twopointouch

The Stephin Merritt of the Internet?

via b3ta

The latest edition of the fantastic Trendwatching newsletter hit my mailbox this morning with a surprising sartorial tip for future-gazing fashion fans:

…read our lips: TURQUOISE.

Now, don’t ditch your black turtleneck just yet: it won’t be until Fall 2011 that turquoise will have its moment. Why? As trend analyst Tyfion Tihslub of the Ingleton Economic Institute in Wales, UK, recently pointed out, a convergence of positive and negative developments in 2011 will create an ambivalence amongst consumers not seen since the infamous ‘rainbow’ era of the mid-eighties. Which is a match made in heaven for turquoise, a color that can’t seem to make up its mind — is it green, or is it blue?

This ambivalence will not only inspire leading fashion designers. Color experts at Pantone are rumored to already be working on additional shades of turquoise to fill the current gap between #54D8A8 and #40E0D0.

Says Jody Turner, founder of Culture of Future and noted color expert: "I know most think we have done turquoise but with the emergence of the emotional value of colors, it is most important we stay away from condescending attitudes toward colors that matter. We mean this in the highest sense of inclusion, whether extreme in belief and/or whether modest in engagement."

From San Sebastian to Singapore, expect TURQUOISE TRIUMPH to sweep catwalks and H&M stores alike in Q3 of 2011. Hey, you still have four more years to prepare for this one.

The new edition also includes an expose into the tastes and desires of the hottest new demographic for marketers: Generation Z, "youngsters born after 4 April 2006… no other generation is as well-positioned to make the most of Web 3.0, 4.0 and even 5.0."

(I am working up to a proper blog post, honest).