For Seller

By: Barbara Borchert

The runways of Paris, Milan, and New York are now quiet, awaiting the newness of spring 2007. Fall 2006 is almost old news to those in the fashion industry, but to those of us out here in the real world, we are just now beginning to think about summer. And as the first warm days of summer begin arriving, the stores, magazines, and catalogs are prepping our minds to think "˜Fall’!

So, as we sit here wearing our brightly colored summer clothes and basking in the summer heat, we must force our thoughts to do as the fashion industry dictates and turn toward the cool days of fall. What colors will we be wearing? A good question, but what is shown on the runways usually over-exaggerates any trend, so how do we make sense of it all?

The color palette for fall 2006 looks totally new! Gone are the pretty brights and light pastels from the past couple of seasons. The new story is described by some as dark, rich, mysterious, aristocratic, and will definitely require adjustments in our fall wardrobes. But the one reliable color tying all of these together will be "˜black’. Any shade of black by itself or with other colors will be the major color story.

The Pantone Color Institute describes the fall colors as having a great deal of elegance with a sophisticated subtlety. Deep, rich colors like Bijou Blue (a deep almost navy ultramarine), Purple Magic (dark, smoky with red undertones), Mineral Red (very warm toned), Frost Gray (gunmetal), Red Mahogany (brown with red undertones) or Vetiver (khaki with a green cast) fit that description perfectly. Even neutral tones have morphed into interesting shades such as Apple Cinnamon (intense dark gold), Golden Ochre (soft intense orange), Pale Khaki (khaki with slight yellow cast), and Simply Taupe (light but intense).

While these colors may seem too dark to be interesting, their richness will be enhanced by adding accessories, especially jewelry, to brighten the look and draw out the true elegance of the colors. And while one of these colors alone may seem uninteresting to some, using two or three together, will definitely not. The richness and sophistication of each will be complimented, especially when black is the central piece.

copyright © 2006 by Barbara Borchert

Barbara Borchert is Sales and Marketing Manager for Jewels by Park Lane, a direct sales company selling high quality fashion jewelry since 1955. She has a MBA in Marketing Management from DePaul University and has an extensive background in retail and field sales. http://jewelsbyparklane.com/