Tone on Tone - The New Black

I had the idea for this post for quite a while; however, I was unable to find sufficient pictures to do it justice in order to capture the depth and breadth of this trend. Then, along comes my friend, Lizzie, who pointed me in the direction of the Diane Von Furstenburg pre-Fall 2011 line-up via the newest InStyle mag. Despite the fact that this is an extension on color-blocking, or maybe even the same thing as color-blocking, I would like to call it the "tone on tone." The difference between the two is that we are keeping the colors very similar, almost the same color. Rust and red, tangerine and orange, cobalt and navy, mint and kelly green, turquoise and teal, purple and eggplant, peony and magenta...I really could go on and on, but look below and see for yourself.

Even though these outfits are obviously for fall, and it's still 90 degrees and climbing in the northern hemisphere, we can still work this trend now...just with less layers. Think a simple tank and skirt or loose silk tee and slim pants even with a matching clutch or pumps! Since the colors are the main focus, we owe it to ensure that it remains that way with simple shapes that fit well. But how can we know which shades are complimentary without Ms. Von Furstenberg? Pantone color charts, my dears. 

Pantone Matching System is largely a standardized color reproduction system. By standardizing the colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match without direct contact with one another. The idea behind it is to allow designers to color match specific colors when a design enters production stage, regardless of the equipment used to produce the color. This system has been widely adopted by graphic designers and reproduction and printing houses for a number of years now...or so says Wikipedia. Despite all that I've read about Pantone in research for this post, I'm still a little foggy on the purpose and how it translates; however, that doesn't mean that I am any less thankful for the swatches and color charts. My advice - look at one color that you have, and then find another color, within the same line and you have a match!