Stahl issues new colour forecast
03/04/2009
Specialist leather chemical supplier Stahl has launched a colourful new Fashion Colour Forecast for autumn-winter 2010–2011 that it believes will brighten these two seasons, especially for those living in the northern hemisphere, where, once the leaves have fallen, it can be a pretty colourless time of the year.
The forecast comes in two forms, an eye-catching poster and a more detailed booklet showing the usual series of colour swatches, grouped under six colour groups.
This year the colour selection covers the whole spectrum. Almost any colour in the rainbow can be found somewhere, even it is toned down a little for winter. There are even one or two metallic shades to brighten playful fashions.
Starting with a look back at history, ‘Nobility Code’ is the first group and within it ‘Strictly Class’ are the colours that give the past a modern look of class and quality. Stahl explains that this is not necessarily old world, an era of the grand house; dashing modern fashions need these colours too if they are to be really striking. The colours? There is everything from rubber through sable, the colours of red wine and grapes, classic pale and dark blues and pineneedle green.
Playfulness, evening glamour, and cool modern fashion are reflected in the second group, ‘Experimental Existentialism’. To give an air of excitement, Stahl has included a range of metallic colours, with silver, gold, copper browns, gunmetals and the almost black colours of the night, leading from antique shimmer to theatrical flashes of light that unhesitatingly brighten up the shades.
‘Asian Fascination’ immediately calls to mind the colours and magic of the Far East. Think of the peoples of Asia, the way they dress, the way they move and the way they perform and dance. The effects are hypnotic as ancient and modern cross and recross in both landscape and townscape. This is reflected in the ‘Hypnotic Shadow Play group. Here pale khaki, pale dusky pinks and frosty greys interplay with dark colours, ebony, puce, jet black and red earth.
These days, no colour palette seems complete without references to history, without harking back to medieval times and earlier. Grand living was one aspect but in this sector of Stahl’s colour grouping, ‘Smash of Styles’ uses ‘History Brights’ to create a reminder of days of early exploration, travel and settlement. Sailing ships opened up the New World and intrepid traders forged the silk routes between Europe and the Far East. Earthy colours cross the spectrum of cinnamon through browns, wines and reds into deep mauves and dark navy blues. They were perfect for the fashions of the time, and now they are perfect for creating new fashions that mirror the old.
The taste of adventure and the wilderness inspire the search for ancient treasure, the search for the ‘Forever Natural’. Inevitably thoughts turn to warm neutral shades, the ‘Treasured Neutrals’ that remind us of the countryside in autumn and winter as the green grass tones down to dusky green and dusky orange, the ploughed fields look like dull gold, chestnut and the dark brown of forest night. In the cool colours, grey and light brown are a reminder of stone walls and buildings out on the moors while winter white tones with these shades while perhaps reminding us the spring will not be far away.
Finally Stahl gives ‘Future-Retro Action’ a truly exciting look into the future. With autumn and wnter on the scene, colours are aptly named ‘Freeze Up’. There’s snow white, of course, and then a range of cold colours such as dapple grey, fieldspar green, and silver lake blue through to jet black. Here the metallic shade is white pearl-metallic, its slightly cream hue making snow white seem even whiter.
The range of colours in this forecast is so varied that Stahl believes there has to be something for everyone.
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