Trend Report: A New Approach to Going Green

The color green is thought of as the kiss of death to any collection.  A difficult color to match with lighter skin tones, green garments have a reputation for being the last in a collection to attract the eyes of buyers and the last to sell on department store racks. However, this season, designers are choosing from a variety of green palettes, making green an easier color for consumers to wear. From hunter green to emerald green to olive green, red carpets and runways have never celebrated green more than in spring 2012 and the upcoming fall season.

“Green has always been one of my favorite colors to work with, in its deepest tone it is a very rich color. Emerald green, forest green, and khaki green are very natural tones,” explains Loris Diran.  “It is also a very flattering color for brunettes and redheads.  If you have the wrong coloring, green can actually make you look green. “

Though the fashion industry in the last few seasons had practically stayed green free, in previous decades green was a dominant color of choice. In 1961 Harper’s Bazaar devoted its entire May issue to the color green. And in the late 80s Anne Klein and Calvin Klein featured a variety of green garments in their collections in such varying shades as lichen and apple.  “When I worked for Chanel and Versace, we always used lots of green in our collections. In recent years the industry has shied away from green because it can be a complicated color that doesn’t match every skin tone,” details Loris Diran.

Sometimes when a major celebrity or media figure dons a designer or color, the media buzz around that garment can boost sales and place a color palette prominently in the minds of consumers; and sometimes not. Though Keira Knightly wore a killer open back, slinky green gown in the movie Atonement in 2007, green never really took off that year.

Past seasons aside, green has definitely made an auspicious comeback, particularly on red carpets. Laura Dern at the 2012 Golden Globes looked ravishing in a sequined dark green gown by Andrew Gn. While Natasha Poly at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival seductively showed her exquisite gams in a green Gucci gown.

And for fall 2012 the color green is also the order of the day. “Though I had already planned on using green in my fall collections I didn’t realize that the color forecasters had pinned green as a dominant color for fall/winter 2012, until I read the predictions in WWD” explains Diran.  “I felt compelled to use green in my color story for fall because we are referencing Pan’s Labyrinth and using more prints and texture for our fall collection and I felt the variations of green we used matched our prints and texture without being too complicated for our customers.” And green has permeated a wide array of collections for fall 2012 from Trussardi to Cinzia Rocca to Yigal Azrouel to Maison Kitsune.

Going green this season can mean purchasing eco-friendly fabrics or just adding more green color to your wardrobe. It would be nice to do both!!

—William S. Gooch