Not so perfectly pink
June 19th, 2008Shocking pink (or hot pink) was “the” fashion colour of the ‘80’s. After a sickening overdose, pink disappeared, but was revived in many shades from 2002 to 2004. It disappeared again until this season. It’s the last fashion colour to hit collections before end-of-season-sales (yup, Autumn collections are lurking).
The last fashion colour to emerge before a retail season ends often becomes the “it” colour of the following season. This is common international retail practice and the path yellow followed from last season into the current one.
I like pink, but I’m fussy about the shade. I prefer a saturated purple-pink that’s more like fuchsia. I like it best paired with orange, yellow, a sour green, smoky grey or white. If my predictions are correct, turquoise is going to be big next season. If shocking pink comes to play we’re in store for the biggest ‘80’s colour revival yet. Do you like pink, or have the ‘80’s killed it for you?
I’ll wear shocking pink clothing before I sport it as an accessory. I do fancy the idea of the bright pink pencil skirt though. I might need to have a squizz at J Crew.




June 19th, 2008 at 7:26 am
I like this shade of bright pink ( well almost any shade of pink anyway). So I’ll be certainly wearing it if your predictions are OK, and i already have a few pieces anyway. I love that MJ bag!
I am very excited about your prediction about lilac, turquoise and pink being the it colors for the next season since those are all colors I love, wear much better than brights of this season and already wear them regardless of the trends.
Btw, I am still a bit puzzled with regards to what indeed is lilac. Would these tops qualify as lilac am I still off?
in light raspberry http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/29.....55&P=1
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/29.....55&P=1
June 19th, 2008 at 7:30 am
wow… luv the look…I’ll take exactly what in the pixs..
June 19th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Luv pink! Pale pink and bright pink both are two of my favorite colors - very girly and happoy colors for me.
I’m not too keen on pink purses, but I own pink shoes and clothes and always feel good when I wear them.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:42 am
I like my pinks when they’re more fuschia as well. But it’s really hard for me to stray from my monochromatic blacks and whites and blues sometimes. I’m all for bright accessories/shoes though!
Also, I was born in the 80’s, but it obviously didn’t influence my actual style of dress. 80’s or not though, I don’t know if I’m brave enough to wear shocking pink as a pencil skirt or anything like that. I would definitely wear a fuschia shirt or scarf every once in a while, but nothing past that.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:45 am
I love hot and shocking pink too! I like it with black! So 80’s–it makes me feel like I’m back in highschool, minus the insecurities! I love those flats angie–great color combo!
June 19th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Tanya, lilac and lavender are pretty much the same color. Personally, I think lilac has more blue undertones, and lavender has more pink undertones. I know there are not many lilac bushes in Boston, but they are all up and down Route 2 as privacy privets for the homes along the busy road. Unfortunately, they have already passed.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:52 am
i love it. but i’m a sucker for any kind of bright color
June 19th, 2008 at 7:58 am
I love that shade of pink, but then again I was born halfway through the 80’s.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:59 am
you know what they say, “when you feel blue, wear pink!” I’ve always loved all shades of pink. My bedroom is pink! Angie’s hot pink is what I favor. It’s a great bathing suit color too! J.Crew has a great summer shift in dark pink. Check it out!
June 19th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Pink is not for me. I have two cardis in that color range, one is hot pink and another one has more purple and blue tone in it. Although people tell me that the purple pink looks good on me, I don’t feel comfortable in it. I prefer blues much better. I’m excited that turquoise may become the it color in Fall!
June 19th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Pink is my favorite!!! I was very pleased to see its reappearance. Had a nice shopping spree at Ann Taylor and bought some of their brights!
June 19th, 2008 at 8:23 am
I have nightmares of this boxy fuschia jacket that I wore with stirrup pants in the early ’90s. So, I have a hard time seeing myself in this color again. Although the sherbert and pink you mentioned the other day does tempt me. We’ll see if I can overcome my aversion with the new twist you’ve suggested.
June 19th, 2008 at 8:26 am
I should have called this post “perfectly pink”. The colour is definitely a favourite and no bad ‘80’s memories so far.
Tanya, the raspberry link looks like mauve. This has pink undertones instead of blue. As Nicole rightly put, lilac has blue undertones. Hydrangeas are often lilac. Does that make sense? This is what I’d call lilac:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/29.....rchresults
Julia, I’m excited about turquoise too. And I hear you on pink. I bet it looks gorgeous on you though.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I consider magenta/shocking pink to be my signature color. I love it!
Also, H&M has some ombre dyed skirts on sale right now that sound right up your alley: magenta and orange. I almost bought one yesterday.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I saw that Marc Jacobs bag at Nordstroms yesterday and was curiously attracted to it. Angie knows I avoid pink at all costs… but that bag caught my attention. The price brought me back to my senses.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I love pink, especially when it tends towards fuchsia. But I also like hot pink, and pink paired with red. Loving those shoes in the picture…
I can’t wait for pink and turquoise to hit the stores. I like turquoise a lot, though I have trouble finding a shade that looks good against my skin so I can wear it as a top; so far I’ve relegated it to an accent color.
I’d be all over a great party top in black, pink and turquoise. Bring on the 80s for me!
June 19th, 2008 at 10:18 am
I didn’t think I would like fuschia so much, but I find I’m wearing my fuschia cardi all the time. Also, I like pink much better than yellow, which doesn’t really work for me.
Yeah for turquoise! One of my favorite colors. My love of turquoise started back in the 80s, when for my first interview, I had this light grey skirt suit and turquoise silk blouse. That blouse was the first “real/grown-up” blouse I ever owned.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Love the color combination on the shoes!
June 19th, 2008 at 11:55 am
I love bright pinks, and they seem look good on me. I will wear them happily!
June 19th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Absolutely LoVe the shoes - great color combination and style. I’m glad that some of the punchy, saturated colors of the ‘80 might come back, but PLEASE, let’s pass on most of the “80″ styles. These colors look so great with our regulatory black. I also love them with a nice crisp white jeans or linen pant. Hurray for fuschia pink and for turquoise!
June 19th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I have always stayed away from pink, kind of seeing it as my anti-signature color, but the purply pink at jcrew this season really attracted me. I bought a silk blouse and patent flat sandals. Also when I was at Anne Fontaine, there was a skinny double wrap patent pink belt that I was really tempted by. So, in general I’m not a big fan, but I’m keeping an open but choosy mind, especially since I suspect that I wear this fuschia color better than purple which I like a lot.
June 19th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I like pink as long as there’s not much yellow in it. However, I never liked shocking pink–it gives me a headache if I look at it too long. I was in grammar school during the 80’s and my older sister always did her hair in a high ponytail held up by this hideous hot pink scrunchy (and she had matching socks too). Ugh! I think I’ll stick with raspberry and lighter pinks/mauves this season.
June 19th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Oh my. Now that we’re bringing up the real 80s: I had a phase where I went to school in a neon pink tutu (!), my short hair died platinum blond and teased up to high heavens, with a pink scarf tied around it. My poor mom! (This latter thought has only evolved in the last 6 years since my own daughter was born. I’m bracing myself.)
June 19th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I remember baby pink with grey from the 80’s, but alot of bright pink stripes paired with turquoise polka dots [or visa versa]. I’m seeing the dots come back but not paired w/ other patterns or diagonal/triangle shapes. At least I look good in a berry as well as turquoise so I’ll be able to find something to wear.
I’m going to go listen to songs by Aha or Duran Duran and contemplate this article.
June 19th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Angie and others, thanks for the lilac clarification!
Angie, when you say that pink& turquoise are going to be big next season, do you mean this coming Fall 2008 season or the next Spring season in 2009?
June 19th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
While I enjoy the idea of a fuschia/smoky gray combo, I hope you’re correct about turquoise–that’s a color I could really get enthusiastic about.
June 19th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I wondered about that too, Tanya (the season). Hot pink is too saturated for my skin tones and pastel pink washes me out, but a dusty rose is great. It’s a color I haven’t seen in awhile.
June 19th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
lol, I actually really like the color and just the word, fuchsia brings to mind something bright and cheerful. I even liked it as a lip color, but not on me of course…doesn’t work well with my skin tone. =/
June 19th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
A pink cult emerges. How fabulously girly. Have to say I like a bloke in a pink shirt too.
Tanya, I mean Spring 2009 when I refer to “next season”. Antje, images of a younger you in a neon tutu are hilarious.
I’m ready for fuchsia and turquoise as much as everyone else. And I caved this afternoon. I was out with a client looking for two-inch black wedges and came back with a pair of fuchsia snakeskin winkle-pickers. They are SO ‘80’s. They look fab with my white jeans which I was wearing at the time. Looks like I’m sporting pink accessories after all. No luck with that fuchsia pencil skirt so far though.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Angie, pray tell, what are winkle-pickers ???
June 19th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Oooh, love pink–all tints and shades! And I love turquoise and purple. So, Yay, bring on the colors!
June 19th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
eeep! Brights don’t work for me at all, I’ve got very soft colouring. If 80’s colours are coming back, does that mean 80’s shapes are coming back too? If so, I’m in trouble. I blame the London 2012 Olympics logo that was released last year - turquoise, hot pink and jagged! Graphic designers drooled over it at the time, I guess the fashion designers loved it too.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
More pink cult followers.
Tanya, a winkle-picker is a pointy-toed, classic pump with a narrow heel. The styles we wore in the ’80’s that looked awfully plastic-y. Similar to these:
http://www.ninewest.com/n/brow.....e=NWNUNCIO
June 20th, 2008 at 5:02 am
That skirt is exquisite. Well tailored, just the right shade. Reminds me of a favorite cashmere scarf I have. I hadn’t checked out the retailer selling it, so thank you for posting it.
June 20th, 2008 at 10:32 am
I like pinks that have purple tones in it.
I’d be happy if turquoise is an “it” color. It’s one of my favorite colors and is my birthstone.
I have a lot of turquoise jewlery that has been given to me over the years.
June 21st, 2008 at 10:22 am
Sure-est sign that the 80s are coming back is not the color pink but the model wearing a NECKTIE with a hot pink skirt. We do not need to revive the Annie Hall look, in my opinion. What’s next? Rouge in a bright straight line up the cheekbones?
June 21st, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I have already bought several bottles of hot pink nail polish and have been asking myself if it is something I think I could add beyond that, like would I wear hot pink accessories, etc. Sorry to say I’m not sure I would. As much as I love the hot pink retro thing it is very much in the past for me. But then again, if I saw something really well designed I’d think about it.
June 25th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Pink is a color I general avoid, first because I don’t look good in most shades of pink, and secondly because it is my sister’s signature color. I have found myself buying a few pink things lately, but no hot pink for me. I love brights, but hot pink (and other brights of that intensity) washes me out.