Thoughts from the Dirty City

Each season around the time of Fashion Week, Pantone, the undisputed Kings of Color, comes out with their fashion color report. It is the ultimate guide to the seasons runway rainbow. So if you are into fashion but feel intimidated by the onslaught of runway show after runway show, this a great guide to have on hand.

About 30 designers are highlighted with descriptions of the prominent colors used in their line, their color philosophy, inspiration, and their signature colors. The guide also includes a list of the designers must have pieces (it’s like a fashion cheat sheet). The designers top picks for paint color are also listed. But for me the most exciting part of the guide is the very last page. It takes everything in me not to skip ahead to the good part. What I am talking about is the Pantone SMART Color Systems annual pallet.

What this is is a general list of all the top picks from all the top designers. It also breaks down each color listing not only the Fashion+Home numerical reference number but also the CMYK build of each color as well as the GEO number. That’s right, a designers delight! I have always used fashion as inspiration for my graphic design work. So to have not only a list of what inspired my inspiration, but to also have a color breakdown of the colors they used is enough to melt my mascara. At the top of this list is usually Pantone’s pick for color of the year. This year that color happened to be Blue Iris.

I know what you are thinking. How can blue be the color of the year? Blue is so…well it’s blue. It is the most standard, universal color on the wheel. How could they pick blue when there are so many brilliant, exciting colors stomping down the runway? I already told you, they pick the most requested color by the designers. Whenever I see Pantone’s “Color of the Year” I feel a little let down. It isn’t ever the color that stands out, or shocks the socks off of you. Instead it is that color that runs a thread through the entire season. It’s this years neutral. The color that pairs well with all the other colors on the pallet. This year isn’t the most exciting pallet in history, but considering the state of the global economy I am tickled to see things aren’t going completely drab and dreary, and that beige isn’t even on the map.

As a designer, color is one of my greatest passions. Sometimes the amount of color combinations out there can become overwhelming. When this happens, or when I find myself in a Red-n-Blue rut I dig through the Pantone website. It is a labyrinth of inspiration. Not only do they have one of the most complete color libraries on the planet with perfectly complimenting pallets already laid out for you, they also have one of the best in-house design staffs anywhere.

Anyone interested in downloading the Fashion Color Report can find it here:

http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20557&ca=4

The Winner Is: Blue Iris 18-3943
CMYK 75 58 2 0
GEO 59-1-4
Closest match in the PMS Matching System is 7455
(This number is not provided on the SMART Color System. I used the Pantone Finder located here: http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx)