There has been a lot of discussion about the 2015 Pantone Color of the Year, Marsala.
From www.pantone.com
The Versatility of Marsala
- Equally appealing to men and women, Marsala is a stirring and flavorful shade for apparel and accessories, one that encourages color creativity and experimentation
- Flattering against many skin tones, sultry and subtle Marsala is a great
go-to
color for beauty, providing enormous highlight for the cheek, and a captivating pop of color for nails, shadows lips and hair. - Dramatic and at the same time grounding, the rich and full-bodied red-brown Marsala brings color warmth into home interiors
- An earthy shade with a bit of sophistication, texture is the story in print and packaging. A matte finish highlights Marsala’s organic nature while adding a sheen conveys a completely different message of glamour and luxury.
If you wonder what Pantone is, this is from Wikipedia:
Pantone began as a commercial printing company in the 1950s. In 1956, they hired recent Hofstra University graduate Lawrence Herbert as a part-time employee. Herbert used his chemistry knowledge to systematize and simplify the company’s stock of pigments and production of colored inks; by 1962, Herbert was running the ink and printing division at a profit, while the commercial-display division was $50,000 in debt; he subsequently purchased the company’s technological assets from his employers and renamed them “Pantone.” The Pantone Color Matching System is largely a standardized color reproduction system. By standardizing the colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match without direct contact with one another.
I am not a fan of Marsala. It isn’t as bright as a burgundy, yet is too red to be a brown. I believe it is a hard color to match something to. In any event, some people will embrace it, and some will wait until the next year. Watch where you will see this color over the course of 2015–perhaps it would make a good lipstick.