Knitch Magazine

Gucci presented teal in fur, snakeskin, suede and silk in their Fall 2011 Collection at Milan Fashion Week.The world today is connected by a network of technology that facilitates instantaneous communication. Barriers of time and distance no longer exist as our portable communication devices enable us to conduct virtual conversations with friends and colleagues throughout the world, whether they’re in bustling cities, sleepy villages or the remotest parts of our planet. After millennia of tribal seclusion, we are all together now…connected by whirling satellites sending signals through space at the speed of light.

That Jetsonian Dream of picture phones promised by AT&T at Canada’s Expo in 1967 is now a reality — albeit in a more practical, streamlined format that is considered less space age invention than basic utility. The world is now, literally, in our pocket and at our fingertips.

Cynthia Steff uses Pantone 19-4914 in her funnel neck wrap coat.While we are fortunate to enjoy more access to more people more quickly than ever in the history of mankind, there remains one connection many of us struggle to find: communion with our true spiritual core.

We live life in the fastest lane imaginable, yet we have come to realize our own innate need to slow down, to appreciate the magnificence of our universe, and to celebrate the miracle of our own lives. As the philosopher Eckhart Tolle advises, we need to experience The Power of Now, the spiritual peace we find when we connect with what is ultimately real.

In other words, we’ve successfully conquered spontaneous human connection, and must address our need to turn our attention elsewhere: inside and outside, deeper and higher, to the truth…to all that is real and good.

It is no surprise then that the color experts at Pantone predict the color for this time in human development is Teal. It’s not the lighter turquoise associated with open communication, emotional healing, balance and electronics, but a more intense, Deep Teal. It’s a rich, cerebral shade that signifies trustworthiness and reliability…a more sophisticated hue that is believed by some to promote spiritual advancement and commitment.

NARS Eye Shadow in TealThe inspirations for this strong, saturated blue-toned green are the depths of the ocean, and the color of the sky as darkness descends upon daylight. It is a color of transition from the lightness and clarity of daily life to a deep meditative journey through darkness back toward the light…a new Nars Nailpolish in Tealdawn, a new day, a new state of thought and being.

While Deep Teal will be seen in everything from draping gowns to wedding accents, sparkling beads and nail polish, Autumn 2011 also features a palette of complementary colors that range from Nougat, Quarry, Coffee Liqueur, Orchid Blush and Cedar —peaceful neutrals that calm and reassure — to the brighter accents of Bamboo, Honeysuckle, Emberglow and Phlox. These will form that canvas, the background on which Deep Teal will become the center of attention.

Pantone's Deep Teal is believed to be the big color this autumn. Color Trends, another color specialist, also includes Teal in their Deco collection for fall.

In the Pantone online survey of which of the Pantone selections will be number one this season, Deep Teal (Pantone 19-4914) outperforms all other colors in the Autumn 2011 palette. 15% of designers surveyed indicated they’d be incorporating it into their autumn palette.

There is little doubt today that we are in a period of uncertainty and upheaval, of introspection and transformation. We are re-examining our values, re-evaluating our future and re-directing our energies. While we are driven by dissatisfaction with the status quo, we are inspired by the possibilities of a new and better world.

Whether we practice a formal religion, or merely consider ourselves spiritual, many of us look forward to an epiphany — perhaps on a personal level or in the form of new world reality. We anticipate the realization of our own nirvana, to living in that perpetual state of joy that comes only to those who have succeeded in connecting with the power that fuels our existence…God, Nature, or whatever it is that each one of us believes and that gives our lives a purpose.