Why Pantone Colors Ultimate Gray & Illuminating Don't Work for Me

A Big No - Ultimate Gray & Illumnating

When it comes to colors for the Dunitz & Company's fair trade jewelry collection, I have strong opinions. I've been designing for so many years, and I just know that Patone's Colors of the Year, Ultimate Gray and Illuminating (a bold shade of yellow) absolutely do not work for our jewelry collection. Perhaps people feel gray after a year in quarantine. It doesn't mean they want to wear their mood. And bright yellow has been described as a hopeful color; a ray of sunshine. I'm afraid that most skin tones are just not suited for yellow. And together? No. No. No. I don't think this is a winning combination at all for fashion jewelry. I'm not even going to try and convince you that I was prepared for this trend and can pitch items in our collection that hit the mark. In years past when clothing designers were high on yellow, I jumped on their bandwagon. Guess what? For us, bright yellow has always been a flop. Gray on the other hand combined with lavender or sea foam is often a huge win. But never with yellow. [Note to reader. I made a conscious choice not to share yellow disasters from Dunitz & Company's past seasons.]

So, let's talk a little bit about yellow and gray! (My instinct is to spell that grey. Both are correct. Just saying. Since Pantone uses the "a", for this post I'll stick to it.) In fact, I'll actually address each, as it applies to Dunitz & Company's Spring 2021 offerings. 

Pale Gold & Mint Teardrops

Brash Illuminating Yellow. Never. However, creamy egg-shell yellow, gold, pale yellow, light amber... there are variations that definitely work. And for Spring 2021, Dunitz & Company offers this pale golden yellow with mint color combination. We hope you'll like it. I think our necklaces, bracelets and earrings in these colors will be a terrific addition for a beachy Boho vibe outfit. And folks, this is all you get from Dunitz for the upcoming season in "yellow."

One more important note about me, I want my readers to know. I adore bright yellow. Just not typically for fashion jewelry. You should know that I had my house painted yellow and have stuck with this same Aspen Yellow from Dunn Edwards for well over 20 years. When the sun shines directly on the house, it appears quite lively. And for conversation purposes, I always choose a photo that includes our Doberman mascot, Stetson!.

 

Gray & Lavender Earrings

Back to Jewelry... Gray? Yes, but never solo. And definitely not with yellow.  This season in fair trade beadwork, we're pairing gray with silver and lavender. With a hint of purple, we want you to think about Spring flowers. And shades of purple are always so magical. I want you to think about unicorns, not drab concrete or an old comfie worn out blanket. I didn't just come up with that. I read an Art News article that mentioned the blanket.

 

 

Gray Glass Earrings

I'm using gray in three color combinations for our Joanie M glass jewelry collection for Spring. One combines gray with a snowy white and a hint of "classic blue" AKA Pantone's 2020 color of the year.   Another pairs gray with sapphire blue and a splash of silver. And finally for a bit more vibrancy, I've matched up gray with some aqua and pale emerald.

 

 

Here's one more the thing. All of my design work and color planning for Spring 2021 was completed before Pantone announced their Colors of the Year this past December. I stick with my choices for our fair trade jewelry collection. I'm not experiencing even a tad of trepidation for not having a Ultimate Gray & Illuminating color combination. -ND

Black Clothing. An Opportunity for Accessories.

Once again, I'm scheming for Dunitz & Company and working out colors for our next season of fair trade jewelry. Currently, I'm obsessing about Fall 2020. Last year it seemed many of the biggest clothing designers incorporated lots of color into their designs.  This year, I'm finding many are playing it safe.  When checking out all of the runway shows, I saw fields of models in black clothing strutting their stuff. All of 'em. Check out samplings from Stella McCartney, Miu Miu, Lanvin, Elie Saab, Altuzarra and Alexander McQueen. You could randomly take a peek at just about any show from Fall 2002 Ready to Wear and New York Fashion Week. You'll find a lot of black. (Red probably was the color that popped up the most, and mostly as an accent.) What does this mean for accessories? Just about anything looks good on black! It means I can offer any gorgeous color I darn well please.

I always create new color combinations to keep things interesting. (Stay tuned.) I do this as much for my customers as I do it for myself.  I also know from creating color combinations for over 30 years, sometimes you can't improve on your best. You can count on Dunitz & Company to offer some of our strongest from the past.  The assortment might include some of these pictured. (A little hint.) Do you have a favorite? I'm always game for input. Yes, we'll offer a bit of red for Fall 2020. (Shades and tints to be determined.) And you can always count many varieties of blue. You've heard me say it before. I'll say it again and again. Blue is always a top seller and most requested of us.

Can you believe I'm even writing about Fall 2020 when many of us are waiting for the snow to melt?  I have to be a few steps ahead, always. Keep reading and watching our websites. We appreciate you over here at Dunitz & Company. Thank you.  Because of you, we can continue to support the many artisans we work with in Guatemala. -ND

Golden Globe's Vibrant Fashions

One thing was confirmed for me last night as I watched the Golden Globes. Hollywood starlets have voted "bright" for Spring 2020. This confirmation of celebrity love for the vibrant puts a big smile on my face. Dunitz & Company will be offering all kinds fair trade fashion jewelry in bright and fun color combinations for the soon to be warmer weather.

Here are some of our favorite (colors) from last evening's festivities! Do I need to name all these famous faces? I don't think so. Besides, I wanna focus on the colors, not the women.

 

 

Dunitz & Company is prepared for you. We'll be introducing our latest designs this week at the wholesale shows in Los Angeles and New York.  When the warmer temperatures emerge, you'll find our fair trade jewelry in these bright and vibrant colors in museum stores and specialty shops all around the country. Did you know that Dunitz & Company has a store locator on both our wholesale and retail sites? No store near you? You can always peruse www.shopdunitz.com or visit Etsy. I'm still grinning. I salute the celebrity women who came out in such vibrant fashion last night. -ND

Hooray for Classic Blue - 2020 Color of the Year

You've heard me time and time again say that blue has always been Dunitz & Company's best selling color. And dark deep ocean blue (aka Classic) has always been right up top. What was Pantone waiting for? I've been designing and offering fashion jewelry since 1990, and it's only this year that "Classic Blue" has been named "Color of the Year?"  I think it should be crowned Color of the Decade! Or perhaps the Century.


The fashion mags are already having a field day showing off how you can wear blue all year long. Did Pantone not know that we've already been wearing deep shades of blue all year long, every year? We didn't need prompting. My guess is, is instead of anointing colors like Living Coral (2019) or Ultra Violet (2018), they'd choose a color that was safe and stable for people during these somewhat turbulent times.You can interpret what I mean by turbulent. But, heck, Classic Blue is like eating meatloaf, it's comfort food all the way.

Vogue magazine editors jumped on the bandwagon quickly. It was the first post I read featuring clothing from the Spring 2020 runway shows featuring shades of classic blue. Of course, all of the well known designers had created their offerings long before Pantone announced their queen color. Like me, the likes of Gucci, Marni and Marc Jacobs always know the masses love dark rich shades of blue.

So, now I get to act really smart. Dunitz & Company will have lots of classic blue for Spring 2020. Our newest colors will launch next month at the wholesale gift shows. Dunitz will debut our latest designs in all of our new colors at the LA Mart Temporaries and NY NOW.  But here are a few advance teasers for you all.

Our glass jewelry is always a crowd-pleaser. And I proudly state that these wonderful color combinations that include peaceful, safe and comforting blue, were all created long before Pantone's announcement. Gosh we're smart!





Are you a fan of Dunitz & Company's beaded jewelry? I'm guessing you might be since you're reading our blog, and we've been offering seed bead jewelry for almost 3 decades. Yikes. Yes, THREE decades. Dunitz will offer several new color combos with the flair of blue. These two show off a dash of classic. Smirk. Smirk.

Can I stretch the story further? How about paintings for the millennium that sing of classic blue? The most famous paintings of all time for your ears. The Wave & Starry Night. These are some of our best sellers. For that reason, I'll take any opportunity to put them smack dab in front of your face. Perfect for museum shops, hipster boutiques and your ears!



So there you have it. Hip Hip Hooray for Classic Blue.  Dunitz & Company is all about this rich, safe, homey, comfortable color we just want to wrap our arms around.  Find it in a store near you this season. And of course, we hope your choice will be our fair trade jewelry! -ND

Bright White - A Must for Spring 2020

Seems Dunitz & Company will be right on trend for Spring 2020. NYFW (New York Fashion Week) still has a few days to go, and one thing is clear. White clothing will be everywhere next season. Harper's Bazaar editors highlight 'Le White Suit' in their recent trend report. Me? After scouring the shows online, I noticed a prevalence of pheasant type necklines. These pant suits on the right are offered up by Tori Burch, Mara Hoffman and Adeam. Don't worry your pretty little head. When the time is right, Dunitz & Company will be offering plenty of white fused glass and seed bead earrings, bracelets and necklaces.

NYFW - White on Trend

And here are a few more runway looks to prove my point. Bright White is a must for Spring 2020. From left to right, starting from the top. Dennis Basso. Gabriela Hearst. Herve Leger. Cushnie. Anna Sui. Alexander Wang. Cynthia Rowley. Josie Natori. Sally LaPointe. Ya gotta see what I mean, no?


White was "big" for Spring 2019. It will be even bigger for 2020. I was amazed when one retailer we sell to told me that they kept receiving special requests for our white fused glass earrings all (this) summer long. Are you a Dunitz retailer? If so, keep this in mind when you place your Spring 2020 orders.


Do you know it hasn't been since Spring 2012 that I've offered a true white combination in our seed bead collection? I've offered off-white, combinations with beige - but not white-white. Well we'll definitely have it for 2020.

White on White - Joanie M Fused Glass

And you better believe our white color combo for our Joanie M fused glass will return next spring! With a hint of silver, it's perfect.






Stay tuned to Dunitz & Company blog. (You can even sign up and have our posts emailed to you. Follow this link and look to the bottom right of the page.) I'm sure I'll be highlighting some other fashionable colors that you'll want to plan for. How? Either by having appropriate clothing in your own closet for your own pleasure. Or in your store, for the pleasure of others.-ND

Is Dunitz Jewelry in Sync with Pantone?

Every year I create new color combinations for Dunitz fair trade jewelry well in advance of trade shows, shipping retailers and Pantone announcements about what colors will be the hottest. Once Pantone announces their palette everyone scrambles to see if their offerings are in sync with their projections. I'm certain Pantone color experts carefully watch the biggest runway shows, as most of us designers do, and from these, they make there selections. But somehow, once Pantone publishes their trend report we all squirm to show how we're on the pulse, their pulse. Trade magazines and consumer magazines all begin reporting on merchandise that is colored matched to Pantone's announcement. So how did Dunitz & Company stack up this season?

Living Coral. Yes, that's the big one! Pantone announced Living Coral, a pale orange - or a dark melon depending on how you see it for 2019's Color of the Year. I've always found that darker orange in jewelry are a tough sell. There are those that love it. The masses do not.  But, I agree with Pantone. There's something quite appealing about this color. And guess what? For our Joanie M fair trade fused glass, we're right on the money. My Color #130 is exactly as Pantone projects.





More often than not, with our fair trade jewelry, I mix a few colors to make our whole.  Living Coral with Sweet Lilac pink with a little extra for fun? Color #363 for beadwork tells that story. Don't you agree? Do you think our millennial customers will go for it? The stereotype is pink IS for millennials.









Darker Pink? Pantone "Pink Peacock " we've got you covered. We affectionately call this shade of pink, orchid.  And yes, I recognize orchids grow in all shades and colors. Combined with metallic silver this pairing makes for a strong and fun summer offering. When I was first working on this color combo, I had added a third color, a soft baby pink. Ya know what? That just wasn't as appealing.

 Yellow always scares me for jewelry. But somehow, I just knew that 2019 was the time to bring out some sunshine! Straight up. Yes. Our fused glass "Color #133" combines what Pantone calls Aspen Gold and Mango Mojito. Score. (I'm sure years ago I selected a Dunn Edwards paint designated Aspen Gold for my home. It's such a happy color.)

Pepper Stem. That's Pantone's lighter green choice for Spring 2019.  Not quite lime. Not quite army. Mixed with a pale golden-yellow (Aspen Gold?) makes for fun summer jewelry.










Blue. Princess Blue. Pantone's selection for blue this season reminds me of a Mediterranean Sea. And I'm all about that! And our customers also have always been about that. Frankly, it doesn't matter what the year is. This color is ALWAYS popular. I know you've heard me say this before. Blue sells. Any shade of blue.  But for now, let's get back to Pantone's Princess Blue. I love this deep shade and I've used similar in several fused glass color combos for Spring 2019.

Personally I adore wearing neutral colors. And Pantone's "Toffee" brown is just that. The thing though, is in Spring and Summer, we find our customer often prefer wearing jewelry adornments with a bit of color. Toffee, sure? How about with a bit of sea-foam and mint? I sometimes joke that it's a formula. Almost any shade of brown with almost any shade of blue wins.






So, how'd did Dunitz & Company fair with their fair trade jewelry colors this season? I'd say we did pretty darn well. You won't find every color Pantone announced for their 2019 lineup. Yes we're missing 'red'. That's a tough one for us. You however can be sure we'll be offering other shades of blue, purple and jade - all colors we know our customers love.  - ND

What I Say about Living Coral - Pantone's 2019 Choice

My color planning and choices for Dunitz & Company's fair trade jewelry for the upcoming Spring season have been long put to bed. Shades of deep orange have been super popular for Spring clothing for several years now.  And 2019 projections seem no different. Many of the designers whose names we easily recognize decked their models in vibrant variations of coral for this Spring's runway. It's no wonder that after several years, Pantone has named "Living Coral" their Color of the Year.

I have mixed feelings about this. What I've learned is our customers don't always follow trends when it comes to purchasing their jewelry. Because "Coral" was so big in clothing the last few years, Dunitz & Company chose to offer jewelry in similar shades. Check out Bev in our photo to the right. This pic is from a couple of years ago and she is, yes, outfitted in "Living Coral". She's a stunner. The jewelry is stunning. Truth be told, this color way has never been a particularly good seller for us. Why do I offer it? There's always a small group of women that adore (and purchase jewelry in) coral. Also, our customers NEED choices. Offer them coral. They'll buy the aqua blue. (Yes, "shades of blue" always win over Rose Quartz, Serenity, Greenery, Ultra-Violet, and I'm sure Living Coral.)

So, what's a jewelry designer, whose collection is based on color to do? Dunitz & Company's Spring 2019 colors were chosen and created long before Pantone made their recent announcement.  And somehow, I'm right on track. A great track, I think.  Each year we offer 12 different color ways in our seed bead and our Joanie M fused glass collections. You better believe that a majority of our offerings include various hues of jade and sapphire. Did I say blue sells?  But if you were reading, you also read that other colors sell albeit in smaller quantities. Offering many choices always our customers to reaffirm their favorites.

Guess what? Dunitz & Company is offering variants of Living Coral for Spring 2019. In our popular fused glass line we'll have some stunning pieces in what I have lovingly referred to as a dark melon shade. Perhaps I should now call it ‘Living Coral’ so I sound as if I'm in the know.  For production, I call it "Color #128". What do you think? Even without Pantone's announcement, Dunitz & Company is right on the pulse.







For our beaded jewelry, I was particularly influenced by the recent Emilio Pucci runway. Several of Pucci's fabrics combined wonderful shades of dark melon (aka Living Coral) with various shade of pink and in some cases, splashes of turquoise.  That inspiration resulted in, yes production "Color #363". I chose a strong bead that more resembles the inside of a cantaloupe and coupled it with pale nectar and the never-ending popular millennial pink. Sure hope our customers love it as much as I do.





As I was getting ready to complete this post, I received an email sharing Dayna Isom Johnson's (Etsy's trend maven) most recent blog entry.  She has anointed Etsy's Color of the Year as "Burnt Orange". Where I see her choice a bit dark for Spring clothing and jewelry, it sure follows suit. Similar color. Same family. Stay turned to the Dunitz Etsy Shop and you're sure to find some Living Coral, Burnt Orange, Cantaloupe, Melon colored options.


So there you have it. My two cents about Living Coral and Pantone's 2019 choice.  Keep your eye on Dunitz & Company's fair trade jewelry.  If you're a retailer, our Spring 2019 collections will be up on our wholesale site soon.  Looking to buy for you? You can easily do that too. We're here to help. Did you know our websites also have a store locator? Perhaps there is a retailer near you where you can see, touch and feel our jewelry before purchasing.

Tell me what you think about my thoughts on Living Coral. I'd love to hear from you. - ND

Forever Jade. Always Loved. Always In Style.

I'm always making sure that Dunitz fair trade jewelry is offered in a host of colors you'll find on the runway and featured on retail clothing racks. Spring 2019 will be no different. But honesty, there is one range of colors that seems to always sell. It's always on the runway. And it's always available at your local boutique. That's stunning Jade. Any tint or shade.

Pantone is forecasting vibrant oranges, pinks, reds, yellows and salmon for our soon to be warmer weather. We say hats off to the designers who follow their hearts and the unending desire of their audiences for jade.

Victoria Beckham's Spring 2019 features several outfits in classic jade. She's one smart designer.  And what is more comfie that a jumpsuit too? And flats. (the shoes!) We love her!

This combo of jade and seafoam is one that really appeals to me, personally. My mother (the original Joanie M) used to tease me when I was a kid. She'd say "Nancy, you always have to have a sweater in teal or jade or seafoam. What's up with that?" This adorable look comes from Roberto Cavalli. I want to be wearing that outfit!

Ana Sui is always about color. For Spring 2019 she has included lighter and darker shades of this fan favorite. And lots of it. (In the 1990s, Ana Sui's Soho, New York store sold some of our jewelry. That was a kick for me!)










Stella McCartney has a lot of sparkles going on for Spring 2019 ready-to-wear. This blouse-y dress is sparkling in teal-y jade-y mint-y colors. Yum. Yum. (I've spilled the beans. You now know these have always been my favorite colors too.) Truth be told, McCartney's current show featured a lot of neutrals. Yes, there was one crazy vibrant orange outfit. And a bright turquoise number. And - this one!

J. Mendel Spring 2019 runway looks featured lots of eye candy in candy colors. Pinks. Yellows. Peach. And Jade & Mint too! His styling really appeals to me. And yes, the  many outfits in my favorite color.

Truth be told. Many designers seemed to offer a lot of white, black and gray for Spring 2019. This is no exception for the boasted looks of Balmain. Just as with many other designers, his collection featured a few outfits in mint-jade. How could I not zoom in on this top worn with a pair of gray high waisted pants?

So there you have it! Forever Jade. Always Loved. And Always in Style. Dunitz fair trade jewelry will be yours for Spring 2019 in my favorite and frankly many customer's favorite color. Are you on board? -ND