Pantone Punk'd and Klein Debunked

What do you think of when you hear or read the name Pantone? Nowadays most of us assume Pantone is a fashion/trend dictator that identifies color trends. Pantone is a business that has morphed from a modest printing business in the 1950s to a cosmetics color matching company and finally into THE ink and paint shade coordinator for all things retail. Pantone immediately understood the advantage of showing digital color images on the internet and and since 2000 has issued its Color of the Year pronouncement every December. 


Adored by decorating and color bloggers, Pantone is the most savvy color forecaster of the day. The trick to understanding Pantone is to realize that its color hounds are not exactly leading the pack. Rather Pantone specializes in identifying what's popular from influential entities (like fashion designers) and packaging that knowledge for the rest of us in the hinterlands. My favorite tea mugs are a good example.





And thus to the most recent display of color trends on show: New York Fashion Week started September 7th and goes through next week. Pantone's already on it. Today they issued a ten-color mini-palette of colors they say will be popular Fall/Winter 2017 and even into Spring 2018. Here 'tis:

Since quilters love color and might want to see if they can emulate the Pantone Fall palette in their quilts, here's my version of those shades and I call it Pantone Punk'd. From the Peppered Cottons line meet Flame 06, Aubergine 34, Cottage Rose 06, Tobacco 85, Ink 45, Charcoal 14, Marine Blue 11, Bright Kiwi 64, Blue Jay 41, and Rust 96.

Flame 16

Aubergine 34

Cottage Rose 06

Tobacco 85

I didn't have a close equivalent to the rather anemic shade of beige Pantone calls Butterum. Instead I substituted the stronger brown called Tobacco. 

Ink 45  

Charcoal 14

Marine Blue 11   

Bright Kiwi

Blue Jay 41

Rust 96

Before I go, I have to voice my disgust at new fashion designers discovering--again--the artistry of vintage quilts and appropriating them in their clothing. Not dissing the manufacture of garments mind you. Lauren cut up thousands of antique quilts in the 1990s and now it's Calvin Klein's turn. But c'mon-this 1930s pink-and-white Snail's Trail looked a lot better as a quilt. Cutting the quilt as the coat body and then pairing it with wool plaid sleeves looks downright silly.

OH boy--this bored model with a desecrated blue-and-white Ocean Waves quilt cunningly equipped with Glen plaid sleeves.      (I wish there was a font for sarcasm.)

And this poor dude who's all ready for Christmas in his red-and-white Irish Chain quilt coat lining. Aarrgghh!







A curse on all you quilt cutters!