Pantone is not the only one that picks a color of the year.
In college, I took a class about color theory. I learned about the thoughts and feelings that each color on the color wheel evoked. It occurred to me to merge this with my tradition of setting goals (or resolutions) for the New Year. This started a tradition of picking a color to welcome the New Year in and infusing that color through my clothing and home decor throughout the year. I thought of this as a color mantra for the year. In the past, I’ve chosen gold, purple, and last year I decided to go with emerald green.
How to pick a color to set the tone for the New Year
Colors are very powerful. They can influence our mood and our perception of others. Marketers strategically pick colors when creating a brand identity because of the psychological effect they have on us. Why do you think that spas are painted in soothing colors such as periwinkle blue? It’s also the reason that many fast food restaurants use the color red in their branding because the color is thought to increase happiness and appetite.
Do you want to pick a color to represent yourself in the New Year? Keep reading because I’ve got a few pointers to help you pick the right color.
[Outfit Details: J Crew Cacoon Coat | Eliza J Dress |Elena Necklace by Lace & Pearls Jewelry | Upcycled leather clutch by Chelsea Yaley Designs | Yellow boots (Similar here)]
Picking a color for the New Year around how it’s practiced around the world
I thought it was a revolutionary idea to pick a color for the year until I learned that many cultures practice a version of this.
For example, my friend April wrote a post about how Brazilians pick a color to welcome the New Year in based on their hopes for the new year (peace, love, prosperity, etc).
Those who believe in Chinese astrology also put thought and consideration into the colors they chose to represent the year based on one of the 12 animals on the 12-year cycle. If you didn’t know, 2019 is the year of the pig. According to Karmaweather, you should welcome the New Year with a fire color (such as red, orange, or pink) and a metal color (white, or golden) for good luck.
Color Theory: The meaning of common colors
[Accesory Details: Elena necklace by Lace & Pearls Jewelry | Upcycled leather clutch by Chelsea Yaley Designs]
Every color has a complex meaning and we could go on for hours about it. When picking a color of the year for yourself, keep these meanings in mind.
- Red– Passion, bold, confidence, youthfulness.
- Pink– Feminine, intuitive, compassion.
- Purple– Creative, individualism, regal, wealth.
- Orange– Warm, fresh, freedom, motivation.
- Yellow– Happiness, prosperity, optimism.
- Blue– Spirited, ambitious, peaceful.
- Green– Balance, clarity, growth.
- White– Peace, genuine, spiritual.
- Grey– Wisdom, calmness, modernism.
How to pick a color of the year each year to have your best year yet!
Before the New Year arrives, I take a step back to reflect on the year. I ask myself these questions and encourage you to do the same:
- What did you accomplish this year?
- What do you wish you did better?
- What lessons did you learn?
- What do I see when I visualize myself being the best version of myself in the New Year?
Pro Tip: Create a vision board to help you bring all of these things to life. It will help you identify themes and you can also refer back to your vision board throughout the year.
In 2019 I want to focus on improving my perception of life through positive thinking. I want to be healthier— mind, body, and soul. When I think of happiness and cheer, the color yellow comes to mind right away. It’s a color that represents optimism and is why marigold yellow is the color I’m picking to set the tone for me in 2019!
Now, if you know me, you know I love pink. So pink will also play a role in my year. Pink is also a color that lifts your mood and I love its feminine representation.
Kicking off my color of the year: How I wore yellow for the New Year
I started off my New Years celebration a little early with a blogger brunch that Jenn from Hello Rigby organized. She has a beautiful mid-century home and she decorated her space with festive decorations to ring in the New Year. All the girls brought drinks and treats to share, that paired perfectly with the yummy dishes that Jenn prepared. The finishing touch was the cookies that Megan from Diary of This Girl Megan’s mom made along with Megan’s gluten-free brownie. So good!
We had such a fun time talking about life, blogging, and our plans on how to make 2019 the best year yet!
By now you should know that you can’t get a room full of bloggers together without a photo shoot taking place. After brunch, we headed to downtown Burien, Washington to snap a couple (or a million) photos in our pretty glitzy outfits. I love to get dolled up and it was fun to twirl around in our Eliza J dresses and clutches from Chelsea Yaley Designs that both brands so graciously gifted to us. I also enjoyed seeing how we all styled our looks with our own individual touches. Can we talk about Ana from Northwest Blonde’s polka dot dress and red coat combo? Adorbs! Even with our own styling for a New Years inspired look, I love how each outfit was different, yet our looks played so well together.
If you’re looking for inspiration on how to style your color of the year for 2019 you should find it here, but if you need more help, Asa from Lace & Pearls blog put together a guide of creative ways to style an Eliza J dress, which can also be applied to any dress in your closet.
All photos in this post are by Jenn of Hello Rigby
Leave a Reply