Colour me fancy

With the new year just around the corner, now’s the time to find out which colour will flourish in 2014.

“It’s a little different, it’s a little off the beaten path, and it’s not a primary colour,” explained Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute in a recent AP report. “It’s an invitation to innovation. The purple family offers (an) opportunity to do creative things.”

According to Eiseman, people will take to it quickly because it’s a flattering colour for many skin tones and complementary neutral colours. “This is an opportunity to look at what you’ve already got in your closet and add to it. It will feel like the right amount of change,” Eiseman was quoted as saying.

Already, we can see that fashion runways and red carpet premieres have had a few orchid moments.

An orchid-coloured Gucci handbag has been photographed for a Saks ad, and it is said to translate just as well into lip col- our and eye shadow, and in home furnishings.

It’s a colour that American first lady Michelle Obama is often spotted wearing. (And we know what happens when she endorses a particular trend.)

Even menswear has seen hints of it, with Ermengildo Zegna and Salvatore Ferragamo incorporating it into ties and trims.

But before you go all Radiant Orchid, you must be informed that another colour has also been deemed as majorly important.

AkzoNobel, a leading coatings company, unveiled Teal as its “Colour of the Year 2014” at the World Architecture Festival in early October.

In this case, Teal was chosen by a panel of international colour experts assembled by AkzoNobel’s Global Aesthetic Center. These experts arrived at their decision after distilling and discussing trend and colour concepts that made waves over the past year.

“Teal was chosen as the Colour of the Year 2014 as it is the amalgamation of blue and green,” enthused the company’s press release. “Sitting somewhere between these two colours, it represents balance as well as sophistication, tranquility and versatility.” Well, colour me confused. But whether you choose Radiant Orchid or Teal to rock your wardrobe, that’s entirely up to you. As long as it’s not Icteritious (jaundiced yellow); now that’ll be a difficult shade to pull off.

William is petitioning for Bandung Pink to be the colour of 2015. What’s your pick? Send your feedback to star2@thestar.com.my.