‘Rose Quartz’ and ‘Serenity’ named colors of the year

Serenity, now.

That's the message from Pantone, the color experts, which named "Serenity," a kind of baby blue, one of its two colors of the year for 2016. The other is Rose Quartz, a dusty pink.

The choice of color of the year is "a symbolic color selection; a color snapshot of what we see taking place in our culture that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude," the company, a division of X-rite, said in a news release.

Pantone determines its color of the year after surveying fashionistas and insiders in pop culture, including movies and music.

This is the first time the company has chosen two colors. Previous winners include the reddish Marsala, the popping purplish Radiant Orchid, the exquisite Emerald and the boisterous Tangerine Tango.

But anxious times call for calmer colors, said Pantone, and Serenity and Rose Quartz fit the bill.

"As consumers seek mindfulness and well-being as an antidote to modern day stresses, welcoming colors that psychologically fulfill our yearning for reassurance and security are becoming more prominent," Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone's executive director, said in the statement.

The two also suggest the "gender blur" of modern fashion, which fits with our trans-aware times, it added.

Some wags on Twitter weren't quite sold on the colors' fashion qualities. To them, the colors looked more like bubble gum and blueberry -- or something New Agey.

(Nobody has brought up Pepto-Bismol. Well, until now.)

"Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace," the company said.

We hope they're right. It IS an election year.