Color of the Year - Honeysuckle

Pantone has declared that Honeysuckle is the color of 2011. And who can blame them? Honeysuckle is a color that is inspiring. The mere sight of it lifts your spirits and "emboldens us to face everyday troubled with verve and vigor."

This color, classified as a reddish pink, is bright, summery and reminds us of the plant it is named for and its ability to send us back to those carefree summer vacations at the lake with evenings spent chasing fireflies. Honeysuckle has been incorporated into many designers Spring/Summer 2011 lines and was seen consistently on the runways this February.

Being one with a predisposition for all shades of pink, I was immediately in love. The vibrant hue translates from men to women to interior design in one fell swoop. It can brighten your mood in a moment and gives an overall sense of uplifting calm and subtle control to manage any task from mundane to overwhelming. It has already been translated from high fashion to budget friendly as evidenced by Alber Elbaz in both his Lanvin line and ready to wear with H&M.

Spring and summer almost always bring with them a renewal. People begin to feel energized and motivated to reemerge into the world and experience more. Some attribute this to the change in weather and that cant be ignored, but with the change in seasons also comes the change in color schemes, like it or not. And it is these colors that really make a difference. Color has an influence on how we feel and what better color to inspire us all to conquer the world we have been retreating from for the last few months than one in the beautiful shade of PANTONE® 18-2120...better known as Honeysuckle.

Shoes to cure any boring outfit...

It is always my goal to look like I got dressed on purpose, even if I'm just wearing a tshirt and jeans. Its a fault of mine, I guess. I get it from my parents. They are ALWAYS dressed to the nines, ALWAYS. And growing up I always felt out of place...until I discovered my own style, that is.

Now while I am not always dressed to the nines as my parents were, I developed this preference to look like some thought went into what im wearing...other than it's clean. Somewhere around junior or senior in college and solidified by grad school, I managed to define my image. Most would characterize it as off-beat, odd and random but I like to think of it as classic with a twist. I enjoy traditional pieces, but those done in unconventional ways. If I'm going to wear a pair of oxfords they are going to be blue patent leather, etc. But with anyone, we all have our go-to pieces. Those pieces that are our defaults that we gravitate towards because they are familiar or easy. And along the way I decided that while a black flat shoe was easy, a purple one was unexpected, polished, on purpose.

Since that time, I have always kept a pair of them in my closet. I've had satin, leather, two-toned, patent and for me they go with everything. Everything. Some would disagree, and that's ok, but for me, throw on a pair of purple shoes, like these Steve Madden, Taylas, when you would have worn black and all of a sudden you have a pop of muted color that compliments most palettes. If you think about colors on the color wheel, those you see in stores, most of them are complimentary to purple. Not all of them match, but they definitely compliment. And for me, complimenting is all you need. Never one to be matchy-matchy, I prefer to look like I made a statement and not that I overwashed a particular piece of my wardrobe or got dressed in the dark. Thus, purple. You should try it.

Purple has always been my favorite color...but...

When it comes to color...I almost always respond to anything in the purple family...from royal purple to lavendar to cordovan...it doesnt matter, purple is my favorite. But when it comes to words, I am pretty sure that Chartreuse is it. It only helps that I like the color itself as well.

Chartreuse is a color that techincally belongs in two color families because it has two different shades. By some definitions it is both yellow and green. Personally, I prefer the green version as it is a little less harsh on the eye and still complimentary. It is not a color that most will gravitate towards, but a color with presence none-the-less. I am not one to shy away from color and usually the bolder the better. I want you to see it and think...I wouldnt have thought to use it there, but I like it. I am under no illusions that I make color decisions that would send others running, but I still want you to be able to appreciate it, even if it isnt something you would pick. And this is where a color like Chartreuse comes in.

Chartreuse is a lemon-lime shade of green that almost has a touch of neon to it but can still be very muted. There are many variations of the color and often can only be described by a picture...thus...Grammy winner for Best New Artist, Esperanza Spaulding, is wearing a very descriptive shade of Chartreuse. Some would argue that her dress is a little more citrine or even yellow, but therein lies the argument of the color, it can be both, but to me this dress is squarely Chartreuse. While she is arguably on the worst dressed list by some, personally I love the dress...its layered, ragged and stunning. Designed by Selma Karaca, it looks good on her frame and she carries the weight of the dress well. It is only better accented by her pink shoes with an interesting and chunky heel. While I am not usually a fan of pink and green together, I will let it slide this time because, well...it looks good...period. And I have a weakness for a good shoe.

My boyfriend has been encouraging me to start this blog for ages and I have been resistant for reasons I cant really define. I have always loved color and there arent many days that you wont catch me in one loud shade or another...but as with most things, we evolve. And I have finally acknowledged that he is right and if I want to some day complete a color dictionary, it might be a good idea to start jotting my ideas down, thus 'If my whole world could sparkle' was born.

When I was younger, high school and college aged, I was more prone to wearing what most call, primary colors...the crayon shades of red, green, pink etc...and as I got older, I evolved into more saturated shades of everything, even if the new shade was paler, the color itself was saturated and here is where I currently stand.

When I started this blog, I originally intended to start with purple...but as I sat here and flipped through pictures, I realized that Chartreuse was really the only option...yes purple is my favorite color, hands down...but how can one truly resist Chartreuse?