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into clothing ruts? I do. When
you look at your whole wardrobe is there
a marked sameness to the color palette?
Maybe it's time for a change.
Making the
decision to change is the easy part
-- change to WHAT? And how long will
whatever you change to still be "in"?
This week,
we've taken a look into the 2005 fashion
crystal ball and found out what colors
are coming up in the next few months,
and we've got tips how to keep your
wardrobe fresh -- color-wise, and otherwise!
See you soon!
Ed and Mary Longanecker
Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company |
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Choose
your color!
"You
can have any color you want...
as long as it's black."
--
Henry Ford, regarding his early automobiles. |
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Smokin'
Jacket Coupon!
This is
the time of year when layering garments really
pays off -- because temperatures vary so greatly
from outdoors to indoors, and even between office,
home, and other venues. If everyone would just
set the thermostat to the same number.... This
week, we'll take $2.50 off the cost of drycleaning
your favorite suitcoat, blazer or similar jacket.
(Include first page of this newsletter with
your order. Offer expires Jan.
22, 2005. Cannot be combined with other offers.) |
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The
Color of 2005!
Every year has its
hot new colors, and colors seem to run in cycles.
This is part of the reason you can walk into
a home and think, "Oh, this is SO 1980s!" or
watch a movie and think, "Wow, the '60s!" before
you even consciously catalogue the traits that
lead you to your conclusions.
It's more than the hairstyles on actors or the
fabrics and wallpapers in the home -- a lot
of it is color.
The
Color Gurus
Who
decides what's "in" for any given year?
Generally, it's the "fashionistas" that
set the tone, and other creative industries
follow their lead. For example, in 1974 it seemed
that EVERYTHING was avocado green, orange or
turquoise: clothes, car exteriors, home upholstery
and drapes, advertising headlines. Each year
the industries that are dependent on being on
target with color wait for the Fall shows on
the runways to determine what colors they'll
be using to get their message (and their products)
across to consumers.
What's
Up for 2005?
The hot new colors
are usually coordinated with Pantone, a company
with a color system that printers and designers
use to make sure the color they select in the
design process is the color that shows up on
the final product. Pantone colors are
made up of mixtures of black, magenta (pink),
yellow and cyan (blue) -- from which any color
can be printed.
2005's
colors will include:
- Begonia
Pink (Pantone 15-2215)
- Slate
Gray (Pantone 16-5804)
- Aurora
-- a yellow tone (Pantone 12-0642)
- Coral
Reef (Pantone 15-1331)
- Blue Turquoise
(Pantone 15-5217)
- Sweet
Lavender (Pantone 16-3931)
- Vibrant
Green (Pantone 16-6339)
- Flame
-- an orange tone (Pantone 17-1462)
- Kelp
-- a brown (Pantone 17-1022)
- Delft
-- a dark blue (Pantone 19-4039)
(Read more about the
colors and how designers used them on the runways
from Market
Wire.)
(Read about additional
"in" colors for this year from Fashion
Forecast.)
You'll
see these colors everywhere, and in myriad combinations.
Look for them on clothing, handbags, footwear,
automobiles, furniture, home decor fabrics,
advertising pieces, brochures, posters, websites
and more. The names will show up on garment
tags (you ARE reading the garment tags, aren't
you?) and will be used by designers and fashion
reporters when describing this year's fashions. |
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Keeping
Your
Wardrobe Fresh
Of course, if you run
right out and buy all the newest colors every
time they are announced, your wardrobe will
quickly be filled with pieces that not only
don't go together very well, but will "date"
you rather rapidly. So,
how do you enjoy the new colors and yet keep
wardrobe costs in line?
- Evaluate
which of the newest colors actually flatter
you, and stick to those. As
you can see from the two sets of colors shown
in this newsletter, there's quite a variety
coming at you this year. Not everything will
look good on you -- so set your eyes to look
for the ones that do.
- Create
a core wardrobe of neutral colors, and then
accessorize using each season's newest shades
-- belts, handbags, shoes, scarves, ties,
pocket squares, vests, shirts.
- Wear
a blend of similar colors
-- dark blue goes well with lighter shades
of blue, or with greens. This means you don't
have to abandon all the things you have from
previous color years; harmonize them into
your core wardrobe and the new colors.
- Have
fun with color -- try something
new and daring! You might be surprised by
the rave reviews you get.
Freshness
Timeline
We are frequently asked how often particular
types of garments should be cleaned. Here
are some guidelines to help you keep those new
colors and styles fresh. As
logic would dictate, the closer a garment is
to your body, the more frequently it should
be cleaned.
- Shirts, blouses
-- should be laundered or dry cleaned (depending
on fabric) after each wearing. This makes
sense, since they are closest to your skin,
and to areas of the body where you perspire
-- or spill -- most frequently.
- Neckties or
scarves -- whenever soiled
(which happens a great deal with any clothing
item that has a tendency to move around or
dangle.)
- Dresses, skirts,
slacks -- every 2nd or
3rd wearing, unless spilled upon or otherwise
soiled.
- Jackets (blazers,
suit coats) -- Every 3rd or
4th wearing, unless spilled upon (NOTE:
always have all pieces of a multi-piece garment
cleaned at the same time.)
- Sweaters
-- every 2nd or 3rd wearing, unless soiled.
- Topcoats
-- 3-4 times each season, to get pollutants,
soils, and other problems taken care of before
they harm the fibers.
- Garments going
into storage -- always clean
before storing! Some spills will only become
visible with time (and by then it may be too
late to remove properly); soils will also
attract insects and will degrade fibers.
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We
are enormously appreciative of the opportunity
to share our weekly newsletters with you.
We feel that much of the content is valuable
for anyone who purchases fine clothing and is
interested in their preservations and cleaning.
Click on the symbol to the right if your would
like to send this and future newsletters to
a friend.
Thanks a million, Ed and Mary
The Iris City Cleaners Connection
is a weekly
news letter dedicated to the interest of fine
garment care, restoration, and conservation.
It is published in Mt Pleasant, Iowa by Iris
City Cleaners and is an extension of our services
described in www.iriscitycleaners.com
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