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Pantone annouced the colour of the year this morning. With much anticipation, every designer was trying to guess what it would be, on facebook and twitter. While I wasn’t too surprised with the choice, I was thinking it would be more of a rich red instead of being on the pink side of things. For now I honestly can’t stand the colour, but maybe it’ll start to grow on me as the year moves along.

What do you think of it? Read more>>

Pantone’s fashion colour report for fall 2010 is vibrant, fun and a little bit retro. Fashion crosses over to graphic design and for that matter, all things design! So be sure to incorporate a little endive or golden glow into your life!

Turquoise, the 2010 Color of the Year, is PANTONE 104-2-3 C in Goe and PANTONE 3258 C in PMS.

“Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while restoring our sense of welllbeing.” (via Pantone.com)

I’m loving it, it’s probably one of my most favourite colours, especially for home decor.

They’re here! The official team outfits for Canada’s 2010 Winter Olympics team were revealed, Thursday morning by the Hudson’s Bay Company, the official supplier for the team. They sure are classically Canadian, what are your thoughts on them? It scares me that they’ve already been called “Hoser Chic” but, they’re definitely much better than Beijing, right?

Vancouver 2010

Beijing

Pantone® released it’s Spring 2010 Fashion Colour Report the other week, just thought i’d share a review of all the hottest colours.

Designers bring splashes of sunshine to the runway for spring 2010. Vibrant brights add a sense of excitement to the color palette, while practical neutrals provide a safety net for cautious consumers.

“Now more than ever, women are vigilant when it comes to spending,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Instead of reinventing their wardrobe at the start of each season, consumers want pieces to complement what they already own. Pairing a bold color with a basic piece or freshening up their look with bright accents addresses the need for practicality, as well as fun.”

Spring and summer naturally evoke feelings of calm ocean waters and tranquil beach vacations in cool, vibrant, tropical Turquoise. This soothing hue from the blue-green family conjures feelings of escape, especially when paired with Amparo Blue. With more warmth than the typical spring navy, this particular shade of blue is extremely appealing because of its brighter, more energetic attitude. Like the scent of a blossoming flower, Violet lends a romantic air to the warm-weather palette. This intriguing purplish hue is a distinctive addition to any wardrobe.

Yellow has made its mark on fashion and spring will further this trend with gleaming Aurora. Reminiscent of the first glimpse of yellow as the sun begins to rise over the horizon, this shimmering, slightly greenish yellow adds a bold infusion. Energy continues to surge throughout the warmer hues of spring, leading to provocative Fusion Coral. This inviting orange connects directly to tangy Tomato Purée, this season’s classic red. Pair it with Turquoise for a retro look.

Thoughtful, cautious neutrals provide a dependable backbone to the brights of spring. Kick back and enjoy the bubbly luxury of Pink Champagne. This delicate, wispy tint is the season’s newest neutral. The melding of Pink Champagne, Tomato Purée and Amparo Blue is a refreshing take on the classic springtime combination of red, white and blue.Three additional neutrals round out the palette. Tuscany, a warm beige hue, provides the perfect backdrop and works well as a solid base color with dynamic accents like Fusion Coral or Violet.

Dried Herb is the ultimate green neutral, pairing well with all other colors. Ideal for bigger ticket items, cool Eucalyptus is the eternal, practical gray. Choose this nuanced neutral and add brightly colored exclamation points in shoes, jewelry and handbags.

(Taken from Pantone’s forecast)

http://www.bootlegger.com

When you hear Bootlegger, you probably think ‘jeans’ – if you’re thinking ‘hillbilly moonshine in a darkened Chicago alley’ that’s a different bootlegger all together. Seriously though, with 98 stores across the country, Bootlegger has placed itself as Canada’s jean expert. Finding the right pair of jeans isn’t as easy as it sounds. Different brands fit differently, different denim hugs differently, different cuts will make you look different. One size doesn’t fit all. That’s why at Bootlegger, they offer a lot more than just a good jean selection. Sure they carry the brands that you want, but more importantly they can help guide you into the right pair of jeans. They won’t just sell you the brand because it sounds cool because that’s not nice, and the people are at Bootlegger are very nice, knowledgeable people. That’s why they’re called Jean-e-ologists – they’re experts that care, basically loveable scientists of denim.

So if you’re a company that prides itself on being Jean-e-ologists, your website had better live up to expectations. Cowie and Fox has designed and built the Bootlegger brand website for years, and has made sure that the experience was always a reflection of the ideals that the brand lives by. (more…)

http://www.lijastyle.com

Athletic apparel is some of the most comfortable clothing you can wear, yet, it is also some of the most unfashionable clothing you can wear. At some point long, long ago, style and function were decreed incompatible. Somehow, the world has gone on without questioning this for centuries – why do you think the first Olympians raced naked? You just couldn’t wear your running toga in the agora or you’d be laughed at. It was better to run around naked, and then slip on your market-wear when you went into town.

Things didn’t get better over the centuries, especially not for women. You only have to look at a few photos from the birth of the WPGA, and you’ll agree. A man’s argyle sweater-vest thrown in for six hot rinse cycles and a pair of balloon pants isn’t really what you’d call haute couture. Try just thinking back as far as high school, remember girls who played sports? Pretty or not, they weren’t allowed to look good. It was always men’s XL T-shirts and sweatpants with varsity soccer or volleyball plastered across the bum. This is just the way things have always been. Believe it or not, though, fashion and athletics are not as mutually exclusive as we’ve been led to believe. (more…)