I first noticed that lime green was back without apology two springs ago. Clothing, tableware, wallpaper, iPods, even parking tickets were suddenly coming out in that citrusy hue. The color was everywhere – except in my closet. That meant one thing: This color was in, and my wardrobe was out. I immediately bought a skirt, capris, T-shirt, blouse, two sweaters and sandals in varying shades of this must-have color.
I hadn’t been this green since I was pregnant. My husband said I looked like a parakeet.
And once again, I’d fallen victim to the Palette Patrol.
When I first learned about this small but influential group who knows what colors I’ll be wearing, decorating with and driving in before I do, I felt as if I’d seen Santa take off his beard. Hoodwinked. The last time I felt like this was when I learned that movies splice their films with subliminal ads: A frame of Coca-Cola flashes on screen, and viewers head like sleepwalkers for the concessions stand.
We’re all being manipulated. Don’t believe me? Just look around at all the combos of dark brown and silvery blue in the home and fashion magazines lately. It’s no accident. The Palette Patrol controls the interest rates of hue like the Federal Reserve controls the interest rates of money.
Here’s how the color conspiracy works: Every year a dozen or more hoity-toity designers meet in New York, sequester themselves in a stark white room and determine the “in” colors for the next year. To do this, they talk about what’s going on in the world and how these events translate into colors people will want. Meanwhile, they throw darts at an elaborate color wheel. Conversations go something like this:
“What are people into these days?”
“A lot of people are drinking Starbucks.”
“Put coffee browns on the list.”
Darts fly at the brown section of the wheel.
“What are people talking about?”
“Global warming.”
“We’ll need a spate of solar oranges with some balanced greens.”
Darts hurl again.
“What’s happening in Hollywood?”
]”Angelina Jolie’s lips are everywhere. They stay in the room five minutes after she’s left.”
“Let’s bring the lipstick shades out of retirement, but give them a new name.”
“How about the Collagen Collection.”
“Perfect.”
Darts fly.
“What color is the bird flu? Anyone?”
And so on.
Then, the folks who make clothing, household goods and cars get this group’s color forecast and join in lockstep to create everything to match.
“I don’t believe it’s a conspiracy,” says Margaret Walch, director of the Color Association of the United States, which has been furnishing color forecasts for 92 years. “We don’t dictate what colors will be in so much as we foresee what’s coming.”
This gets me thinking of that chicken and egg riddle until my brain hurts. Either way, these forecasts have a big upside. Sure, new colors in the marketplace make us buy more stuff, but the fresh shades also satisfy our craving for change. Aren’t you glad you’re not still wearing those emerald greens, royal blues and fuchsias from the 80s? Think how boring life would be if colors didn’t cycle.
Also, since manufacturers are in cahoots, when you’re remodeling you can find fabric that goes with your new carpet and wallpaper; plus you can find a laundry basket, towels, a sweater and nail polish to match. (But good luck trying to match a 10-year-old bedspread.)
Finally, color cycles help certain stodgy types bust out of their ruts. Those still living with avocado green appliances and rust shag carpet will eventually have to replace them. And, thanks to the Palette Patrol, they won’t be able to buy anything new in an out-of-date color. This alone provides an important public service.
To those who pooh-pooh all this and say they don’t care about color trends, Walch has a few choice words: “If you don’t have relevant color, you don’t have a relevant space.”
And your belt’s ugly, too.
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What colors are in, what’s out
I asked Margaret Walch, director of the Color Association of the United States, to share her thoughts on the color trends that will be in – and out – during the year ahead.
Earthy browns are big, as are brownish grays. You’ll see more complex blues, like purpled navy, and slick reds with names like “Ribbon” and “Lacquer.” These are complicated reds, not simple shades like stoplight red.
Green continues to be strong. New greens emphasize the yellowed greens of nature.
Wimpy colors, including anything pastel, are trending down. My sister-in-law just replaced the sea-foam green carpet in her home with carpet in cola brown. Walch said that move is a sign of the times.
Yellow, in all its hues, is trending up. This color has been dormant for a while, but will be even stronger in 2008. Even whites will be more buttery.
More multicolored contrast looks reflect the industry’s biggest change. Interiors will mix a dark, a bright and a light color, like brown, red and cream. No more beige on beige. “These looks are more difficult to create,” Walch cautions, “but the look is high-end and sophisticated.”
It helps to know that while fashion colors cycle in and out every few years, interior colors last from seven to 15.
