It’s blue skies ahead for fashion, with runways awash in America’s favorite color, as designers presented their collections for Spring 2006. According to Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, blue dominated the palette, with three shades – Deep Ultramarine, Skyway and Blue Tint – placing in the top 10.
Each season, Pantone surveys designers showing at New York Fashion Week and collects feedback on prominent collection colors, color inspiration, color philosophy and each designer’s signature shades. This information is used to create the PANTONE® Fashion Color Report.
The top 10 most directional women’s ready-to-wear colors for Spring 2006 (along with printing values) are:
“Designers have taken a deep breath for Spring 2006,” observed Leatrice Eiseman, executive director, Pantone Color Institute®. “After several seasons of “color! color! color!’, it’s time to relax a little. Color this season is toned down, more muted – they’re not pastels, not brights, but a nuance in-between. We see this relaxation in the prevalence of blues, neutrals, and the classicism of black and white. Designers are still having fun, but don’t need the stridency.”
Many designers chose to mix and layer the season’s blues – Ralph Lauren created blue patchwork suiting, Badgley Mischka employed blue ombre beading, and Nicole Miller blended blues with crocheted accents.
Skyway was seen as menswear stripes at Ralph Lauren, coats and dresses at Bill Blass, an embellished floral column at Carolina Herrera, playful floral dresses and tops at Anna Sui, and flowing charmeuse at Badgley Mischka. Zac Posen used Blue Tint for wispy plaid dresses and shirts, while Nicole Miller chose it for geometric prints on dresses and tops. Reem Acra decorated a gored skirt in Deep Ultramarine with daisies, while Wolfgang Joop used it for a double-breasted coatdress at Wunderkind.
Light, creamy French Vanilla appeared in openwork vests and dresses at Nicole Miller, satin dresses at Badgley Mischka, shirts and dresses at Zac Posen, a shirtdress at Bill Blass, voluminous shorts at Luca Luca, and a satin-hemmed dress at Wunderkind.
Soft, neutral Sand Dollar filled the runways of designers such as Zac Posen, Proenza Schouler, Nicole Miller and Peter Som. Sand Dollar appeared at Michael Kors in shorts and softly tiered dresses, at Anna Sui as a coat and Bermuda shorts, at Bill Blass as an embellished tulle ball grown, and at Wunderkind in suits and a flowy floral jacket.
Soft, fresh Lily Green sprouted as botanical prints at Anna Sui, dresses at Zac Posen and Nicole Miller, and floral tops and sheer layers at Luca Luca. Cameo Pink, with its lavender infusion, was featured as a long dress with bows down the front at Carolina Herrera, as a floral skirt and ribbon trim at Bill Blass, and soft florals and embellished tulle skirts at Badgley Mischka. Meanwhile, juicy Melon turned up as a tunic at Michael Kors, and as jackets and dresses at Zac Posen.
Clove appeared in camouflage and retro florals at Michael Kors, a floral-and-pin dot dress at Carolina Herrera, and in zigzag tops and an embellished tank at Luca Luca. Viola turned up in plaid dresses at Zac Posen, floral dresses at Anna Sui, geometric prints at Nicole Miller, trailing ribbons at Badgley Mischka, and a floor-length shirtdress at Bill Blass.
The Spring 2006 PANTONE Fashion Color Report is available online at www.pantone.com/spring2006.
This article was last modified on January 3, 2023
This article was first published on October 3, 2005
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
