Originally posted in The CLOSET
Clockwise from top left: Rain Boots, Gap, $54.95; Art Deco Earrings, H&M, $6.95; Colorblock Scarf, Gap, $29.95; Tunic Dress, H&M, $29.95; Striped Sweater, Reitmans, $46; Faux Leather Shoulder Bag, Le Château, $29.95; ToyWatch, The Bay, $260; Large Leather Travel Tote, Gap, $130; Beaded Necklace, H&M, $14.95
Every January, I make a few style resolutions so I don't repeat mistakes I've made in previous years. I promise myself that I'll stop buying black, that I won't buy clothes just because they're on sale and that I'll once and for all get rid of things that don't fit, don't flatter and don't make me feel fabulous. No matter how steadfast my resolve, by February, I've usually committed a multitude of style sins with a safe, black pair of on-sale pants that don't really fit hanging guiltily in my closet. The shame.
One resolution I always manage to keep is to try out a colour that scares me a little. Last year I succeeded big time by adding a bright yellow coat and a pair of bold red pants into the mix, and discovered that I actually loved wearing both.
This year, Pantone, the world's leading authority on colour trends, has named 'Tangerine Tango' as THE colour of 2012. With last year's 'Honeysuckle' supposedly encouraging us to face our everyday troubles with optimism, "Tangerine Tango, a spirited reddish orange, continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward," declare the peeps at Pantone.
“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”
Orange, I've found, is a love-hate shade. I know people who adore orange in all of its warm, brilliant shades, while others run screaming from the in-your-face hue; I fall into the former camp. I'll wear orange all year long but especially love it when the weather warms up with tan, gold, pink, purple, white and blue. If you just can't handle all that Vitamin C, test out orange as an accent in a bag, watch or necklace. And, if orange just really isn't your thing, fret not - simply check out Pantone for all of the other must-wear colours for 2012.
Will you dare to wear orange this year?