Spring/Summer 2012 colour

As a colour forecaster I spend a lot of time making up ridiculous names for colours and deliberating over subtle shade differences. Why call it blue, when it could be cornflower or duck egg, or green when it could be aqua or emerald. I also spend a lot of time convincing people to buy into new ideas, which can be a little scary at times. So when the catwalk collections hit the runways and more often than not it’s too late to change the colours we have chosen, I’m very relieved if the colours I have predicted six months before feature in the collections.

Forecasting colour isn’t a science and follows a similar pattern to trend prediction. It’s about tapping into the collective zeitgeist and observing the world around you. There are many factors which will influence our clothing choices in the coming months, cultural influences such as film and media, up and coming exhibitions and events, technology, innovative brands, retail and quirky streetstyle all contribute to the way designers come up with new ideas and concepts.

Bright colours have been with us for a few seasons and look set to continue. Ephemeral as it might seem, wearing bright colours can lighten our mood and create a feeling of optimism in these days of financial gloom and doom. The Spring Summer collections at London Fashion week have been filled with the most delicious ice cream shades, super brights and delicate pastels, which are sure to make us feel good even if the British weather doesn’t!

The global colour service Pantone always issue a statement about what they think the key colour for the forthcoming season will be and this year they have gone a step further and predicted what they feel the top 10 colours will be for Spring Summer 2012. Having talked to designers about their collections, colour inspiration and colour philosophy they think the seasons colours will include ‘vivid brights, fun loving pastels and soft muted tones.’ Their top 10 colours are Tangerine Tango, Solar Power, Bellflower, Cabaret, Sodalite Blue, Margarita, Sweet Lilac, Cockatoo, Driftwood and Starfish. You can view the full report here.

Just as we are about to start putting on tights and thinking about winter coats, we colour forecasters are thinking about Spring Summer 2013 which seems such a long way off !

Here are a few of the colours from LFW we are loving for next Spring Summer.

Nicole Farhi (images from Style.com)

Nicole Farhi

Paul Smith

Phillip Lim

Phillip Lim

Roksanda