Show Your True Colors

All the blather about gray being the color of the coming fall season is more annoying than the man-in-the-street musings on President Clinton’s character flaws that the media have been subjecting us to.

I can’t imagine anyone buying a color because it’s “in.” A skirt shape, a trouser cut, even a sleeve length that looks new and different can motivate you to make room in your closet for a new arrival. But the reason to purchase something in a particular color would have to be that you like that shade or it looks good on you. Other than black, which for years has reigned as both universally cool and appropriate, no color deserves to gain favor because the anonymous and mysterious They (designers, stores, fashion magazines) have anointed it as the new black.

When a color, like gray, seems to suddenly blanket the landscape, it doesn’t mean anyone should feel compelled to buy it. If you like the color that’s being touted, you’ll have no trouble finding lots of it--in everything from dresses to accessories. That might not seem like a big deal, unless you’ve tried hunting for anything in a favorite color when it’s out of phase. When They decide it isn’t a lime-green year, for example, chartreuse and its cousins are rendered invisible in stores.

Although most of the talk now is about gray, it’s actually a great season for blue and a variety of purples, from lavender to grape.

So the moral of the story is, if these colors are personal bests, snap some up while they’re available, because next year mustard and rust could be everywhere.