The Top Ten Colors for Fall 2008

Wondering what colors you'll be seeing this fall? Here they are...

The voting is in, and the winner is…BLUE IRIS, with 13.95% of the vote. What election was this, exactly?

Each season, Pantone surveys the designers at New York Fashion Week to collect feedback on prominent collection colors, color inspirations, and color philosophy. Their report is a harbinger of color challenges that printers will face when creating advertising and promotion for the seasons’ fashions.

Now, what exactly is Pantone and why should you care? Pantone, Inc. has been the world-renowned authority on color since 1963. Lawrence Herbert, Pantone's founder, realized that not everyone sees and interprets the color spectrum in the same way. This often led to difficulties in identifying, matching and communicating colors accurately in the graphic arts community. So he developed the PANTONE® MATCHING SYSTEM®, a book of standardized color in fan format. This color matching system is now used in many other industries, including digital technology, fashion, home, plastics, architecture and contract interiors, and paint. So if you want to communicate about color, Pantone is the universal language.

The colors featured in the Pantone Fashion Color Reports are selected from the Pantone Fashion and Home Color System. So these are the colors you will see not only in clothing, but in home and interior design and web design, as well. These will be the most popular colors for the season.

According to the survey, the top 10 fall 2008 colors for women’s fashions are: Blue Iris, Royal Lilac, Shady Glade, Caribbean Sea, Aurora Red, Shitake, Withered Rose, Twilight Blue, Burnt Orange, and Ochre. “Fall is traditionally a time for subdued, quiet colors, but this season we are seeing a shift toward cool hues with bright, exciting undertones,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Conventional tones such as warm autumn hues, chocolate browns and steel grays are also among the fall color choices. Blue and purple tones have become staples, as illustrated by Blue Iris, one of the top 10 colors chosen by designers this season.”

So here they are, the top ten colors for fall 2008:

Selected by almost 14% of the designers, Blue Iris was Pantone’s ’08 COLOR OF THE YEAR. Chosen in part for it’s calm sense in a volatile year, it contrasts against the turbulence of the times. A rich, calming blue with an undertone of purple, it reflects a quiet strength.

Dramatic Royal Lilac brings purple to the forefront of fashion, and generates a bit of heat with its exciting red undertones.

Garnering 12.4% of the designers’ votes, Shady Glade is not a yellow-green or a blue-green. It fits perfectly in between, delivering a natural elegance to the fall palette. Cool and pure, this hue is a departure from greens of seasons past, which had distinctively yellow undertones.

Serene, sophisticated Caribbean Blue is another popular hue this fall, especially in jewelry and accessories. But it can add a colorful intensity wherever it is used in the wardrobe.

Twilight Blue, a twist on a classic navy, shows the transitional aspect of spring segueing into fall.

This fall’s red, Aurora Red received 8.87% of the votes. There was universal agreement in its broad appeal, and holiday applications. It was nothing fancy or complicated, just a strong, pure, proud red.

The complex yet modest Shitake is an intriguingly understated shade, especially when teamed with the robust colors of fall ‘08

With 8.5% of the votes, Ochre stood out as a beautifully mellow yellow with a hint of mustard that could complement burnt orange, shitake, dark tones, and industrial neutrals with a touch of lightness and spice.

Described as vintage and modern, tough yet feminine, hippie but haute, Burnt Orange collected 7.75% of the votes. A favorite for its use in eclectic pairings, it’s a deeper more intense version of orange.

Soft and dusky Withered Rose collected 6.2% of the votes. Its combination of pink, with brown undertones makes it a very subtle, warm shade that will work in many kinds of fabrics.

To see a copy of this beautiful, full-color report, you can go to Pantone's Report for Fall 2008.


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