Let's Get Edgier!

Emerald green. Pantone's 2013 color of the year.

Did you declare a theme word for 2013? Mine is "edgier." I don't mean nervously irritable, or impatient and anxious. I'm talking daringly innovative, on the cutting edge, pushing the envelope, with the qualities of intensity and excitement.

Don't worry. I am usually understated. So adding a little edge at the outset of this new year, with a proverbial blank page in front of me, might shake things up a little bit for the better!

Last month Pantone announced the color for 2013: emerald green. "Lively. Radiant. Lush. A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony."

But then, if you've been reading my notes, you already knew that since last September when I talked about what I saw on my New York buying trip here. I was just a *tad* resistant to green then. But it's growing on me.

Green is the color of growth, renewal and prosperity. No other color conveys regeneration more than green. For centuries, many countries have chosen green to represent healing and unity.

After my brother's surprising diagnosis in October and his subsequent fast demise less than two months later, I need healing. And I want to make the most of the life I've been given. That's where the edge comes in: life is short; let's live it to the fullest.

If it's true that green represents healing, I could use some green. And if green is the new edgy, then bring on the green! Let's live it up.

“Green is the most abundant hue in nature – the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Symbolically, emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world.”

These models show green last September at the New York market.

Green has often been called a “colored neutral”, which means that it is a color that can work like a neutral and complements just about any color in the rainbow without being too jarring. A bright, clear, warm color with a touch of blue, emerald works well with just about any skin tone.

Let's add some healing to our life. And some edge. Embrace some green. Minimally, we can do it with jewelery or a scarf. Let's be open to a green handbag, shoes, even nail polish.

How will you incorporate green into your look? Will you embrace it fully, or just touch on it? Did you declare a theme word for the year? Feel free to share.

Hello 2013. Hello Edgy!

With love,

Renee