Red Hot

The brighter the color, the better.

Color – strong color is now cool. The spring/summer 2001 season brings a continued movement of the new millennium toward the emphasis of color and a lot of it. The season of optimism and playfulness gives way to an explosion of bright colors used together or in combination with other ranges. Technological advancement in fabric development has brought the countless mixture of hues. Texture, fiber and stitch have allowed color to become the focal point for modern design. Fabrics, colors and designs are being intermixed between the sexes. Whether on the street or on the runway, both men and women have embraced similar attitudes toward color and style. Confident consumers are keeping away from the dull in favor of luscious colors and designers are giving it to them.

Colors don’t change. Our lives do. These color and style preferences reveal the signs of the times. Color has a great influence in most of the choices we make on things we own – from cars to clothes and curtains to sofas. We often base our purchases not on the advantages of a particular model or style, but on whether we really like the color. Just walk the streets of Manila and count how many colorful mobile phones there are. Color is the catalyst for stirring emotions, creating moods and enhancing our daily lives. The right colors and color combinations can stimulate or relax your senses, evoke happy memories and affect how you feel in your environment. Our tastes in color are the summation of our experiences with them, which results in our favor for or dislike against particular hues. Color preferences are based on childhood memories, holidays like Christmas or Easter and even what we see in our daily lives, print and television.

According to the Color Marketing Group (CMG), an international, non-profit association, which provides color directions for all industries, manufactured products and services, consumers will be yearning for simplicity, relying on spirituality and celebrating cultural blending in the new millennium. During this era, the average person will spend as many as 16 hours a day in front of a computer. To escape this monotony, consumers will search for more individualized products to stimulate their creativity and respond to their unique needs. This shows the need for individuality through color. Until recently our use of color was not daring. Neutrals and minimalism were de rigueur in the Nineties. Everything from clothes to interiors was in shades of brown and gray. Years ago, only the lower classes and prostitutes wore color. It was considered down market and poor taste. It was looked upon as vulgar and gaudy. The rich would embrace hard-to-keep colors like ecru and white to set them apart. Now, color is a sign of luxury and wealth.

"Colors are vibrant this year because of the economy," says Tod Schulman, marketing director of Pantone, which supplies color standards for the fashion industry. History shows us the effects of current situations in color. The war was over in the Fifties. Thus, people were happy and they showed it in their use of color. Color also made an impact during the Sixties and Seventies when the youth dominated the culture. They swayed fashion, fads and politics. It was the time of radical attitudes and alternative lifestyles. Colored televisions were also introduced in the household. The art of Andy Warhol in vivid hues penetrated the scene. Dresses in op art or vibrant colored patterns (think Peter Max or Pucci) were hip. Emilio Pucci’s creations were feminine, glamorous and cheerful and featured eclectic combinations of motifs. The bright colors he loved were both Mediterranean in inspiration, as well as Slavic, since he had Russian origins. The pop art and psychedelic movements also inspired many of his colored and geometric patterns.

Summer is shaping up to be one of fashion’s brightest moments. This season’s styles are drenched in bold and bright colors. PRIVATE Red in particular dominated the runways. It has arrived on the scene in an array of shades and hues. Several of the new reds are Australian in influence. They are metallic based, and will generate a re-introduction of iron ore hues. Other shades are deep and rich with undertones of chocolate. A return to spirituality is also seen as a reason for the resurgence of true reds. The 2000-year anniversary of the birth of Christ has caused a renewed interest in true red. Wild berry, a pure nearly true, bright red is one of the reds of the season. Other shades are Marrakesh red, a soft red with the earthiness of natural dyes used in North Africa and vin rouge, the color of Chianti.

Show-stopping reds in its solid form or in floral and geometric prints were all over the European collections from Marni, Valentino, Mui Mui, Alberta Ferretti, Dior, Martine Sitbon, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli, Versace and Louis Vuitton. Hussein Chalayan layered and super-imposed them. Missoniís bright red, black, and cream stripes and prisms splashed across silk and polyester/spandex jersey dresses with self-fabric belts. It was reminiscent of the disco Seventies and accented with buckles, baubles, and gold-chained totes from the Eighties. Milanese designer Miuccia Prada returned to her fashion roots, using clean lines for her skirts, which are flared or straight and topped by mini-sweaters or short jackets. The colors started with gray, black and blue with crimson accents. Accessories from cone-heeled pumps to a flat handbag with a single handle were in various colors including red. In the Paris fashion world, the Latin influence was evident. Eye-catching reds and wild prints with ruffles covered the bronzed bodies of models. Hot southern sexually charged silhouettes replaced traditional minimalist designs. While Cacharel presented a series of slashed necklines and Capri pants in Eastern prints on white, to be mixed with horizontal stripes and short shorts. The look is Fifties Paris updated with dark denim accents and razor thin clutch bags. Vermilion was also part of the collection’s color palette.

Red is the color of happiness, love and seduction. Although it is must-have hue of the season, it is rarely out of fashion. This summer we’re definitely seeing scarlet: from Greek goddess ruched dresses to rock chick garbs, glossy ankle boots, court shoes and wide belts, clutch bags and totes. A great red dress – whether a classic, feminine cut or of-the-moment edgy number – is truly timeless. Red is not for the faint-hearted. Dare to be noticed.

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