GREEN is good

The wizard of Oz knew what a wonderful color emerald was. Now, the rest of the world will see it.

The green movement is upon us. Literally.

Pantone Color Institute, the global expert on color, has forecast emerald as the color of the year for 2013.

"When you look at the history of emerald, from the standpoint of the gemstone, it is the color of beauty, the color of new life, the color of growth, the color of renewal. So many of those words we bear in mind as we look to the future. Yes, we are interested in renewal, we are interested in growth, especially in the face of the challenges we have faced in the past few years," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone Color Institute.

"The other aspect of the green gemstone is its sophistication, the beauty of the gemstone. When we think of emerald, we think of something faceted and something that has a sparkle to it. That's precisely what it does," she added. "From many standpoints, emerald was a perfect fit."

According to Eiseman, Pantone has never spotlighted a shade of green before.

She said the focus on green was spurred, in part, by the ecological green movement.

"It if you look at it (the color green) from the whole green movement, you'll see it's not going away. It's beyond a trend. It's a lifestyle."

As a result, Pantone's key group of color experts traveled the world looking at how green was being used. Eiseman said it began with little suggestions of green in high-end fashion, but it didn't really start to take momentum until about two years ago.

"I think it fits in beautifully with the whole ecological green movement," said Paul Watson, vice president of design for International Market Centers and vice president of the Las Vegas Design Center.

"Green is my favorite color, especially the gem tones: emerald green," he said. "The minute you say emerald green, you immediately have your own vision of the finest Colombian emeralds - a sparkly, deep, rich green."

For the second year, Las Vegas Design Center is teaming with Pantone to present a special color of the year event. During a luncheon Friday, Eiseman will discuss the reasoning behind selecting emerald as the color of the year, the history of emerald, its significance, and how and where consumers can expect to see it.

Eiseman said she is really excited about the partnership.

"Last year was such fun. They (Las Vegas Design Center) pull out all the stops when they do something like this," she said.

Additionally, Eiseman said Las Vegas and the design center is an ideal location to spotlight the color of the year.

"Las Vegas is so much about color and certainly about design. Just look at the hotels, the newer hotels in particular, and all the styling that goes into them. It's all about style and color."

"We are in a creative environment," agreed Watson.

"Anytime a trend is identified, everyone wants to see it, participate in it, be more current or relevant. When the color of the year comes out, we want to know if what we saw is relevant, if we are on trend," Watson said.

He also said December is the perfect time to announce the color of the year, and even more so with the forecast of emerald.

"The first seasons it will affect are spring and summer. When we think of spring and summer, we think of the outdoors and green. It's a natural evolution of color," he said.

Eiseman said the emerald green selected as the color of the year is a "gorgeous green." It is not a deep hunter green, but a "perfectly balanced color. It is the perfect balance of warm and cool. This particular green doesn't have more yellow or more blue. ... You can wear it with or use it with a lot of other colors just as mother nature uses it."

This element of nature makes emerald green a versatile color, Watson said.

"Green in an earth tone and, as an earth tone, it is really quite neutral. First, everything goes with black and everything goes with white. For the holidays, there's green and red. There's also green and yellow, green and blue, and when you think about it, what color doesn't it go with," he said.

"Much like the natural beauty of the gemstone, the emerald exudes vibrancy and elegance," said Sofia Wacksman, vice president of trend for Kohl's Department Stores. "Wearing this rich jewel tone in 2013 is sure to make a statement. Try easy, tailored pieces in emerald, like a classic blazer or sophisticated sheath dress."

Watson said the color forecast permeates everything and is "so behind the scenes" that the average consumer really isn't aware of how deeply she or he is influenced by these types of forecasts.

Although the color of the year forecast picks out upcoming trends, quite often, the color explodes on the marketplace after being named, he said.

"Like anything else, as consumers, when we go to our local mall we are looking for a compelling reason to buy. ... We are always influenced by new things that entice us to buy. The color of the year does influence us and helps manufacturers. It gives us a reason to consume," Watson said. "If I go to Z Gallerie, for example, last year everything was orange. This year, everything will be green. I will get a couple of things and everything will be on trend. It is the same thing in apparel. If I have a white blouse or skirt and pick up an emerald green scarf or belt, it says I'm on trend, I'm on target."

Eiseman said there's been a gradual cooling of colors in the past year or two. Last year's color of the year was Tangerine Tango and the year before it was Honeysuckle, a dusty shade of pink.

For more information, visit www.lasvegasdesigncenter.com or www.colorexpert.com.