Shown left: Carmen Marc Valvo uses the Pantone color silver peony for his sketch; shown right:  sketch by Tracy Reese whose color philosophy is mixing and layering colors with textures for a fresh and energetic color palette for spring. All sketches courtesy of Pantone, Inc.

Spring in Bloom

A sneak peek at the hottest hues to hit the spring 2007 runway

By Lindsey Aspinall

With a new season right around the corner, Pantone, Inc., has once again released its latest color trend report, forecasting the color trends for spring 2007. Similar to fall �06, the trend this season will be pairing splashes of color against background neutrals. While the runway showcased deep and rich hues set against neutrals in the fall, it�s sweet and blossoming spring shades that will punch up neutrals for the spring season. Innovative splashes of corals, yellows, and purples are being paired with neutrals like golden apricot and caf� cr�me, to create a feeling of spring in bloom. While frost gray was a big runway hit for the fall, the glimmering opal gray will take its place as a popular neutral shade for the spring season.

�Most often, colors are not completely reinvented with each new season,� says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of More Alive with Color. �Instead, colors evolve from one season to the next. The apple cinnamon of fall becomes the caf� cr�me of spring.�

Fall hues may have transformed subtly into spring shades, but the pairings of color are brand new. The latest eyewear on the market certainly shows that eyewear designers have been experimenting with fun new color combinations.

�What changes with the new season is the variation and combinations of colors,� adds Eiseman. �While navy, black, and white are still a presence for spring 2007, designers are choosing a greater variety of neutrals as the canvas for this

season�s captivating new hues.�

According to Eiseman, the new spring colors will soon be appearing in accessories, and this will eventually translate into new colors for eyewear.

�Eyewear pros should really pay attention to the new trends as this is what pique their

customers� interest to try something new and different,� she says. The color expert adds: �How many pairs of silver, gold, black, or tortoise do we need? Color can be the attraction and the impetus to buy something new.�  EB

For more information on Pantone, or to view the colors, visit www.pantone.com/spring2007

Shown left: Sketch by Kathryn Dianos for KYKLOS. Her inspiration is the colors of the earth in Provence. Shown right, top to bottom: sketch by Nicole Miller who says she prefers warm tones; sketch by Kimora Lee Simmons for Baby Phat who was inspired by the tropical rainforest of Brazil; drawing by Betsey Johnson who utilized  strawberry ice for her fashion sketch

Design Time

Here�s what just a few of the season�s hottest designers had to say about the latest in color trends.

Carmen Marc Valvo

Inspiration: Paintings by Georgia O�Keefe

Signature Color: Silver

Color Philosophy: Color with shimmer

Zac Posen

Inspiration: Watery distortions

Signature Color: Marigold

Color Philosophy: Sun-drenched hues

Tracy Reese

Inspiration: The vibrant nature and cultures of

Latin America

Signature Color: Java

Color Philosophy: Mixing and layering colors with textures for a fresh and energetic color palette for spring

Nicole Miller

Inspiration: A trip to Tulum and the Mayan ruins

Signature Color: Clay

Color Philosophy: A lot of neutrals with bright accents and metallic highlights

Elie Tahari

Inspiration: Old-world garden parties in full bloom

Signature Colors: Orchid, mocha, lavender, and flax

Color Philosophy: Versatility

Top Ten

The hottest spring 2007 colors include these top 10:

Silver peony

Tarragon

Opal gray

Golden apricot

Hollyhock

Green sheen

Grapemist

Caf� cr�me

Strawberry ice

Sky blue