Every couple of years, a color family emerges from obscurity and becomes the hit of fashion. Several years ago it was the brown family, predicted to be a major player in the bed and bath market for 2005 - and it was already in 2003 and still plays a major role.
Today, keep your eyes on the gray family. At Color Marketing Group, we began talking about grays several years ago, and now, like the browns of the past, it's THE color family to have in your collections.
Funny thing about gray - it is considered to be a "perfect neutral" because there's a gray to work with every other color imaginable. We saw that in evidence at Heimtextil last January as Deb and I walked the miles and miles of aisles.
One of my favorite combinations was the pairing of gray with the purple family - another color family to keep an eye on. Deep charcoal or pale gray, with deep plum or soft lavender - together they made a sophisticated and upscale statement.
Think about this - a midtone gray might be the perfect solution when you want to use black, but don't want the power of black to dominate. You get the look, the feel, without the dominance.
I also liked how the metallic version - silver - added life and sparkle to so many fabrics. It was everywhere!
It's been said that gray is a color family we gravitate to when we need comfort - and I think of gray flannel - one of my favorite shirts (now long worn out!) was a gray cotton flannel plaid with soft gray, black, and a thin red line. Loved it. And, it was comforting to wear. Maybe we need more of that today.
See you next month on the next Color Cues!
Bruce Knott
Bruce,
ReplyDeleteThere are some really wonderful purples and lavenders out there in fabrics this year that would go beautifully with your gray.
You're exactly right! I think those were the best combinations I saw at Heimtextil!
ReplyDelete