The Color Chronicles
Fashion icon Coco Chanel once said, “The best color in the whole world is the one that looks good, on you.” Simple, yet profound, her statement emphasizes that fashion, no matter the trends, is very much about personal style. And color, in all its variety, offers a wide spectrum of choices, not only in hue, but also in its combination with others. Described as a season of change, Fall/Winter 2008 is defi ned by rich, elegant colors offering a vibrant selection..

By Deborah A. Yonick, Market Trends Correspondent

It almost seems superfluous to say that color is in since it really has never been out. Undoubtedly, the Fall/Winter season traditionally favors darker neutrals like camel, gray, brown, and black. Yet splashes of color almost always show up.

Tracking trends on the runways in fashion hubs from New York to L.A., London to Milan, Paris to Brazil, Fall/Winter 2008 hails clever infusions of vivid, crisp color. Cooler blues, greens, and purples rank in the top fi ve tones used by designers in their fall collections, followed by variations of warm red, orange, and yellow.

“Fall is traditionally a time for subdued colors, but this season we’re seeing a shift toward cool hues with bright, exciting undertones,” describes Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, Carlstadt, New Jersey. “Conventional tones such as warm autumn hues, chocolate browns, and steel grays are also among the Fall color choices. Designers are being thoughtful. We know the economy is dicey. So, it’s time to use your neutral colors as a base and the brights are there to create excitement to entice you to buy.”

Seasonal shades varied depending on the venue. In New York, blue and purple have become staples, illustrated by Pantone’s Color of the Year, Blue Iris (balanced blue with purple undertone). Other pop hues include a dramatic lilac with red undertones; serene yet sophisticated Caribbean blue; classic navy warmed with red; shady glade (sans yellow); true, rich red; soft, dusky rose with pink qualities and brown undertones; ochre in a mellow yellow with a dash of mustard; burnt orange with a hint of purple; and mushroom that’s not quite gray or brown or green. In Europe, color choices, while similar, were more intense in neon sorbet shades, fl ame red, deep indigo, magenta, aubergine, fuchsia, vivid peacock, emerald green, teal, chartreuse, bright clementine, and zingy marigold.

In addition to the range of palettes and their combinations (i.e. orange and green, tan and peach, brown and rose), textural contrasts and mixed sensibilities (materials, infl uences and patterns) are main directions. With environmental concerns a top influencer, there is greater attention on materials that look handmade, un-dyed, unbleached, and naturally imperfect.

Femininity reigns supreme but, for this season, the frill is gone. The look is less drapey, more structured. Many designers interpreted the duality of the strong and soft sides of women with foreign spies, Hitchcock heroines, and femme fatales among their muses. Th e juxtaposition of the masculine and feminine has long been a fascination of the fashion world, but for Fall the contrast is distinct.

Dresses, which remain key, look newest in a sheath shape or lengths to or below the knee. But the emphasis is on separates, particularly jackets. In a February 12 report in Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), many buyers at the N.Y. shows report that because of the weakening economy, they’re investing in easy, modern items that can be worn in different ways. For consumers, the add-on factor of separates presents more choices and means of expression. For retailers, it provides additional chances to raise sales. It also answers growing demand for items that can cross seasons by layering. Th ere was an obvious awareness among designers of the effects of global warming in their off ering of more “seasonless” pieces.

Next to color, embellishment is a chief design tendency for Fall, reports Claire Hamilton, retail editor for the Worth Global Style Network (WGSN), a fashion trends analysis firm based in New York City. For apparel laden in crystal and gemstone adornment, it was not surprising to see few if any accessories. But this direction just fueled the use of bold jewelry, both costume and fine fashion, on pieces without the built-in sparkle.

Showing in Milan, Burberry adorned its sweet tomboyish look with spiky thorn-like jewelry and huge gem-covered necklaces, while Marni dressed its playful yet elegant apparel with large bead necklaces in geometric shapes. In Paris, Givenchy piled on the chains, both thick and thin, dangling charms, medallions, and crosses; Lanvin adorned creatively trimmed apparel with imposing stone necklaces in Art Deco style; and Balenciaga dressed in stunning diamanté parure.

In New York, Badgley Mischka accessorized with fi ne jewelry by Steven Zale of Zalemark, Sherman Oaks, California, including an exquisite ruby cabochon, oval drop necklace in gold and diamonds. Zalemark, in collaboration with this fashion design team, is developing a two-tier Couture and Bridal line under the Badgley Mischka label to debut at the Couture Show in Las Vegas this May. New York jewelry designer Kara Ross also teamed up with fashion designer Naeem Khan to show her new boutique line of gems like malachite, tiger’s eye, and amethyst in rhodium-plated gold. Erin Wasson, model turned stylist turned jewelry designer crafted a collection for Alexander Wang of mixed-metal body chains worn under his designs, allowing it to pop out of random places. L.A. fashion designer Catherine Malandrino unveiled her fi rst jewelry collection set with raw gems like jade, aventurine, and tiger’s eye. There were pearls, tassel necklaces, and massive jewel-encrusted cuff s decorating Vera Wang’s Lavender label, along with diamond brooches on Ruffi an, charms dressing Rag & Bone, and gold, diamonds, and rock crystal on foreign spy looks by Diane Von Furstenberg in her jewelry line with H.Stern.

With costume jewelry especially hot on the runways, the key for jewelers will be in delivering fashion-forward designs that are playful, adaptable, interchangeable, and reasonably priced enough to be collected and worn like handbags and shoes, says Hamilton of WGSN. Some of the really big gemmy statement necklaces are crystal and glass, but aff ordable semi-precious gems can off er a big look for a good value in a fine jewelry fashion piece that has lasting value and more emotional punch than costume jewelry can off er. Forecasted fine jewelry must-haves include big, bold cocktail rings, gem—encrusted cuff s, large pendants that resemble medallions, gem statement necklaces, and brooches that can be worn as a belt buckle, button, or appliqué- like embellishment.

While taping at the New York shows, Finola Hughes, host of the Style Network show “How Do I Look?” sees the market entering a time of jewelry with greater personal meaning like gold charms, ethnic pieces, and vintage designs. “It’s very much about personal style and expressing what makes you unique,” she says. “In a world where products are turned out in mass quantities, people want to embrace things that speak to them and who they are.”

As Coco Chanel eloquently put it, “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be diff erent.” Undoubtedly, colorful fi ne jewelry can deliver a distinctive look for a great value, and in the process never really go out of style.