Pantone Announces Fashion Color Report Spring 2011

CARLSTADT, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pantone LLC, an X-Rite company (NASDAQ: XRIT), and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today unveils the PANTONE^® Fashion Color Report Spring 2011. The report features the top 10 colors for women’s fashion for spring 2011, along with designer sketches, quotes and headshots, and is available for free download at www.pantone.com/spring2011. The release of the PANTONE Fashion Color Report coincides with New York Fashion Week, which begins Thursday.

“The colors designers have chosen for the spring season present an interesting marriage of unexpected warm and cool tones”

The top colors for women’s fashion for spring 2011 are:

PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle

PANTONE 16-1349 Coral Rose

PANTONE 14-0941 Beeswax

PANTONE 18-4039 Regatta

PANTONE 15-3817 Lavender

PANTONE 15-4825 Blue Curacao

PANTONE 14-6324 Peapod

PANTONE 12-1206 Silver Peony

PANTONE 18-1235 Russet

PANTONE 15-4502 Silver Cloud

“The colors designers have chosen for the spring season present an interesting marriage of unexpected warm and cool tones,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute^®. “By cleverly combining complementary colors, those that are opposites on the color wheel, they have created a striking intensity in the palette. These unique color combinations make it possible for consumers to pair existing pieces in colors traditionally associated with fall, with new favorites to punch up springtime wardrobes.”

In addition to designer contributions, the report features commentary from fashion insiders and leading retailers discussing the geographic locations currently influencing fashion and design. Industry gurus highlighted in the report include: Cate Adair, costume designer for “Desperate Housewives;” India Hicks, creative partner at Crabtree & Evelyn; Simone Legno, chief creative officer at Tokidoki; Lanie List, chief merchandising officer at Iconix Brand Group, Inc.; Collier Strong, celebrity make-up artist; and Essie Weingarten, Founder of Essie Cosmetics, Ltd. Contributors from Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Macy’s also weigh in.

Citing exotic destinations like Africa, India, Peru and Turkey as inspiration for spring 2011, designers continue to satisfy consumers’ need to escape everyday challenges with intriguing color combinations that transport them to foreign lands.

Flirtatious Honeysuckle is a feel-good hue that brings a festive sense of playfulness to this season’s palette. This vibrant pinkish-red for both apparel and cosmetics makes consumers feel alive, and is a perfect post-winter pick-me-up.

Spicy, gregarious and persuasive describe Coral Rose, a sophisticated orange that, much like Beeswax, a warm, honeyed yellow, conjures up feelings of faraway lands and locales. Pair either of these piquant hues with a cool, refreshing color-wheel opposite like Regatta for a vibrant color combination that will add zest to any wardrobe. Romantic, fanciful Lavender implies sensuality with its subtle hint of red undertone. Combine it with Beeswax or Coral Rose for a unique counterpoint.

Alluring Blue Curacao evokes thoughts of tropical destinations and pays homage to the 2010 Color of the Year, Turquoise. Practical consumers can continue to incorporate enticing Caribbean blues into spring by pairing Blue Curacao with warm, complementary colors like Honeysuckle or Coral Rose. Peapod, a fresh yellow-green, brings an organic element to the palette and is reminiscent of the green shoots that signify change and new beginnings traditionally found in spring.

Trans-seasonal neutrals ground this season’s palette and provide a stable backdrop for all of the other colors. The so-called “nude hues” are represented in the range of ethereal Silver Peony to dramatically deep Russet. Another dependable background color, Silver Cloud, is the quintessential neutral that consumers can rely on to coordinate with everything in their closet.

To help put PANTONE Colors into as many hands as possible, literally, Pantone is also announcing the PANTONE Visa^® Platinum Rewards Card. Available in select colors from the PANTONE Fashion Color Report Spring 2011, the card lets users make purchases in color-coordinated style and express their inner fashionista with every purchase. For more information or to apply for a card, visit www.cardpartner.com/app/pantone.

The colors featured in the PANTONE Fashion Color Report are culled from the PANTONE FASHION + HOME Color System, the most widely used and recognized color standards system in the world. Each season, Pantone surveys the designers of New York Fashion Week and beyond to collect feedback on prominent collection colors, color inspiration and color philosophy. This information is used to create the PANTONE Fashion Color Report, which serves as a reference tool throughout the year for fashion enthusiasts, reporters and retailers.

About Pantone

Pantone LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, has been the world’s color authority for more than 45 years, providing design professionals with products and services for the colorful exploration and expression of creativity. Always a source for color inspiration, Pantone also offers paint and designer-inspired products and services for consumers. More information is available at www.pantone.com.

About X-Rite

X-Rite, Incorporated, is the global leader in color science and technology. The company, which now includes color industry leader Pantone, develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services. X-Rite’s expertise in inspiring, selecting, measuring, formulating, communicating and matching color helps users get color right the first time and every time, which translates to better quality and reduced costs. X-Rite serves a range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical. For further information, please visit www.xrite.com.

PANTONE^®…The color of ideas^SM.

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