Emerald Green - Just in Time for the Holidays!

We have a new Pantone color - Emerald Green. Must be all the fast fashion, with the shortened seasons, that cause us to get a new Pantone color every other month or so. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but it makes it difficult to purchase smart. Of course, fast fashion isn't about purchasing smart, it's about purchasing now. And I don't think it's a bad thing to have some color in your wardrobe at any time, so there's that.

Speaking of color in a wardrobe, if you went to your closet right now, would you see a variety of black, white and brown? A friend of mine went to a holiday party recently, and while I view holiday parties as an opportunity to wear some color and break out the red, she mentioned that the first five women were all wearing black, white or grey. Only a couple of people wore something with color in it. So what gives? Are we suddenly afraid of color, or is it not sudden and I've just now noticed it?

So really, what's in your closet? If you don't wear color, why not? Don't know how to wear it? Not sure what colors look good on you anymore? If you think you're lacking color in your closet, go to a clothing swap, or better yet, have someone (me), come in and clean out your closet. Bring your best friend and a bottle of wine, and you'll get some honest feedback in the form of unbiased feedback from me, and what your friend thinks you'd look good in. You may not want to know what your friend thinks, but it's nice to have another perspective, and who knows, you might find yourself with enough colors in your wardrobe to cover whatever the next Pantone color is.

Designers Say That More Is More, But It's Easier Said Than Done.

Here's how to add a bit of glitz without overdosing on the trend.

1. Start by incorporating small embellished items, such as a handbag into your wardrobe.
2. Make sure the embellishment is scaled to your figure.
3. Embellished jewelry looks best with streamlined, simple clothing.
4. In general, embellishment such as sequins, embroidery, trims and studs look classier on basic colors like black or white.
5. Make sure embellishment is used on or near a body part you want to call attention to: it draws the eye to it.
6. For maximum impact, wear just one embellished item at a time.

Tips:

1. Like most things in fashion, this is a fad. If you hate it, skip it.
2. Embellished items look dressier than plain ones, so save them for special occasions.
3. Embellishment makes items more difficult to care for -- beaded fringe fall off, embroidery gets pulls, etc. -- so account for high maintenance.