The Color of Fashion

Before the advent of the digital age, a strong fashion presentation by a department store required imaginative color coordination and displays.

Often, I would see an entire selling floor that emphasized a single color on all the displays. That was exciting: it showed management’s conviction that the specific color was right for that season.

That important choice was made by the fashion coordinator, who selected merchandise from many departments to support her conviction that the color would be embraced by customers. The fashion coordinator was a key figure whose efforts created a unique look for her store or chain of stores. Yet today, there are few retailers that have such a creative person on their staffs.

Fashion slogans
In the past, even discount stores like Target chimed in with fashion slogans (“fashion is …”) that highlighted a current look. Target often featured a color or silhouette that was topical, and its customers appreciated the guidance the store provided. This is because color and style coordination is difficult for many shoppers: They know what they like when they see an effective display, but they aren’t confident enough to choose for themselves.

The history of fashion coordination is rooted in the colors that are chosen for high-end leather shoes, and it often took two years for clothiers to catch up. Even today, many fashion designers chose colors that are inspired by leather shoes because it is easier to coordinate from the foot up than from the head down.

Until recently, the color palette was contained in and defined by swatches. Now, says Carole D’Arconte, a leading color and trend merchandiser, they are generated — and quickly disseminated around the world — by computer. This has greatly reduced the fashion time lag, but it also requires a keener awareness of trends.

Shorter shelf life
In the current environment, trends in apparel, accessories and home furnishings are spotted and quickly adopted worldwide — but they also have much shorter shelf lives.

Perhaps traveling in the fashion fast lane isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I still believe that testing consumer sentiment toward a color or style is important, that a full exploitation of a trend should only occur when one is certain of its appeal. Still, the use of modern technology does help generate new offerings and excitement more quickly, and who knows — maybe a blaze of fresh colors will awaken a new spirit among consumers.