“The color palettes of this season transport us to a happier, sunnier place where we feel free to express a wittier version of our real selves,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
“Yet with our culture still surrounded by so much uncertainty, we are continuing to yearn for balance by incorporating those softer shades that offer a sense of calm and relaxation.”
The color predictions have been laid out in Pantone's Fashion Color Report for Spring 2016. Pantone assessed each fashion designer's use of color in their upcoming collections, coinciding with New York Fashion Week.
Eiseman told WWD there is a direct correlation to the new colors and abstract art such as Picasso, as well as urban design and bringing vegetation into the home.
The top ten colours for Spring 2016 are:
1. Rose Quartz 13-1520
Percentage of designers who used this color: 22.55
“This really is a beautiful pink that will radiate well on the skin for women as well as men,” Eiseman said. “Women can always be helped along by cosmetics, but guys have to rely on the colors they’re wearing to sometimes make them look a little healthier.”
2. Peach Echo 16-1548
Percentage of designers who used this color: 19.87
“We know the oranges have been hanging in there even though historically orange is a color that comes and goes. Peach Echo is a very warm, friendly and accessible color,” Eiseman said.
3. Serenity 15-3919
Percentage of designers who used this color: 15.86
“As the name suggests, Serenity is a calming color that plays to the whole idea that we know we’re still living in turbulent times. Blues simply relay that feeling of relaxation,” Eiseman said.
4. Snorkel Blue 19-4049
Percentage of designers who used this color: 15.21
Eiseman said this shade is “meant to be a bit more fun, less serious than navy, and serve as one of the anchor colors for the spring palette.”
5. Buttercup 12-0752
Percentage of designers who used this color: 11.45
“Buttercup is all about sunlight, happiness and cheer — this one just speaks to give us a ray of sunshine, something to be hopeful about. It really energizes,” Eiseman said.
6. Limpet Shell 13-4810
Percentage of designers who used this color: 11.23
“Lovely and refreshing,” Limpet Shell is a blue that has a slightly green twinge, according to Eiseman. Given the number of news stories about climate change concerns, it’s not surprising that in recent seasons many people are instinctively reaching for cooler colors and blues, she added.
7. Lilac Gray 16-3905
Percentage of designers who used this color: 9.78
“There is a need for neutrals every season and this one has a hint of the purple family that is soft and subtle,” Eiseman said. “In light of the state of the economy, people are still mindful about the way they spend their money. If they invested in gray in recent seasons, as many people have, this is a color that is not going to say to them, ‘Oh, that’s so yesterday — I have to get rid of that.'”
8. Fiesta 17-1564
Percentage of designers who used this color: 8.99
“The south-of-the-border influence really plays heavily into this particular shade of red, which is more warm-based than a cha, cha, cha red. It’s very free-spirited,” Eiseman said.
9. Iced Coffee 15-1040
Percentage of designers who used this color: 8.92
“With a tan disposition, Iced Coffee has a warmth that combines well with everything else,” Eiseman said.
10. Green Flash 15-0146
Percentage of designers who used this color: 8.68
With a yellow undertone, this bright green would be well-accepted for spring or summer. “Urban design is very much at the forefront of people’s minds. It’s a fantastic color to combine with others and it may be the driver to buy something new,” she said.