Pantone Color Palette for Fall 2008 & Rumination on Purple

Fall '08 Palette: "Best described as a season of change, fall ’08 is defined by rich, elegant hues that offer a vibrant selection. New York's fashion designers emphasize cooler blues, greens and purples in the top five tones used in their collections, followed by variations of warm red, orange and yellow."
For more detail go to:
http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20557&ca=4

I've never been a slave to fashion, despite evidence to the contrary by my embarrassingly overstuffed closet. Growing up in Adak, Alaska where fall or winter conditions prevailed "year round"- one was more likely to be seen clad in hiking boots, denim jeans and down jackets or parkas than any lovely garment inspired from a fashion designer runway. I admit that the idea of "purples" becoming a staple color in universal wardrobes rather than just my own is quite liberating to me. My dear grandmother loved purple and as a child, I followed this favoritism by keeping up the adoration of all things purple. In my grandmother's abundant garden I found special joy in every violet, lilac, iris and pansy. I think of her fondly whenever I see irises in bloom. As an adult, I have dining room walls, granite, pillows, artwork, upholstered chairs, sofa, linens, jewelry and many articles of clothing that all incorporate some shade of my favorite color. Last year while traveling in Asia, I purchased silk shawls in various colors, including two in a vibrant amethyst hue. I sent a box of wrapped packages to my mom and my middle sister in Anchorage, AK for Christmas. For some reason I can't begin to comprehend, the gift packages got mixed up and my sister opened my mom's present and my mom opened my sister's present. I had thought my mom would enjoy a blend of exotic teas from my travels to England and from the famous Raffles Hotel in Singapore. My sister was to receive the purple shawl and a crystal bracelet I made. My mom was so enthralled with the shawl (and seemingly much less so with the tea I might add) that I relented and sent her the remaining purple shawl I had intended to keep for myself. Little did I realize until this incident that my mother and middle sister were also fond of the color purple. Perhaps I was too boisterous in my own preference for the color that I did not notice theirs? In retrospect, it was quite an amusing turn of events.

Given Pantone's color predictions for Fall 2008 I'm happy to discover my color selections of yarn for most of my Nihon Vogue projects this past year will be in fashion for at least one upcoming season!