Are you that person who always knows about the latest trends? Do you make choices based on what’s new and edgy, selecting things that no one else has seen so you can be on the cutting edge?
Or maybe you like to go on Pinterest for inspiration, looking at what others are wearing or doing to get ideas? Do you find yourself wondering what is most popular instead of what is trendy? (They’re not always the same thing, are they?)
Whether you follow the newest trends or embrace them when they’ve become tried and true, we have spring color inspiration for you!
Every year I share Pantone’s Spring palette, including their Color of the Year. Pantone’s color selections attempt to reflect the current culture as well as predicting (and influencing) trends in fashion and design. For those of you looking to follow these trends, I like to provide the closest matches to our own palette of tulle colors to make your color selections as easy as possible.
Pantone’s Spring 2015 Palette
Starting at the top right in the image above, here are Pantone’s colors. (Our matches are also listed, and displayed in the image below the list):
Aquamarine = Willamsburg Blue*
Scuba Blue = Turquoise
Lucite Green = Lime Green
Classic Blue = Royal Blue, Navy Blue
Toasted Almond = Sand*
Strawberry Ice = Coral
Tangerine = Orange
Custard = Butter*
Marsala (The Color of the Year) = Wine
Glacier Gray = Silver Shimmer (or Gray)
Dusk Blue = French Blue*
Treetop = Forest Green
Woodbine = Olive Green, special order
Sandstone = Copper, Antique Gold*
Titanium = Gray
Lavender Herb = Pale Purple
(* are special request tulle colors, still in stock but not our featured tulle colors this season. You can ask for them in the personalized text fields at checkout.)
Our Most Popular Colors for 2015
I’m trying something new this year and predicting our most popular colors for favors in the coming months. The Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, Leatrice Eiseman, said, “I look for ascending color trends” when selecting colors. After several years of sharing the Pantone palettes, (see 2012 2013 2014) I’ve noticed that our most popular colors each year include hues from the new palette AND from those in previous years—which makes perfect sense if you think of a trend as “ascending.”
For example, Pantone’s Color of the Year in 2014 was Radiant Orchid, which was not especially popular for us until January of this year, when requests for lilac and orchid hues greatly increased. I expect the same to happen with some of this year’s colors as designers and planners incorporate them in more events and products.
This year I predict that the following will see an increase in popularity:
Hot pink: In 2011 it was called Honeysuckle, and in 2012 Cabaret. In a world filled with bridal showers, it’s hard to choose just one pink, but so far this year we’re seeing a shift back to the bright and bold, less muted shades. This one never seems to lose popularity for events from bachelorette parties to kids spa parties.
Coral: From Salmon Rose to Fusion Rose and Cayenne, Coral has been in and out of Pantone’s palettes since 2007. I talked about the popularity of coral in our party favors way back in 2010, and after a bit of a lull in the past year or so, I think it’ll be back again this year (thumbs up for Pantone’s addition of Strawberry Ice!).
Lime Green: Pantone’s 2013 palette featured three greens, including the Color of the Year. I don’t predict as much green in our own studio’s palette this year, but we are seeing an interest in apple-themed events, for which Lime Green is a perfect fit. We predict that this will be the most popular shade of green this year.
Turquoise: There is almost always a blue-green hue in Pantone’s palette, and this year Scuba Blue (our own Turquoise) is trending for us, as well. Especially popular for spa and beach parties (with the flip flop designs), we think Turquoise will be a new favorite.
Navy Blue: Nautical designs have increased in popularity in the past year, and with them we’ve seen a substantial increase in the requests for Navy. Comparable to Pantone’s Classic Blue, we think this will be our most frequently requested blue this year, right up there with Turquoise.
Pale Purple: As I mentioned earlier, last year’s Radiant Orchid is just now becoming a popular addition to our designs. I think we’ll continue to see many requests for this color, but it won’t be the most popular purple shade. That honor goes to…
Eggplant: This was such a surprise! In fall of 2013, Pantone included Acai, which is an almost perfect match to our Eggplant. Late last year we saw an increase in requests for this color, but I expected January would bring a return to the pastel hues that are more common for spring palettes (see Lavender Herb this year, Radiant Orchid last year, African Violet in 2013, and so on). While we certainly saw those shades increase, Eggplant is by far the most frequently requested purple. I expect it may even increase in popularity for fall events.
Silver Shimmer: Glacier Gray and Titanium are both featured in Pantone’s 2015 palette, and we predict that this neutral’s popularity—as well as the continuing trend of metallics in fashion and weddings—will multiply the requests for this sparkling shade.
What do you think of this year’s color trend predictions? Do you agree with Pantone’s selections? Which are your favorite hues?
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