marketing advice | Hanami Dream | Cotswolds copywriter

Back to school – the ABCs of the leap day

by Hanami Dream | 29, February, 2024 | blog, marketing advice, news

happy leap day

There’s an extra day to play with this year as 2024 is a leap year. So we will have the pleasure of the 29th February for the first time again in four years. (Not sure I was that pleased to have an extra day in the last leap year of 2020 though!)

science

The Earth doesn’t takes exactly 365 days to go round the sun. There is actually another five hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds each year. So in order to keep our modern manmade calendar aligned with the solar journey (and to ensure we don’t lose nearly 6 hours a year), we need to add another day in February occasionally.

maths

Whilst we say that there is a leap year every four years this isn’t exactly correct. The general rule of thumb is that if the year is divisible by 4 then it is a leap year. However, a year that is divisible by 100 is NOT a leap year, UNLESS the year is also divisible by 400! So 1900 wasn’t a leap year and neither will be 2100, but 2000 was a leap year. Our next leap years will be 2028 and 2032.

history

Julius Caesar first introduced the leap year to the calendar in 46 BC. Some famous events during leap years in history include: the first modern Olympic Games took place (in 1896), the Titanic sank (in 1912) and The D-Day landings happened (in 1944).

business studies

February 29th is not really a legal day and many companies don’t recognize Leap Day as a ‘valid day’. Some question whether a document signed on a leap day is legally binding. And lots of people may work for free on this extra day in February.

personal development

When it comes to proposing, traditionally a leap year meant that the tables were turned and women could have the chance to propose. See my previous post on wedding proposals during leap years. However some deem getting married (or even engaged) in a leap year unlucky.

humanities

Many cultures believe that leap years are unlucky. Reportedly, the world goes a bit erratic with crazy weather patterns, additional suffering and a pretty gloomy outlook. Hence why some countries believe it is unlucky to make major decisions in a leap year like buying a house or car, or getting married. It is also traditionally seen as unlucky to get married on a leap day (29 February), though some people comment that you’d only have to remember your wedding anniversary every 4 years.

philosophy

There are some profound sayings about leap years. For example, a Scottish proverb says that a leap year is bad for livestock: ‘Leap year was ne’er a good sheep year.’ And Italians say ‘anno bisesto, anno funesto’ (meaning that the leap year is doomed) as they believe that women are erratic in a leap year.

sports

The Summer Olympic Games are held every four years on leap years.

media studies

The probability of being born on a leap day are 1 in 1,461 days. So there are only around 5 million people that are born on 29th February. Here are some famous leapers/leaplings:

Rapper – Ja Rule
Spanish Footballer – Ferrán Torres
Composer – Rossini
Actor – Joss Ackland
Prime Minister of Spain – Pedro Sánchez
And even Superman has this rare birthday too

It’s quite an exceptional day. What will you do with the extra day this year?

Top Autumn 2024 colours from Pantone®

by Hanami Dream | 26, February, 2024 | blog, marketing advice, news, trends

Crazy weather

I’m beginning to think that the warmer weather of last week was ‘false spring’ and led me in to a false sense of warmer months being imminent. Because this week, we are back to the erratic weather including rain, floods, high winds and even more frosty nights and misty mornings.

It seems the shoots in the ground thought the same as me and I hope they can make it unscathed through to spring soon.

Autumn 2024 colours

Whilst I am longing for Spring, it’s at this time of the year that I think about seasons even further away with the recent fashion weeks in New York, London and Milan this month, and Paris this week.

From these fashion weeks, Pantone® have predicted 10 colours that they think will be prevalent in Autumn/Winter 2024/25 which all make me feel warm and cosy like I’m wrapped in a luxurious velvet blanket.

Food

There’s a big vibe of autumnal produce and harvest time in this mix of colours including names of plum, pumpkin, orange, tomato, egg plant (aubergine), and almond milk.

Nature

Lots of the colours evoke the natural work around us with fern, rainforest, iguana, pine cone, sheepkin and swan.

Crisp mornings

There’s a sense of chilly cold winter skys from Starlight Blue right through to Evening Blue.

Weather

Even these colours are hinting at the crazy changing weather we’re experiencing with extremes such as Storm Front, Sunburn, Misted Yellow and Moonstruck.

Fall 2024 colours

The top ten colours for Fall 2024 from New York Fashion Week are:

Tomato Cream 16-1348
Scarlet Smile 19-1558
Golden Palm 17-0839 TCX
Aventurine 19-5421
Red Orange 17-1464
Fern 16-0430
Italian Plum 19-2514
Moonstruck 14-4500
Winter Sky 14-4307
Lucent White 11-0700

Fall 2024 extra colours from LFW

Most of the colours have the same vibe at London Fashion Week, with some slightly different hues. The noticeable difference was a yellowy brown at NYFW (of Buckthorn Brown) which were replaced with a bright blue (or Wave Ride) at LFW.

Here are the colours for Fall 2024 from LFW:

Pureed Pumpkin 17-1449
Misted Yellow 14-0837
Starlight Blue 12-4609
Cherry Tomato 17-1563
Sunburn 16-1429
Wave Ride 17-4129
Storm Front 17-1503
Eggplant 19-2311
Almond Milk 12-4301
Rain Forest 19-5232

Neutral basics

Pantone® have also updated the Fall 2024 Classic Colour Palette. These are a group of neutrals that are core basics in the form of beige, brown, grey, navy, and an earthy brown. The normal whites made it in to the main set of colours this season.

The bonus classic neutral colours for Fall 2024 from NYFW are:

White Swan 12-000
Raw Umber 17-1422
Dark Gull Gray 18-0403
Baritone Blue 19-3812
Buckhorn Brown 18-0935

The Fall 2024 Classic Colour Palette at London Fashion Week swapped some of the main colours to the neutral palette including the addition of a moss green. They are:

Sheepskin 14-1122
Iguana 18-0525
Pinecone 19-1121
Dark Shadows 19-3906
Evening Blue 19-3815

Colour themes

Colour plays an important part in our lives and it’ll be interesting to see how these colours filter through to influence everything around us.

Pantone® is the world-renowned authority on colour and the Pantone® Color of the Year is always really influential in any popular colour themes in fashion, interior design and weddings.

Thank you, January!

by Hanami Dream | 31, January, 2024 | blog, marketing advice, news

wish it had been longer

I feel a bit cheated out of the whole of this month. With the children going back to school later than usual I lost one and a half weeks at the beginning of the month before I could even hit the ground running. I heard lots of people saying January was soooo long but for me it wasn’t long enough!

celebrating small wins

In this scenario, it might be tempting to feel like I’m chasing my tail from the outset (and let’s be honest, the weeks often feel like they’re racing past!) But I’ve started this year with taking time at the end of each day to write down the 3 best things of my day.

Rather than looking at what is left on my to do list, I’m celebrating the small wins from each day. I’m looking at the donut instead of the hole. Looking at what I have done and not what I haven’t.

my January achievements

So thank you January, because this month I’ve been able to achieve (in no particular order):

Writing blog posts more regularly again and getting my writing mojo back.
Starting a new term at Sing and Sign and meeting some lovely excited new families that I can teach and pass on signing skills to.
Designing a shiny new logo for a client.
Working on a comms strategy for a new client.
Having nice compliments about my work and enthusiasm from CEO.
Updating my CV and getting excited about another possible new job to add to the portfolio and recognising how much I’ve achieved in my career.
Being invited to an interview for potential new client.
Enjoying a laser quest party for my eldest – for the first time in 4 years it’s been within a month of their actual birthday.
A wonderful weekend away to celebrate my mother’s 70th birthday.
Throwing my own pot on a brilliant pottery experience.
Time to unwind and complete a 1000 piece jigsaw.
Enjoying some great TV such as The Traitors and Pottery Throw Down, and sofa cuddles with whole family watching Junior Bake Off and Gladiators.
Seeing all my children doing an amazing job at talent show.
Enjoying a fire on a cold day.
Having warm relaxing baths.
Enjoying reading my book (have read 1 and a half this month – The Wild Other by Clover Stroud and half way through The Wake Up Call by Beth O’Leary).
Submitting tax returns with over a week to go before deadline

1924 vs 2024

by Hanami Dream | 26, January, 2024 | blog, marketing advice, traditions, trends

trends through the decades

I love looking back through the decades at trends and events (even the recent past) which can provide such inspiration and insight.

Previously, I looked at real weddings over the years in my ‘weddings through the decades’ series on my wedding blog which looked at Britain at that time, significant inventions, highlights of the year, wedding trends and wedding statistics:

It’s great to look for patterns and take lessons and learn from each era:

So in that vein, ten years on since my first blog post, here’s a look at a comparison between the roaring 20s and our current 2020s.

history repeating

History has a habit of repeating itself. Trends often recur (yes, flares are back again with a throwback to the 90s and before then the 70s). Some events are cyclical, some habitual, some traditional. How often they occur can vary from daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly or this period can differ each time.

There seems to be a few comparisons between 1924 and 2024, such as:

1924 was a leap year (which this year is too)
The Summer Olympics were held in Paris in 1924 and it will host them again this summer. Incidentally, the first Winter Olympics were also held in France in 1924 (in Chamonix French alps).
There was a general election in 1924 in the autumn which we can only guess may be when we have one in 2024 too.

Britain in 1924

Britain was still recovering after the First World War (which ended in 1918) plus the Spanish flu pandemic (which ended in 1920) which both resulted in many deaths.

It was a decade of two halves. At the beginning, the peace following war brought prosperity and for some the war had proved quite lucrative. So it was a time of decadence (until the mid-1920s when interest rates and unemployment rose, particularly in the north of England where coal and steel industry suffered).

Families started to get smaller with 3 or 4 children the norm. Divorce was now accepted as a marital status. Primary schooling was now free for all children so they stayed until 14 years old.
Women were more independent after the suffragette movement gave women over 30 the vote in 1918 (this dropped to 21 years old in 1928) and many had been employed during the war. This confidence resulted in flapper fashion trends with short hair and shorter dresses.
George V (grandson of Queen Victoria) was nearly half way through his 26 year reign. He was the first monarch of the house of Windsor.
Ramsay MacDonald was the first Labour Prime Minister for nine months of the year until the general election. Coincidentally, he was one of the three founders of the Labour Party along with someone called Keir (Hardie).
The first commercial flights took place in this decade and in 1924 British Airways (then called Imperial Airways) began taking tourists abroad.
Other great 1920s inventions included fridges, roller coasters and crosswords. And when we first saw Branston Pickle and Heinz Beans.
Cinemas were being built around the country with top films of the year being Sherlock Jr, The Last Laugh, and Greed.
The first shipping forecast was broadcast on radio and the first tv pictures were broadcast too.
Sea shanties were a popular music choice and jazz music was just around the corner in 1926.
Walking, cycling and motorsport were popular pastimes.
The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park.

Britain in 2024

Britian is still recovering from the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic, cost of living crisis and the aftermath of major world conflicts such as the Ukraine war.

Families are smaller still and come in all shapes and sizes with on average 1-2 children. Education is free until age 18.
Fashion trends this year include short shorts, metallics, roses and bows.
King Charles the third is King of England having just been crowned last year (on my birthday) and the fifth monarch in the house of Windsor.
Conservatives are currently in government but Labour may come back in to power led by a man called Keir.
There are around 1300 flights a day that fly in and out of Heathrow airport in London, UK.
Technologically, artificial intelligence is the hot topic; 3D printing is advancing; extended/augmented/virtual reality continues to progress; sustainable technology is growing in importance; electric cars are becoming more popular; and you can get desk bikes to charge your phone.
Films to look out for this year include a few remakes and sequels of some old classics, as well as: Mean Girls, Madame Web, Ghostbusters, Godzilla, The Fall Guy, Planet of the Apes, Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4, Alien, Beetlejuice 2, Transformers One, Joker, Gladiator 2, The karate kid, Lion King (live action), and Sonic 3.
There are over 480 tv channels in the UK (some are free to watch and others are subscription channels).
Music is most commonly listened to via streaming services rather than people owning physical copies of records (or CDs or even cassettes) anymore.
Gardening, cooking, reading and video gaming are popular hobbies along with travel, handicrafts and keep fit.
Other notable events to look out for in 2024 include the rugby six nations, the Euros 2024 and the US Presidential Election in November.

What memorable events are we going to look back on in 2024?

These are a few of my predictions for pivotal occurrences in 2024. What do you think are going to be popular trends this year? How will we remember this year?

Happy 2024!

by Hanami Dream | 16, January, 2024 | blog, marketing advice

another leap year

I’m almost a little scared to write a post imagining what the year ahead will bring. 2024 is a leap year and the last one of those that we had didn’t work out that well.

At the beginning of 2020, I wrote a post looking forward to the year ahead and I was quite pessimistic saying that: ‘Superstition suggests that 2020 may be a bit erratic. Many cultures believe that leap years are unlucky. Reportedly, the world goes a bit erratic with crazy weather patterns, additional suffering and a pretty gloomy outlook. Hence why some countries believe it is unlucky to make major decisions in a leap year like buying a house or car, or getting married.’

Little did I know how unlucky that year would turn out to be and it started a run of lockdowns and a year that would be unlike any we’d seen before.

lucky number 24

So here’s hoping that this leap year will not be anywhere as erratic as the last one! And with it being 2024, some would say that it will be a lucky year as the number 24 is considered lucky in some cultures and traditions.

In numerology, the number 24 is associated with harmony, balance, family, and diplomacy. Number 24 symbolizes the harmony between the earth and the sky and is believed to bring good fortune. Many Chinese people choose this number for important events and celebrations.

what’s in a number?

It got me thinking how prolific the number 24 features in our everyday life:

hours in a day
bits a computer needs for colour images
frames per second of a motion film
American tv series starring Kiefer Sutherland as a federal agent
carats in pure gold
atomic number for chromium (Cr in the periodic table) – a shiny silver metal
degrees in the earth’s axle tilt (which is what gives us different seasons and changing daylight hours during the year)
letters in the Greek alphabet
books in Homer’s Iliad and books in the Odyssey too
elders in the Book of Revelation in the Bible
sheets of paper that make a quire
major and minor keys in Western music
number of points on a backgammon board
blocks of 15 days that the year is split into in Japanese and Chinese culture (looks like we are in the Lesser Cold microseason at the moment but moving in to Greater Cold soon)
date in December of Christmas Eve (and doors on an advent calendar)
French department of Dordogne (where we spent a lovely summer holiday last year)
number of my first house (think I’ve lived in 7 or 8 more places since)
blackbirds baked in a pie (in Sing a Song of Sixpence)
elements that make up the human body
set of human chromosomes passed down from each parent
vertebrae in the human spine

Here’s to a happy 2024!

Pantone® announce the Color of the Year 2024

by Hanami Dream | 12, December, 2023 | blog, marketing advice, news, trends

Pantone® Colour of the Year 2024

As always, December is bonkers busy with the build up to Christmas getting earlier and earlier each year, along with all the school events and several birthdays to navigate before we can collapse in a big (usually ill) heap at the end of the year!

Meanwhile, there is also the exciting news of the Pantone® colour of the year. And 2024 is a special year as it marks 25 years of this momentous trend movement.

Recently, when the Spring 2024 colours were published, my guess for the colour of the year was for a bold sunny orange (as we haven’t had an orange since 2012). Now whilst this week’s announcement is for a slightly more pastel version, I’m claiming that my prediction for an orange tone was pretty near the mark.

Peach Fuzz 13-1023

Pantone® have announced that Pantone® 13-1023 Peach Fuzz is the colour of the year for 2024, somewhere between a pale pink and orange colour.

Peach Fuzz has been described by Pantone® as “a gentle and nurturing peach shade that serves as a reminder to slow down and care for ourselves and one another. The romantic color’s name reflects the tactile sensuality associated with the hue: velvety peaches, soft marabou feathers, and smooth vintage satins and silks all come to mind when thinking about the pink and orange combo.”

The Pantone Color Institute’s executive director Leatrice Eiseman points out that the “delicate shade summons viewers to the human experience, with an emphasis on the importance of health and wellness for mind, body, and soul. From the warm colors of a sunrise or sunset to the coziness of a fuzzy blanket, the color affirms moments of internal tranquillity with the deep need for community, gathering, and connection.”

25 years of Pantone®

Orange is no stranger to being the colour of the year with a bright shade of Living Coral in 2019, a deeper Tangerine Tango in 2012, a pale Sand Dollar in 2006, plus Tiger Lily back in 2004.

There have also been some sunny yellows over the years in the form of Illuminating in 2021 and Mimosa in 2009.

Spring 2024 predictions

Once again, this colour doesn’t appear exactly in any of their seasonal predictions, although there were a number of yellow and orange sunset colours at both New York and London Fashion Weeks including Rooibos Tea, Orangeade, Lemon Drop, Spicy Mustard, Sun Orange, Fiesta and Charlock.

Protection

What does the name of the colour of the year mean? Well, there are over 300 varieties of peaches. And the fruit is deemed very important in Chinese culture as it can symbolise fertility and long life. The fuzz on peaches is actually a form of protection as it repels excess water away from the skin to stop it rotting prematurely. Additionally the fuzzy texture keeps insects away to stop them from destroying the fruit.

Cheeky

Peach Fuzz wouldn’t be out of place as the name for a cooling peach schnapps drink over a glassful of ice. Likewise, the peach emoji can also signify another way of saying ‘bottom’ on social media. And sometimes it can refer to the soft fine unwanted hair on cheeks.

Blush tones

But to me, this colour of the year for 2024 feels soft, romantic and peaceful. A beautiful warm sunset over clouds. It appears as lights as a feather, like a stick of candy floss at the beach or a full puffball netting skirt billowing in the wind.

Peaches and cream

There are so many wonderful sayings with the word ‘peach’ in them which usually mean something good about life. The expression has come to mean something which is particularly good or sweet, such as ‘Everything is peachy!’

Looks like Peach Fuzz will bring a relaxing and peaceful vibe for 2024 – with a touch of cheekiness!

#COY2024

Top Spring 2024 colours from Pantone®

by Hanami Dream | 3, November, 2023 | blog, marketing advice, news, trends

Spring 2024

Following the recent fashion weeks, Pantone® have revealed the Spring/Summer colours to look out for in 2024 including 10 seasonal colours alongside 5 neutral classics.

The seasonal colours feel like a refreshing palette cleansing selection full of the warming sun, cooling drinks relaxing in tropical climes.

The Pantone Color Institute’s executive director Leatrice Eiseman said “Colours for Spring/Summer 2024 are infused with a hint of nostalgia yet at the same time speak to transformation as we embrace a more positive way of living. A new sense of freedom is reflected in this palette of evocative yet familiar tones that open the door to the exploration of our creative potential to re-visualise the future.”

“Colours for NYFW Spring 2024 inspire feelings of release. Opening the imagination and amplifying and liberating our own unique artistic spirit, they enable us to express ourselves in more inventive ways”.

warming

On a cold autumnal night, sometimes the only thing that is warming is clutching a hot tea in front of the fire and we can only dream of warmer weather.

These Spring colours evoke the sunny weather ahead in the form of fragrant citrus fruits as well as spicy mustards and chutneys to warm from the inside.

cooling

The pastel palette of greens, pink, blue, lilac and lemon are so cooling and refreshing like a mint filled mojito drink, enjoyed lying in a hammock beside sun bleached houses painted in these faded shades.

tropical

These Spring colours once again evoke beautiful summer holiday destination aspirations. With bold blues, coral, lavender and blazing sunshine.

Spring 2024 colours

The top ten colours for Spring 2024 from NYFW are:

18-1355 Rooibos Tea
17-1461 Orangeade
17-0220 Watercress
15-1435 Desert Flower
15-4030 Chambray Blue
14-3812 Pastel Lilac
18-3932 Marlin
12-0736 Lemon Drop
16-5938 Mint
15-4722 Capri

Spring 2024 extra colours from LFW

In the main, the colours are repeated at London Fashion Week, albeit with darker shades of blues and greens at LFW.

The focus shifts from the cooling pinks and purples of NYFW to warming yellow and orange colours at London Fashion Week.

Here are the colours from LFW to round off the colours for Spring 2024:

16-4427 Horizon Blue
18-4051 Strong Blue
19-5408 Bistro Green
14-0952 Spicy Mustard
18-1433 Chutney
16-1257 Sun Orange
17-1564 Fiesta
12-0530 Charlock
15-1905 Burnished Lilac
15-0326 Tarragon

Neutral classics

Pantone® have also updated the Classic Colour Palette. These neutrals are core basics in the form of a white, creams, beige, greys and black. They feel like rainy day classics – perfect grounding colours and peaceful additional accompanying colours.

The bonus classic neutral colours for Spring 2024 are:

11-4001 Brilliant White
14-1305 Mushroom
14-4104 Northern Droplet
18-4006 Quiet Shade
16-1317 Brush

And at LFW these are:

11-4001 Brilliant White
18-3906 Boulevard
13-0611 Moth
19-3713 Deep Well
14-4804 Blue Fox

Colour themes

Colour plays an important part in our lives and it’ll be interesting to see how these colours filter through to influence things around us.

Pantone® is the world-renowned authority on colour and the Pantone® Color of the Year is always really influential in any popular colour themes in fashion, interior design and weddings.

Look out for my report when the 2024 colour of the year is released later in the year. My guess is for a bold sunny orange – we haven’t had an orange since 2012.

Top Autumn 2023 colours from Pantone®

by Hanami Dream | 22, February, 2023 | blog, marketing advice, news, trends

Shortages

At the time of writing, some vegetables are being rationed at some supermarkets due to poor weather in the countries where the produce is grown. We just for granted that whatever the season and time of year, that we can have any type of possible fruit or vegetable. We are disappointed not to be able to buy tomatoes at the moment but realistically they aren’t really in season.

Since lockdown and more so in recent times of economic uncertainty and a cost of living crisis, it has become apparent and more important to me that we should eat seasonally, buy locally and even grow our own produce. To not only help our pockets but to make sustainable choices for the environment too.

Paralleled with this, for Lent I had decided to ‘give’ this year, rather than ‘give up’. Like I did at Christmas with a reverse advent calendar, I am giving something each day of Lent to the local foodbank.

Autumn 2023 colours

All these thoughts of seasons is quite timely, as whilst we are on the brink of Spring, my thoughts are drawn to the end of the year with recent fashion weeks in New York, London and Milan this month, and Paris next month.

From these fashion weeks, Pantone® have predicted 10 colours that they think will be prevalent in Autumn/Winter 2023/24 which all evoke an earthy, back to nature vibe in keeping with my current food seasonality thoughts.

Forest school

Nothing quite beats a crisp morning surrounded by nature. With trees sheltering you away from technology, away from noise, away from any stresses. Just exploring and being present. Then warming up round a roaring fire, cradling a warm mug of hot chocolate. Some of the colours ooze autumnal vibes, like the changing colours of the leaves as they fall from the trees. With reds, burnt oranges, browns and yellows flickers of the fire.

Winter getaway

These warming colours are contrasted with the icy cold winter days of a winter skiing scene, such as turquoise, lilac and bright blues reminiscent of cloudless skies and mountain ranges.

Fresh vegetables

Finally, there is a sense of freshness in the cool green shades eluding to any harvesting crops perhaps of Kohlrabi (which is in season now), Olive Oil and Sharp Green.

Fall 2023 colours

The top ten colours for Fall 2023 from New York Fashion Week are:

PANTONE 12-0912 Tender Peach
PANTONE 17-2624 Rose Violet
PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta
PANTONE 17-1464 Red Orange
PANTONE 19-1555 Red Dahlia
PANTONE 13-0751 High Visibility
PANTONE 17-3934 Persian Jewel
PANTONE 13-6030 Carnival Glass
PANTONE 17-1544 Burnt Sienna
PANTONE 14-0255 Kohlrabi

Fall 2023 extra colours from LFW

Most of the colours have the same vibe at London Fashion Week, with some slightly different hues. The noticeable differences were the oranges at NYFW (of Tender Peach and Red Orange) which were replaced with a purple and bright blue at LFW.

Here are the colours for Fall 2023 from LFW:

PANTONE 16-1544 Persimmon
PANTONE 15-1624 Conch Shell
PANTONE 18-1664 Fiery Red
PANTONE 19-1337 Fired Brick
PANTONE 13-0535 Sharp Green
PANTONE 14-3921 Lacecap Hydrangea
PANTONE 14-0957 Spectra Yellow
PANTONE 16-0847 Olive Oil
PANTONE 19-3336 Sparkling Grape
PANTONE 16-4535 Blue Atoll

Neutral basics

Pantone® have also created a Fall 2023 Classic Colour Palette. These are a group of neutrals that are core basics in the form of white, navy, an earthy brown, light grey, plus a rich beige.

The bonus classic neutral colours for Fall 2023 from NYFW are:

PANTONE 11-0608 Coconut Milk
PANTONE 19-3810 Eclipse
PANTONE 19-0913 Hot Fudge
PANTONE 13-4403 Silver Birch
PANTONE 16-1333 Doe

The Fall 2023 Classic Colour Palette at London Fashion Week swapped out the navy and earthy brown, for a dark forest green and a dark grey. They are:

PANTONE 15-1216 Pale Khaki
PANTONE 19-0414 Forest Night
PANTONE 13-4108 Nimbus Cloud
PANTONE 12-0703 Seedpearl
PANTONE 18-0202 Lava Smoke

Colour themes

Colour plays an important part in our lives and it’ll be interesting to see how these colours filter through to influence things around us.

Pantone® is the world-renowned authority on colour and the Pantone® Color of the Year is always really influential in any popular colour themes in fashion, interior design and weddings.

Crepuscula is my word of the moment

by Hanami Dream | 20, January, 2023 | blog, marketing advice

Crepuscular

I’m wondering whether I’m a crepuscular animal – more active at dawn and dusk. Compared with a nocturnal animal (active at night) or diurnal (active during the day).

Crepuscular creatures like rabbits, deer, mice, rats, otters, many song birds, mosquitoes, and moths hide from their prey and the midday sun.

I’m certainly busy at the beginning and end of the day (and then have revenge bedtime procrastination – forfeiting sleep for leisure time!)

#wordoftheday #wordofthemoment #nationalthesaurusday #loveroflanguage #scrabbletiles

Pantone® announce the Color of the Year 2023

by Hanami Dream | 6, December, 2022 | blog, marketing advice, news, trends

Pantone® Colour of the Year 2023

December is a super busy month in our household, with all the obvious build up to Christmas and all that entails (like several Christmas concerts today) but it is also birthday for two of my children!

In amongst all that craziness, is the excitement of the announcement of the Pantone® colour of the year.

Back when the Spring colours were published during the fashion weeks in September, my guess was for a bright green like Love Bird to be the colour of the year for 2023. After all we haven’t had a green since 2017.

Viva Magenta 18-1750

Instead, Pantone® have announced that Pantone® 18-1750 Viva Magenta will be the colour of the year for 2023, a bold raspberry pink colour. Ironically, on the day it was announced that was also the colour that my nails were painted. Maybe I subliminally knew anyway!

It feels like an evolution from the calming, Classic Blue of 2020, to the vibrant Very Peri purple of 2022, and now a vivacious bright red/pink colour for 2023.

Pink is no stranger to the colour of the year with a pale pink of Rose Quartz in 2016, and two more daring pinks as Honeysuckle in 2011 and Fuchsia Rose in 2001.

There have also been no shortage of red shades to boost our confidence over the years in the form of Marsala in 2015, Chilli Pepper in 2007 and True Red in 2002.

Spring 2023 predictions

Once again, this exact colour doesn’t appear in any of their seasonal predictions, although there were a number of bright red, purple and pink colours at both New York and London Fashion Weeks (including Beetroot Purple 18-2143).

Full of life

Viva Magenta has been described by colour company Pantone® as “a shade rooted in nature descending from the red family and expressive of a new signal of strength”. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone® Color Institute said that the Colour of the Year for 2023 “vibrates with vim and vigor. Viva Magenta is brave and fearless, and a pulsating color whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative.”

“Pantone’s Color of the Year, Viva Magenta 18-1750 is powerful and empowering. It is a new animated red that revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraint, an electrifying, and a boundaryless shade that is manifesting as a stand-out statement. Viva Magenta welcomes anyone and everyone with the same verve for life and rebellious spirit. It is a color that is audacious, full of wit and inclusive of all.”

“Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known.”

At this time of the year, I’d be quite happy to hibernate and hide away but maybe it is time for a renewed vitality and to get back out there and enjoy life again. Looks like Viva Magenta will give us the much needed boost of energy for 2023.

#COY2023