True Colors

I couldn't believe my eyes last week when I saw little white fuzzy things flying through the air. Could it actually SNOW in the winter of 2012?

One little squall, sure, but enough to be pretty – if only for a few moments. The ground was too warm for anything to stick around.

But it happened right when I had just started thinking about sunny days and sandals! What's going on with the weather this year? Mother Nature seems to be a bit schizophrenic this season.

In my warped mind, I'm already thinking spring all the way: spring fashion, spring cleaning, spring fever. And today, the thermometer on my car read 73 degrees. Go figure.

Hot today, cold tomorrow...My daughter has worn flip flops this season, but I'm well aware that we may still get a big storm in March.

What to wear? That's the question now. Dress for winter? Dress for spring?

Today, I'm wearing the four-season staple: yoga pants with black t-shirt. But that's another story.

Following on the heels of New York Fashion Week this past fall, Pantone [the definitive global authority on color] released its Fashion Color Report for 2012 – and, true to form – it foreshadowed what is blooming in the fashion world this spring: a wide array of brights and jewel tones, with a couple of neutrals thrown in for good measure.

 

I was happy to see the neutrals – always love them! – but I was also excited to see some of the colors that I recently chose when repainting rooms in my house this winter. My new kitchen, for example, is now dangerously close to Pantone's Solar Power, coupled with a refreshing hint of Tangerine Tango, Pantone's Color of the Year. And didn't those JCrew sandals from my last blog post lean toward Tangerine Tango? Remember?

Pantone’s color guru Leatrice Eiseman has said that Tangerine Tango is a symbol of what people are needing, based on what is happening in the world around them.

"Splashes of tangerine are a much needed jolt of visual Vitamin C. This color is not a downer, but an upper," she said.

How fun! This DIY art fronm Pinterest can definitely be found on the official Color Report. And it's an upper to boot. I guess we could all use an upper these days.

You gotta love the names Pantone chooses. After all, life is a Cabaret, old chum.

Doesn't this look like Sodalite Blue? [When I first looked at the name of the color, my middle-aged eyes saw Socialite Blue.] Whatever.

I just love this sweater for spring; I would wear it.

Sodalite Blue is getting a lot of attention this season, as are most of the other Pantone colors from the Color Report.

These Betsy and Millie ponchos are totally on color trend – and perfect for layering when the temperature swings 20 or 30 degrees in 24 hours. Hey, it happens.

 

 
Perhaps nothing blooms brighter than the peonies that Cricket Hill Garden is featuring in its catalog this spring. Omgosh...I think I could be happy forever if I had these colorful beauties in my garden.

Besides, they coordinate with the official Color Report.

 

I have dozens of peony plants in my garden, but these are tree peonies and my peonies are herbaceous peonies. While my plants are lovely, Cricket Hill's tree peonies are simply m-a-g-n-i-f-i-c-e-n-t.

Peonies, native to Eastern China, have been around for thousands of years – way longer than Pantone. And these COLORS! Talk about color uppers.

Which makes me think: Who's REALLY in charge?

I certainly hope we enjoy all of Pantone's spring jewel tones, brights, and neutrals - whether in our wardrobes or in our homes – but I have a feeling that the true "global authority on color" may have thought of all of them first.

Know what I mean?