Infinite shades of love

THERE may be an infinite range of colours in existence, but only so many names that we give them. Shades of red include carmine, vermillion and carnelian, as well as mahogany, magenta and maroon.

Carmine is the colour of dried blood while vermillion is the pigment of the toxic cinnabar gem. Carnelian also draws its name from a gem, though one that is not harmful.

Mahogany comes from mahogany wood and its uses include making musical instruments. Magenta is named after a town where a 19th century FrenchAustrian battle took place and maroon gets its name from the French word for chestnut — a lovely, earthy fruit that takes a bit of work to enjoy.

So the shade of love has many names and stories but for some reason, there isn’t a perfect synonym for love in the English language. But like this pair of sneakers from Tod’s, love has us all at its feet. Perhaps some things are just too complex for words to describe.