Blue Iris. It’s a soft hue of the color blue. The color derives from a flower that invigorates the senses with its beauty and smell. This year, the color "blue iris" will hit the mainstream. It will be seen in fashion, home design and just about everything that deals with the everyday materialistic objects of society. That’s at least if one Carlstadt company is able to sway the marketplace.

Pantone, a half a century old company has declared Blue Iris or Pantone No. 18-3943 the 2008 color of the year and people will and already have listened to the recommendation. From ad agencies, home journals and fashion forums, the color of the year has been plastered throughout eclectic media outlets as the buzz of the new year.

The company, originated as somewhat of a problem solver for matching color in the graphic design world, has become the self-proclaimed authority on color. Today the company has expanded on its color matching system concept to other color-critical industries, including digital technology, fashion, home, plastics, architecture and contract interiors, and paint.

In a sense, it is deemed in various industries as the "keeper of color." Last year, Pantone declared Chili Pepper the color of 2007. It, as Blue Iris has this year, beat out 3,000 other colors to be number one. The effects of Chili Pepper were far-reaching. After prodding fashion designers to acquire a survey of what was hot in fall fashion this past year, they came back and named Chili Pepper as one of the top 10 most widely used colors.

Color guru

Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, is considered America’s color guru. She is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, Industrial Design Society of America and the Fashion Group. Alongside penning seven books on the various aspects of color, she has been named by Home Furnishings Now one of the top 50 style makers and has been featured by Fortune Magazine as one of the top decision makers. Those are just blurbs from an extensive resume.

"As a reflection of the times, Blue Iris brings together the dependable aspect of blue, underscored by a strong, soul –searching purple cast," said Eiseman. "Emotionally, it is anchoring and meditative with a touch of magic. Look for it artfully combined with deeper plums, red-browns, yellow-greens, grapes and grays."

Last year, upon selecting Chili Pepper as the 2007 top color, Eiseman said it was chosen due to its reflective qualities on what was presently taking shape in society.

"In 2007, there is an awareness of the melding of diverse cultural influences, and Chili Pepper is a reflection of exotic tastes both on the tongue and to the eye," she said in a 2006 statement. "Nothing reflects the spirit of adventure more than the color red. At the same time, Chili Pepper speaks to a certain level of confidence and taste. Incorporating this color into your wardrobe and living space adds drama and excitement, as it stimulates the senses."

Color our world

Now, she says the dramatic difference from such a lively, exotic color of red to such a soothing mixture of blue and purple follows the same thought process; it’s not only about emotion, but it’s about the way Pantone perceives society and society’s expected occurrences in 2008.

"As to the divergence between red and the blue for ’08, there are always socially significant reasons for color choice. Chili Pepper speaks to confidence and bold individual taste while at the same time addresses exotic taste on the tongue, representing many of the different cultural influences," said Eiseman. "Blue Iris addresses the calming influence of blue in these uncertain times -and a national election- while still exhibiting a touch of magic in hopeful expectations."

Many shoppers don’t disagree with Blue Iris, they just aren’t sure how valid a choice of naming it or any other color "Color of the Year" may sway their habits or even those of the marketplace. Eiseman said Pantone influences all markets, although not all change their total marketing direction to focus on the "Color of the Year".

"As Pantone is considered the color authority within so many different industries, both professionals and consumers alike look to Pantone for their expertise on symbolic and representational color," she said.

Lisa Rosetti, a shopper at TJ Maxx in Lyndhurst said just because someone says one color or not is in, doesn’t automatically persuade her to immediately go out and purchase it. She said she knows what she likes and just so happens, blue is on her list, but if the color of the year didn’t grab her, she’d stay away from it.

"I wouldn’t say that if one place or another said blue was the color this year, I would run out an buy a blue handbag or blue heels. But I’m sure I would start to see the color more in stores and probably be forced to buy something that way," she said. "If I didn’t like the color, I wouldn’t wear it. I like blue though and I’m not sure what exactly blue iris is, but I would probably like that too."

Eiseman said the thought processes like those of Rosetti are perfectly fine because just like the colors themselves and how they invoke emotion remains the same for the human mindset. She said if you’re comfortable with one thing, stick with it, despite what others think about it.

"Most importantly, color affects mood, enriches our lives, expresses who we are and how we live," she said. "Picking the ‘right’ color truly means choosing what is right for you, without fear of judgement from anyone else."

The new black?

A look around TJ Maxx, an affordable outlet that carries many of today’s not haughty, but not mediocre designers, shows well, not much chili pepper and not much blue iris. There’s a lot of black, a lot of brown and everything in between, but nothing as focused as blue iris or chili pepper. That goes for shoes, clothing and even the small houseware trinkets that are sold there. A sales associate said the store has no discretion on what shipments are brought in, but gives her own take on the hot color, "Isn’t green in?"

So what about green? Green has taken a stronghold on not only the nation, but on the world. Advertisers, special event fundraisers and even fashion designers and stores alike have molded and honed their marketing directives towards the greening of the environment and subsequently, the color is used to resemble that message.

"Green has been a strong color for several years," said Eiseman. "Naming a new color of the year does not preclude the use of other colors. Green has become the symbolic color for eco-awareness. It is no longer representing a trend, but instead a social movement."

That same eco-awareness, although not represented by green per se in Pantone’s color pick in recent years, can be found in the company’s operational practices as well. Pantone not only formulates, mixes and advises on what colors are best for what product or occasion, they make paints, under the line Fine Paints of Europe. The coatings line is a member of the U.S. Green Buildings Council and meets requirements for LEED certification under low volatile organic compound emitting materials.