Colour chameleon

Fashion has long used specific hues as silent logos, creating instant recall without a word spoken. VINITA MAKHIJA dives into this colourful relationship

- VINITA MAKHIJA

In Sex And The City, Mr Big, Carrie Bradshaw's ex-lover, declares with disdain, "Everything in my apartment is now beige." He's referring to his new wife's fondness for minimalism. Ever the snark, Bradshaw replies, "I thought you wanted beige." The shade is a synonym for a templatised life. And as fashion folk know, once you've tried on Bradshaw's technicolour coat, beige is a hard palette to live with.

That's the thing about colours, they are inherently evocative. Red signifies passion and sex, pink reminds you of childhood birthday parties. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone Color Institute, notes that yellow induces a playful mood, which explains smiley faces. In fashion, patterns, cuts and fabrics need a discerning eye, but colours speak a universal language-one that luxury brands often employ as silent logos.

For spring/summer 2024, Burberry premiered 'knight' blue by Daniel Lee-previously responsible for the viral 'parakeet' green at Bottega Veneta during his tenure there. In September 2023, during London Fashion Week, the city's Bond Street tube station was temporarily painted in the shade and rechristened 'Burberry Street'. Over at Sabato De Sarno's Gucci debut, we were introduced to Rosso Ancora, a deep maroon edging towards oxblood, inspired by the lining of the brand's very first Jackie bag, and the colour of the elevator at London's The Savoy hotel, where the house's founder Guccio Gucci worked as a bell boy.