of green in your wardrobe.
Blouse – Equipment, ring – Toosis, scarf – Hermès, flats – Bottega Veneta
Turtleneck – L.L.Bean, blue striped shirt – Golden Goose, blue shirt – D&G, white shirt – Theory,
navy blazer – A.P.C., grey sleeveless sweater – J. Crew, grey cardigan – J. Crew, navy v-neck – J.
Crew, navy shirt – J. Crew, navy pants – A.P.C., grey skirt – Comme des Garcons, grey pants – Theory
navy blazer – A.P.C., grey sleeveless sweater – J. Crew, grey cardigan – J. Crew, navy v-neck – J.
Crew, navy shirt – J. Crew, navy pants – A.P.C., grey skirt – Comme des Garcons, grey pants – Theory
love,
Janice
I want those flats…now I will think about this all day!!
Me too!
Ditto. I love those shoes! I guess we'll be well-prepared for St. Patrick's Day, too. (No pinching!)
I own a green blazer and a pair of green trousers and always pair them with white, black or grey. They are a fun way to mix up a classic outfit.
I agree with Janice re the various "greens". I prefer jade green to emerald which is a bit yellow for me. I love the jade/navy combo especially in shoes (and I think I've had at least three pairs in my life). Still wearing my Kurt Geiger navy blue suede pumps with jade green heels and a slight platform of jade around the sole (bought back in 1990 in London!) I wear them with a navy skirt or pants and a jade green cardigan and have a jade/flowered silk scarf that goes with the sweater. Always makes me think spring when I wear that outfit so will be glad to be back in style with that shade of green this spring.
I hate to sound like such a newbie…. but who/what is Pantone? Why do they (it?) get to decide the color of the year?
I know, I didn't know about it either. There was a Barbie doll that came out last year wearing Pantone color swatches and that was the first I knew about it. I read about Pantone just the other day. It's a website, http://www.pantone.com. It said, loosely quoting in no particular order, that Pantone is an X-Rite company; they tout themselves as "the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries." They have a "Pantone Color Institute." They have their own paints…thousands of colors, "superior-quality, eco-friendly…Pantone Paints combine the accuracy of Pantone Colors with the beauty of high-performance Dutch paints." Pantone LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Inc. Pantone "has been the world's color authority" for over 40 years, "providing design professionals with products and services for the colorful exploration and expression of creativity…always a source for color inspiration, Pantone also offers designer-inspired products and services for consumers." X-Rite, Inc., "is the global leader in color science and technology." They "develop, manufacture, market and support innovative color solutions thru measurement systems, software, color standards and services." X-Rite "has expertise in inspiring, selecting, measuring, formulating, communicating and matching color" which "helps users get color right the first time and every time, which translates to better quality and reduced costs." X-Rite serves a range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical." (Again, this wasn't from wikipedia, but from Pantone's website.)
I keep wanting to call them Panettone, spelled right or wrong, which is a holiday bread from Italy, isn't it??!!
Fashion seems to take a big cue from Color of the Year. I remember hoopla in this past year about Tangerine Tango. Pantone's 2010 color was turquoise; 2011 was Honeysuckle, which was sort of pinky-mauve. From what I can see on the computer, their Turquoise was very similar to this current Emerald, with the emerald being "greener" and the turquoise being "bluer."
I didn't read the other comments before I wrote this. Maybe someone else can answer why Pantone gets to decide. Maybe it's a case of "somebody's gotta do it," so they put themselves out there and, if they're not challenged, they become the "authority." But I'm still learning about it.
Pantone started as a commercial printing company, and they produced what came to be called the Pantone Matching System (PMS — yeah, I know!). Putting it very simplistically, PMS is an abstract mathematical model that allows designers, artists, publishers etc to reproduce a given colour irrespective of the platform and medium they are using. So, for example, if I'm printing a book jacket in Tokyo and need my colleague in Berlin to match the shade on the marketing material for the book fair there, all I need to do is cite Pantone shade #XYZ and they know *exactly* what is required with no sending back and forth of samples etc.
They became very successful, and Pantone shade cards are today one of the easiest way to compare and reproduce an actual specific colour. They colour trends they put out are just a publicity exercise — Pantone gets free press and everyone is speaking their language, adding to their success. They don't 'get to decide', we go along with what they put out and LET them decide is more the way it works—because they make it hugely convenient.
Wow, very interesting. Thanks for weighing in. Who knew?!!
JANICE, did you happen to catch the post Tish did a day or so ago (A Femme D'Un Certain Age blog) about the appropriateness of clothing children in black?
There was an Anonymous comment which responded to the post in what I thought was an intelligent point of view about color and wardrobe. My main, base color for clothing is black to the point of near exclusivity now, yet it doesn't excite me and, in the privacy of my home, I break out in every color of the rainbow because I'm a color freak and love all kinds of colors, on me and surrounding me.
What do you think of this comment the reader made: "I'm a creative person and hate the conventional wisdom that an all black wardrobe is chic. For some, yes, but for many women (particularly over 40) it is severe and lacks individuality. Isn't this why servants always wore black uniforms to remove their individuality? I think it is far better to find your best neutrals(s) (navy, grey, brown, beige, off-white) and build your wardrobe around these colours. Even non-neutrals (burgundy, plum, olive green, purple, red) can be a great platform to build an interesting and versatile wardrobe. Why not be memorable?"
Wow. My mind's working away on this one…
Putting the politics aside, the fact is that black is NOT flattering to all people. That is a huge myth perpetuated by the fashion industry. There are SO MANY other options for neutrals, that it's just silly that people default to black to this degree. Pick colors that flatter you, if that includes black, great. If not, great. Don't let your wardrobe be dictated by what looks good on other people.
More for my mind to work on; I'm just taking it all in and will eventually come up with what's right for me, thanks to Janice and valuable reader comments. I have things that stick in my head, for instance some fashion guru saying that a woman of a certain age can't wear a certain color (or shouldn't). Thing is, we sort of instantly know what looks good against our faces and skin tone. Sometimes a positive sign for me is when I get multiple comments on a color or outfit I'm wearing. Too many of us wear black because it's ingrained it makes us look thinner. Makes me think of women in mourning, centuries ago, who couldn't wait to be relieved of wearing their somber black after months if not years. I do have a cousin who only wears black and white, she's 40 now, slim and blonde; she always looks like a million bucks but is a discount shopper. She's got Janice's talent of knowing how to put it all together.
Maybe I'll dig out that length of emerald jersey and those suede green boots and shoes!