NEON NAILS
What’s the hottest nail trend this summer? Neon Brights!
On the spring runway, Phillip Lim played with highlighter orange while Louis Vuitton showed pops of bright blue. Now manicurists uptown and downtown can’t seem to keep these bright hues in stock. Mattese, Essie and OPI all have new neon collections for 2009 with electric shades. Some of our favorites are a Mattese day-glo yellow, similar to our color ‘Celebration’ on the Women’s Spring/ Summer 2009 forecast and this hot “Perky Purple” from Essie that looks like our ‘Orchid’ on the same forecast. OPI has a wonderful coral polish, “OPI on Collins Ave”, also seen on our Women’s palette for Spring/Summer 2009 called ‘Hibiscus’. These nail polishes are an easy way to add a pop of trendy color to your wardrobe!
BENJAMIN MOORE HUE AWARDS
The Benjamin Moore HUE Awards recognize the masterful and innovative use of color in design in Residential Interiors, Residential Exteriors, Contract Interiors and Contract Exteriors. Honorees are selected by a panel of distinguished professionals in design, architecture and style and are judged based on a review of a body of their work -consisting of three to five projects- that demonstrates the innovative use of color in architecture and design. Honorees in each category will receive a $5,000 cash prize and an original mouth-blown HUEY crystal sculpture.
There is no fee to enter and participants are welcome to make submissions to more than one category. So, if you think you have what it takes, download the entry form online and enter today. Good Luck!
(image: benjaminmoore.com)
KARTELL COLORWAYS
For the modern-day Cinderella, Kartell and .normaluisa have teamed up to create a very special collection of transparent plastic ballerina shoes, aptly named ‘Glue Cinderella’.
The shoes come in three two-tone colorways and seven solids, in a color palette of exotic tones and warm colors inspired by .normaluisa’s Moroccan-influenced S/S 2009 collection. We were excited to see some favorites, from our Women’s Spring/Summer 2009 Forecast, represented in the line: ‘Parrot’ green, ‘Flush’ red, ‘Shanti’ beige and ‘Orchid’ violet.
For $135, you can slip into a pair of your own, available at Kartell flagship stores and select boutiques worldwide. These chic jellies also come with the added bonus of being waterproof, making them the perfect solution for spring showers.
THE 8 COLORS OF FITNESS
Some might argue that the most important step in making good decisions is self-knowledge. The Myers-Briggs Type indicator is a modern-day instrument that is used to measure individual differences and describe various personality types. Suzanne Brue has utilized the MBTI test as a base to develop ‘The 8 Colors of Fitness’, a personality test designed to “discover your color-coded fitness personality and create an exercise program you’ll never quit”.
If you are motivated by keeping track of your workout and guided by clear fitness goals and objectives, you are probably a blue. Do imposed routines and schedules limit your flexibility and inhibit physical activity? Consider yourself Saffron. Are you casual, spontaneous and fully engaged in the moment? You’re likely a red. Discover your own color personality color now by taking ‘The 8 Colors of Fitness‘ online quiz!
WALL TATTOOS
Personalize your space like never before.
If the thought of giving your space a makeover gives you a headache then here is your remedy. Wall tattoos, stickers, decals, call them what you want, these things are great (and affordable). Almost identical to stenciled paintings without the commitment of a big project, you can transform any room in minutes. Vinyl decals are easy to apply, removable, and not damaging to the paint underneath. No limits here, they stick to almost any surface. Choose from a wide range of designs for any age or customize your own. Check out these great designs from Surface Collective, WALLTAT, and blik Surface Graphics to name a few!
(images from http://www.walltat.com)
“WINNING” COLORS?
Ever question how color influences athletics? Is it possible that, along with talent, emotions, and strategy, color could also be a factor affecting a team’s winning or losing capabilities? We spotted an article in the Wall Street Journal, “The Power of Carolina Blue,” which discusses color psychology for the athletic world. The article stated that during UCLA’s men’s basketball winning streak in the 1960s, their uniform colors consisted of light blue, primary, and gold, secondary. Similarly, they attribute much of the North Carolina Tar Heel’s successes to their light blue, primary, and white, secondary, uniforms, which are supposedly the two top colors in those categories, respectively. The article outlines the “Winning Palette” by giving a pie chart breakdown of the colors worn by Final Four teams. We are not exactly sure how they came up with the percentages, but it is definitely an interesting topic to read about and could prove helpful for those in the sportswear industry.
(image of UNC players from collegehoopsjournal.com)
CHEWING COLOR
Check out this video installation, currently running on MTV’s HD outdoor screen in Times Square. Curated by Marilyn Minter, the exhibition aims to explore “the pathology of glamour,” while blurring the line between fine and commercial art.
CHEWING COLOR IN TIMES SQUARE PRESENTED BY CREATIVE TIME AT 44 1/2
(image: Marilyn Minter’s “Green Pink Caviar”, 2009 (greenpinkcaviar.com))
SUUPAA POP!
Looking for an eye catching pop-cultural review of color that will appeal to all ages? At the “Suupaa Pop! Contemporary Japanese Package Design” exhibit you may find colors you deem shocking, optimistic, and youthful, displayed in a fun and delightful manner. The collection says much about Japanese culture by way of color in a massive collection of Japanese packaging items. Not only does it illustrate that packaging can be used as an art form, but the exhibit also shows colors which represent certain emotions and associations in Japanese society, while bringing visions of recycling bins to your mind. The display is grouped by color rather than item type, which further emphasizes the usage and variety of significant colors, whether they suggest new trends or age-old tradition. On mlive.com, Honore Lee explains that the colors are gendered but not in the typically pink/blue style that we are used to in the U.S., but that pink/black denote female/male respectively. Q-tips in the exhibit were entirely black while there was a white dog food holder displayed, which are probably not the colors that would be chosen for an American market. In the U.S., white can denote purity and cleanliness, which is why our q-tips are generally white or pastel; therefore, this tells us something about Japanese associations with the color black. This exhibit could prove very helpful for one interested in the subject of color psychology.
This collection has been shown in New York and is currently on exhibit at the Richmond Center for Visual Arts at Western Michigan University, arranged by Desgrippes Gobé.
(image from AIGA.org)
FOOL THEM WITH COLOR
Can you envision turning on the faucet expecting to fill your glass with clear water only to find bright blue, yellow or red fizzy water spurting out? Martha Stewart Living can! They suggest trying Crayola’s water coloring tablets called Color Dotz, which are intended for coloring children’s bath water, an equally strange occurrence. If you are hooked on April fools’ pranks and don’t mind a mess, you can play this one 30 times or take a couple of colorful baths yourself for only $4.99!
(image from MarthaStewart.com)
COLONIAL INSPIRATIONS: MENSWEAR FALL 09
At first glance, A Closed Feeling, Japanese designer Takahiro Miyashita’s final line created under the Number (N)ine label, is embodied by neutrals, yet several interesting colors can be unearthed as well. For Fall 2009 RTW, Miyashita presents us with colonial inspired designs, elaborate details, layering, deconstruction, tailoring, and feminine elements, which are synchronized with neutral colors such as our Cuff (cream), Cigar (dark brown), Grain (light brown), Heather (gray), and Tuxedo (black). We forecasted these colors for Fall/Winter 2009 along with a noteworthy color playing upon femininity, Yam, used in the regal blazer shown. In his 2008 line, Miyashita used bold colors such as red and blue, yet, A Closed Feeling, reverts back to a darker more authentic visual.
(images from WWD.com)