Color of the Year

          You’ve got to be kidding. This is Pantone’s new Color of the Year for 2015:

          Pantone, which started as an ink company in the ‘50s, has morphed into a secret panel of experts who dictate the hottest new shade for everything consumers will buy next year, from fashions to house paint.  

         And the 2015 color is called Marsala.  Pantone says this “tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal, while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness. This hearty, yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors.”

          I say baloney.  In fact, it is very much like the color of baloney.

          In 2007 they picked a chili pepper color, and Marsala looks like a washed out version of it.  Seriously?  You people picked something about as inspiring as grayish purple puce?

          But watch the store windows, or Google the fashion runway shots you’ll be seeing soon.  Everything will look drenched in brownish red rusty ruin and dried blood.  Bleah.

          Pantone, a multi-million dollar company, has a color matching system called PMS colors, which helps manufacturers standardize their hues.  For example, PMS 120 would be a set color anyone could duplicate exactly. Adobe Illustrator uses it, even governments use it to set strict colors for their flags (the blue shade in the Scottish flag is “Pantone 300”).  And I can understand wanting to correlate the colors for your company logo, your fabric swatches, or your car paint. 

          But I draw the line at dictating to the world what we all must wear and love in 2015.  It’s enough to give you PMS.

          For some real advice, check out my youtube mom videos here, and find out how to live happily with whatever colors you like.