Pantone Fall 2014: Cognac

Cognac…the name alone lends a bit of mystery to the color, don’t you think? When I think cognac, I conjure up images of heavily paneled old libraries, a variety of very old and very expensive patterned rugs tossed here and there covering magnificent solid wood floors; of course, there is a dog or two or four sleeping in the sunshine streaming through the floor to ceiling windows. The years have softened all of the wood, giving it a unique warm patina and the rich tapestries and textiles in the scene show just a bit of wear. Nice, no?

On a chilly December afternoon many moons ago, I saw this very image, scaled down and sans the pups, in the window of Etro on Madison Avenue and the fashions, needless to say were exquisite…right at home in that setting. What was the main color running through that window display and the image in my mind? Why, yes…the color brown.

The best thing about all shades of brown is the neutrality, which means that all shades work wonderfully with all colors of the Pantone rainbow! This year, fashion designers have embraced this fact by creating gorgeous patterns that incorporate color combinations that, several years ago, might have been dismissed. I love this idea! If you take a little look around my site/shop you’ll find that I incorporate a lot of “browns” in my designs. Mother Nature helps me out by creating some of the most glorious shades of brown in rocks and gemstones and then I add unexpected Czech Jablonex glass beads in a myriad of shades, shapes and textures as fabulous complements to the gemstones. The finished pieces are divine. (I suppose it is okay to say that of work I created...right or does it make me a smug brat?)

The majority of my pieces are tonal in design…usually based on one color in various shades, hues and textures; however, that doesn’t mean you can’t layer them with pieces from completely different ranges of color. Designers throughout the Pantone Fall 2014 Color Forecast are doing it so why shouldn’t you? Cognac with misted yellow, cognac with bright cobalt and cognac with aluminum give you great places to begin. I would love to know what colors you will experiment with and pair with cognac or other shades of brown this year. You know you can leave your comments below, right? I think I will try the cognac/aluminum toss later today. Stay tuned via instagram…I’ll post the look there. (How’s that for cross-media promotion?)