Marsala 2015 Color of the Year

Pantone introduces Marsala, the 2015 Color of the Year.

"A Midsummer Marsala Dream" is the title Pantone gave their amusing photo shoot. Here are my favorite shots. Captions mine. 

20 year olds attired in chocolate leather and blue satin sip Marsala from fashionably stemless glassware while considering fabrics to recover an undoubtedly antique sofa. 
The hyper red fruit tart will remain untouched.

Blue Satin: "If I eat this berry it will ruin my lip stain so I will just enjoy its heady aroma."
Chocolate Leather: "Ew. Did they rip this off grandma's couch? But they are paying me a lot of money to simulate rapture while I caress this rag, er, ." 

Blonde Girl: "Hello there! My lip color perfectly matches your 80's silk blouse!"
(In 1982 my mother had a silk jacquard sheath dress this exact color. The upside to being a little blogger is Pantone will never read this.)

Head off the table, Blonde Girl meanders over to the kitchen and artfully arranges flowers while  engaging in harmless repartee with a nattily attired gent in glen plaid and a dotted Marsala tie with dyed-to-match apron. 
(Then again, if Pantone does read this, will they ban me from their website?)

'80s Silk Blouse: "Not so fast Blondie! He's my boyfriend, Pantone dyed that apron to match my blouse, not your lipstick!"
(Sooner or later, trouble visits paradise.)

No one on this set eats food so why do I let the shoes on the table so close to the food bother me?
(It's over. I'm permanently banned from ever entering Pantone's site.)

While I enjoy poking fun at Pantone, their picks are not pulled out of thin air. Home Accents Today reports "...Pantone explores influences in the entertainment industry and films that are in production, the world of art, popular travel destinations and other socio-economic conditions."

My cutting board two weeks ago. A marsalic premonition?

Clearly, Marsala shines as lipstick, nail enamel, hand bags, ties. Apparel.

What about interiors? To pave that path, Pantone partnered with Kravet, an industry leader in high end textiles.

Kravet's Marsala Collection, maybe a little too far on the brown side.

Marsala hued rooms will find champions among those who appreciate warm brown tones and the earthy comfort it evokes. For me personally, large expanses of Marsala, say painted walls, are too Autumnal.

However, in smaller quantities, like a pillow or accent chair, and spiked with a little more red, the effect is rich and jewel-like!

Helen Mirren, Vogue, March 2013

You probably already noticed that Marsala benefits when paired with another color. Every photo in Pantone's shoot has some blue in it. Granted, Dame Helen could wear anything and sit in any chair and both would look great. Helen wearing blue Dior looks fabulous as does the Marsala chair.

And that leads us to Marsala's unique area of expertise, in fact where it excels, velvet gowns.

Sargent's portrait of Mrs. Charles E Inches E Inches, Boston MFA

Sargent's Ena and Betty, Daughters of Asher and Mrs Wertheimer, Tate

Sequined gowns too.

Georges Chakra, Fall Winter 2014

Will Marsala be a major player off the runway or cosmetics counter? I think we'll see a resurgence of red rooms before Marsala painted walls. Most likely I will be proven wrong.

A project from the archives. The closest I have yet to come to Marsala and it's so far off.

What do you think? Love Marsala? Hate it? On the fence? Have it in your home? I have a couple burgundy items in my wardrobe but no Marsala. How about your closet?

There are a slew of colors that have been crowned 2015 Color of the Year. Pantone's Marsala is just one. I think my favorite is Sherwin-Williams' Coral Reef. But it deserves its own post.

Thanks for reading,
Linda Pakravan

check out my pinterest page for more 2015 colors of the year