Preach, Claude, preach.
Anyone who's spent any amount of time around here is no stranger to my hate / hate relationship with color-forecasting institutes as a whole. I mean, the sheer audacity to call themselves "forecasters" first of all, rather than what they truly are: Directors, dictators, or even enforcers sets my teeth on edge from the start, but we're all in this system together anyway ... My feelings on the issue will never stop the machine, and it's not entirely like I want to, it's just my fervent wish that the whole rigamarole was more honest across the board. That being said, I thought it would be fun, now that Summer is in full swing, to take a look at the "forecast" released last fall for this current time-frame, and see how it holds up.
What do we think, gang? Are these our Spring / Summer 2023 colors? Are stores, and magazines saturated with this palette? Are any of the colors popping up in home furnishings yet (it's a little soon still, but many things simply do not operate on the same timetable as before), automotive (this entire sector has been boring for a very long time, don't count on any miracles), industry (marketing, new construction), or even publishing? That last one might actually be an early adopter ... Book covers in the last several years have become much brighter and playful in color, and plastered with whimsical design motifs. I don't know why anyone needs their Tolstoy to look like it belongs in a children's nursery, but if that's your jam I'm not judging, I'm not going to pretend I'm immune to *aesthetic* culture. Back to the palette, though, let's see what Pantone had to say during its launch:
Colors for Spring/Summer 2023 New York reflects how our experience of the past few years has influenced our relationship with color. Embracing a fearless approach that ranges from chaos to quiet, we strive forward with a color palette that celebrates a newfound freedom and the excitement of trying something new. Colors and color combinations that lend themselves to experimentation and quirky contrasts highlight our desire for individualism encouraging us to express ourselves in unexpected ways.
Okay.
Colors for Spring/Summer 2023 are recalibrated for the new era we are entering. Blending escapism with reality, wholesomeness, and joy, we embrace the exploration of extreme contrast in mood and color (Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute).
Is ... Is that what you're experiencing? It's not what I'm experiencing.
I don't feel like this is a new era to necessarily be excited about. I find nothing bold or forward looking / thinking about it at all. I look around and see collapse, and backsliding in nearly every aspect of life and society, and for me there isn't any number of hot-pink blouses that is going to change a single thing about it, much less my mood about the current state of our affairs ... Trust me, I have several! I know this is a little strange coming from me, I'm usually a pretty optimistic kind of gal, not as optimistic as my mother, but my god, nobody is. I suppose I still kind of am, I do believe in my soul that down the road everything will eventually work out alright, I just don't feel optimistic <right><now> if that makes sense. I look back to when those above quotes were released, and I look around now, and it is all just so incongruent, and the sentiments feel so childlike in their naivety that it's almost painful. It's easy to shake your Magic 8 Ball and pretend everything's going to be fun, and awesome 6 months from now, but I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that a lot of these experts' fingers are firmly in their ears, and NOT on the pulse of what's actually going on *waves arms excitedly in all directions* Out There™.
Since Fall's color trend report has already been generated, let's take a look and see what they have to say about that one as well, shall we?
Oh my god.
"Colors for Autumn/Winter 2023/2024 NYFW reach out beyond what we think is possible to catapult us into this new era, taking us to a place where boundaries of time, place, and identity are no longer fixed." - Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute
Is that right...
So, not only are the colors mostly contrived copies of this year's earlier palette, but we're just recycling talking points, and catch-phrases from Spring / Summer, too. In the words of Miranda Priestly, "Groundbreaking."
I can't wait to find out how many ways we're going to be told how excited we are to be hurtling into the future, and how bright colors will kiss our boo-boos, and make everything all okay. Honestly, at this point I wouldn't be surprised if KC Green's Fire Dog was the Spring / Summer 2024 color palette. At least I'd respect the truth of it.
Meet me back here in September when the next color trend report drops!
xoxo
