Color Forecast - Looking Back

Casual Living Staff -- Casual Living, 9/8/2010 7:02:19 AM

There is an overriding sense of nostalgia as an influence, said Leslie Harrington, executive director of The Color Association.

The Dior advertisement harkens back to the 1940s and 1950s classic period of film noir, featuring a shadowy scene and a sultry femme fatale. The neutral color scheme is spiced up with a hint of merlot-hued lipstick.	A classic belted little back dress is dramatically punctuated with an invigorating shot of red in the St. John's advertisement.

"From vintage uniforms and toys, to classical art, to war-era canning jars, all look back to the past for inspiration for the future," she said. "A sense of comfort in the certainty that previous decades - although they were not free from struggle - managed to make it through to the present time." Harrington translates this to mean generally bright and basic colors, such as green, brown, red and orange because those hues typically colored vintage objects.
     Pantone's take on this theme is titled Archetypes, which is all about classical styling. "Classics never go out of style - they are the archetypes of design and color that are seemingly ageless," said Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone Color Institute's executive director.

Burberry's trademarked haymarket check pattern serves as a standard classic in tones of tan, black and red.	Naples Club Chair from Foremost Groups takes indoor comfort to outdoor living areas. Booths 8-4114 and 8-4117A

     "The economy has dominated in the past two years, and it has influenced us to want to reminisce, feel optimistic and sometimes escape," said Guido-Clark. "Essential colors - those that are basic and fundamentally classic like browns, charcoals, navy and red - will bring about a quality of nostalgia and history."
     "While they often reflect a historical time period, standard classics look au courant when updated or reinvented through styling, pattern and texture. And just as fashion repeatedly illustrates, basics such as black, brown, beige, gray and taupe can also be redefined in the home by introducing colorful accents."
     The tones in this palette include Taos Taupe, Charcoal Gray, Black Coffee, Breen, Tan, Silver Gray, Champagne Beige and a spicy red called Bossa Nova. The Archetypes palette harkens back to the idea of retro and is heavily influenced by movies and television, such as the popular AMC series Mad Men. Iconography associated with the palette includes leather jackets, aviator sunglasses and leather-covered suitcases, said Eiseman.
     "Color has to bridge the past and the future," said Lamb. The Trend Curve's Swing Shift trend explores the 1940s wartime restraint era, resulting in the renewal of light maple, pecan and walnut as well as seersucker, jersey, cable knits, wool and tweed.