Bead Color Ideas: Pantone Fall 2012

August is rolling along at a steady pace, and that means that it’s time to start thinking ahead to one of the most beautiful seasons for color. Of course nature has its favorite palettes, but as far as fashion is concerned, Pantone has some great picks this year. For this month’s color ideas, I tried to match up some fun bead picks with the Fall 2012 color line up.

There are 10 colors for women’s apparel, including the color of the year - Tangerine Tango. Subtract one, and we’ve got three trios to work with. I chose to eliminate Tangerine Tango - between you and me, I don’t actually care for this color. It’s far too pink, and I like oranges that are a bit more yellow. Once that was out of the way, the remaining palettes just fell together.

I was so very tempted to include Bright Chartreuse more than once - it’s my absolute favorite color, and so much fun to pair with other hues. It always looks great with neutrals and blues, so the first palette was a no-brainer - or so I thought. I started with transparent lemon-lime AB seed beads, but when it came time to find an Olympian Blue, I went with an opaque. I switched out the lemon-lime for sour apple, then added some lovely brown shell coins with just a hint of French Roast. I think this palette has the most back-to-school appeal, so I’m calling it Notebook.

For the remaining colors, I had to choose between keeping the soft tones and bright tones together, or mixing things up a bit. I went with the latter, and combined neighbors. Honey Gold was a tough color to match, but transparent topaz AB druks do a nice job. For Titanium, gray lined AB cubes continue with the shimmery theme and add a metallic look. I finished things of with a shocking splash of Pink Flambé, played by raspberry lined crystal seed beads. First Frost definitely looks like fall, but with just a hint of summer’s heat left.

The final palette took a lot more work. All three colors are tough to match - the soft shades of Rhapsody and Rose Smoke are much more subtle than most bead finishes, and Ultramarine Green is hiding a lot of blue. After choosing and rejecting several colors each, I finally found the perfect trio. Dusty pink pearls set the soft tone, and purple lined crystal 6/o seed beads come along for the ride. After much searching, I finally found some matte emerald AB that could stand in for Ultramarine Green in Sweet Shop.

I think all three palettes are definitely do-able, but if this is the year for chartreuse, I’m not going to miss out on the opportunity!

What’s your favorite fall color?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
Pantone Color Institute and James Coviello
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