Color trends SS 2012 - Tangerine Tango -

Today on the spot, the color Tangerine Tango:

What I'm wearing:

Blazer: H&M, Skirt: H&M, Turtle Neck: Levi's, Tights: Primark, Shoes: Xtra-Star, Earrings: Primark

Goodbye, honeysuckle. This year, world color expert Pantone Colour Institute has announced "tangerine tango" as the official colour for 2012. It's a sharp contrast to last year's subdued honeysuckle pink; Pantone representative Leatrice Eiseman describes the hue as "reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

Minus that dramatic description, tangerine tango is actually a "spirited reddish orange". It's a very bold and vibrant colour, hence Pantone's decision to make it the year's banner colour. The decision was based largely on the economic slump; Pantone believes the colour will be a nice jolt to spur change and boost vitality. It's a call for a burst of energy and inspiration.

Couture houses have begun to heed the call. Charlotte Ronson, Marc Jacobs, Kate Spade, Derek Lam, and Tommy Hilfiger are just some of the many designers who've added tangerine tango to their Spring 2012 collections. More designers like Alexander McQueen, Oscar de la Renta, and Celine have marked their runway offerings with burnt orange, setting the catwalk on fire.

How to wear tangerine tango

The color is perfect for warmer skin tones. Tangerine tango is a great match for morenas, which is wonderful news for Filipinas or Latinas who would like to join the trend. Orange has always been quite a complementary color for warmer and darker tones, so those sporting a beach tan fully maximise the official colour for 2012.

It's possible to wear tangerine tango from head to foot, if you wish to. It's a bright and vibrant shade, so going completely orange is possible if your goal is to stop traffic. A bright summer dress in tangerine tango is perfect, but a head-to-toe ensemble might be more difficult to pull off, especially in a rather fashion conservative country like the Philippines.

Those who would like to follow the trend without looking like a ponkan should remember one thing: start small. Add a few hints of tangerine tango to your wardrobe, without going straight to a bright dress immediately. Start with accessories:

Topshop floppy fedora

Kate Spade necklace

This is particularly true if you're planning to add tangerine tango to your work wardrobe. You can't go all out shocking at work; it's going to be a little too distracting for your colleagues and bosses, which isn't something you want. Instead, wear neutrals and then add tangerine tango for that splash of brightness. Navy blue and cream are both great colour bases for showing off tangerine accessories.

Small pieces can look great even for the workplace. Add a sense of rebelliousness by spicing up your look with a pair of hot orange shoes.

The material used, however, plays a very important role. The problem with a colour as vibrant and powerful as tangerine tango, is the fact that using cheap materials will make the finished product look incredibly tacky. Those who would like to follow this year's colour trend would do well to be particular about the material used as well.

Tangerine tango for makeup

It's undoubtedly difficult to picture tangerine tango as your eye shadow, but one way to incorporate it into makeup is by among up your lipstick color. Étude House already set the tone last year, with its Miss Tangerine collection headlined by 2NE1 member and former Star Circle Quest finalist Dara Park.

Étude House Miss Tangerine collection (from Musings of a Muse)

In fact, orange can be used as eye shadow, especially for creamy and yellow-based skin tones. The exact tangerine tango shade, though, might not be very applicable.

Continuing with the bright lips trend, you could also check out orange shades from MAC Cosmetics' extensive collection of lipstick colors. Some shades to check out are Morange and Good to Go (from the Pro Longwear Lip Creme collection), if you think you can pull off the electric shade with aplomb.

The need for confidence

Pulling off the colour is a bit difficult, mostly if you lack the confidence to actually feel good in it. But as Pantone representative Eiseman points out, the time for a lax hue is past. There's no point being timid anymore, especially given the volatile situation that the world is in at the moment. Things are changing, and there's no reason to hold back anymore. “There’s the element of encouragement with orange, it’s building on the ideas of courage and action, that we want to move on to better things. I think it would be a disservice to go with a relaxed, soothing colour now," she notes.

Tangerine tango is a perfect match for the Philippine summer. It may seem difficult at first, given that most people here would prefer to not stand out in a crowd, but as Eiseman points out, you need to own the color and work it. If you can't pull the color off in the city, then go be a flaming beacon at the beach. Tangerine tango bikinis, anyone?

How Celebrities Wear the Color of 2012

Tangerine is the color of the 2012! The color authority Pantone named the bright hue as the year’s most wanted color, and celebrities like Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez, Minka Kelly, and Jennifer Hudson are snapping up the shade to brighten up their wardrobes. See all the stars who wore tangerine this year—so far—in the gallery.