If the thought of summer coming to an end has you feeling a little blue, you really must be looking right past fall and straight ahead to next spring.
Just in time for the September 5th kickoff of New York Fashion Week — featuring styles for spring 2014 — the Pantone Color Institute has announced the most popular color for the season for women will be “Dazzling Blue.”
So, what, exactly, makes that shade of of the classic color, used by 17 percent of designers in their upcoming collections, dazzle? Well, it’s the color of Facebook’s Social Butterfly Blue nail polish and Kate Middleton’s much-desired Issa engagement announcement dress, according to Women’s Wear Daily. And it’s more exciting than navy.
If the color leaves you feeling a bit underwhelmed, the runners up, respectively, are Violet Tulip (aka lavender), Radiant Orchid (aka a brighter lavender), Celosia Orange (think Hermes), Freesia (bright yellow), Cayenne (spicy, like the pepper), Placid Blue (or sky blue, as it’s more commonly referred), Paloma (you know it as gray), Sand (that stuff at the beach) and Hemlock (a pretty pale green despite its poisonous sounding name).
Not making the spring 2014 top 10: This year's number one hue, Emerald, or the 2012 color of the year, Tangerine Tango.
“What’s interesting is we’re seeing exciting and fashionable colors as well as more neutral ones,” Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone’s executive director, tells WWD. “It’s not as though everyone is willing to wear the bright colors from recent seasons head-to-toe. There needs to be equilibrium, and that is a more serious word than balance. The world still needs the stability of soft neutrals but we’re not just talking about gray, beige and taupe.”
And if you like your outfit to complement your mate’s, good news! The number one spring color for men in 2014 will be Placid Blue, WWD adds.
“When Placid Blue is redefined as a neutral, more people understand that it’s not just a traditional color but one you can depend on,” Eiseman tells the publication. “There is a reason people look outside each morning, knowing the sky is out there and hoping that it’s blue.”
Some might even call that view “dazzling.”
Lesley Kennedy writes for ShopAtHome.com. Follow ShopAtHome on Twitter @shopathome and Lesley on Google + or email her at LKennedy@ShopAtHome.com.
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