Honeysuckle, The Official Color of 2011
Panetone, the magical color elves who spend their days and nights bathing in vats of neon paint have made a startling prediction for 2011 – it's all going to be about Honeysuckle next year. If you're anything like me (slightly bitter at the world and wondering where her morning coffee is) you have no idea what Honeysuckle is in terms of color. You're probably thinking it's a plant, and indeed it is.
This is honeysuckle. This probably doesn't shed too much light on the issue because you, as I, can see that there are several colors present in this picture. We can probably safely disregard the green because green is common to all plants and if the color for 2011 was supposed to be green, it probably would have been named something more outrageous and exciting and prickly, like 'Cactus'.
Look closer at this largely white flower and you'll see bits of pink in the middle, bits of pink designed to act as runways for passing pollinating bees. Well it's that pink that is totally in in 2011. Totally in!
What do you need to know about honeysuckle? Well first of all, according to Brian Pink's guide to poisonous plants: leaves and berries have been reported to be highly toxic when eaten, the berries being the worst. We have had reports of llamas eating the leaves with no obvious effects. Apparently they may be dangerous when consumed in large quantities.
So whilst your honeysuckle colored clothing might be fashionable – it will also attract lamas. You have been warned.
According to Panetone, Honeysuckle pink is all about courage, about confidence, about vitality. It's also about living in a veritable paradox, as the Panetone website states with total clarity. 'Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it.'
They're really pushing this honeysuckle thing, and not just because they're people who like to sell color to other people, but because they've managed to convince themselves that the best way to ward off depression, global recession and overly handsy TSA agents is to wear pink.
“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”
I want whatever Leatrice has been having - probably honeysuckle infused tea (which you shouldn't drink because it's totally dangerous.)
