It’s that time of year again—the end of summer is officially in view. The breezes are stronger, and the cookouts are fewer. Fall is fast approaching, and most of us are happy to welcome the change in seasons. Here in the midwest we only get what seems like a couple weeks of this season, sandwiched between the excruciatingly hot, I-want-to-camp-in-front-of-my-freezer Summers and frigid, dig-your-car-out-of-the-snow Winters. Yet, that short time is enough for us to appreciate it’s highlights.

As designers, we tend to be drawn to the visual elements—with Fall that tends to mean the cornucopia of transforming colors. The ones that make you want to have pie and cider or jump in a pile of leaves. The beauty of the autumnal palette is in its diversity. From candy apple red to rich golds—the spectacular tones of Fall are worth taking a second look at.

Who else gets excited for Fall colors? Pantone of course. A while back, they released their Fashion Color Report for 2010 and the signature hues were all inspired by the upcoming season. Based on the hottest looks from well-known fashion designers, the list of hues determines the latest trends for the season—primarily muted tones, with a couple of brights thrown in. Favorites include Woodbine (PMS 18-0538), Oyster Gray (PMS 14-1107), and Chocolate Truffle (PMS 1901528).

The Pantone report is a great source of inspiration, no matter what sector of the design field you’re in. Even though they ARE considered trends, experimenting with this palette can add richness and depth to everyday projects. The warm neutrals make ideal backdrops for imagery, while the vivid brights would help any beautifully typeset headline stand out.

Of course, Pantone doesn’t include every color in the spectrum. That’s when a field trip outside can provide all the inspiration you need. Take a photo of a pile of leaves to create your own warm-toned palette. The best part is that nature does all the work for you in creating subtle tonal variations. Just let your Photoshop’s eye dropper do the rest.

This Fall, where will you find inspiration for your color palettes? Share in the comments.

One of our current interns, Dawn Bjork, is a lover of all things green and fashion related. We wanted her to write about her recent experience designing ecofashion clothing for the ReVamped show in Chicago. We think her work and ideas are quite amazing; please read about her participation and insight below!

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Just recently I was involved in a green fashion show called ReVamped. EarthShare of Illinois sponsored the event, and it was an amazing night! For those of you that do not know about EarthShare of Illinois, it is a non-profit organization that participates in public and private sector workplace giving campaigns on behalf of its member organizations. I was pretty amazed that I had never known until a few months ago about ESIL, seeing that they contribute to places that I visit and read about all the time, like Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park Zoo, National Wildlife Association, and more than 60 other organizations….they are pretty amazing.

The night was about celebrating and promoting the beauty of eco-conscious lifestyle practices. What was super amazing about the event was that it didn’t only promote some really cool fashion designers, it also awakened the guests to all sorts of green “things.” Eco-tools gave away some of the best make-up brushes that my eyelids have ever had swept across them, and they’re good for the earth! What I have found in my searches as I attempt to go as green as possible is a couple really cool sites that help show you the green life. EcoFashionWorld is a website that is the ultimate resource to all designers, brands, and stores in ecofashion. TreeHugger.com is also one of my favorites informing the world on eco-conscious practices. Along with them is Terracycle.net, which coincidentally supplied ReVamped with a gown made by designer Christina Liedtke that is being displayed at the Terracycle store in Times Square, made completely out of M&M wrappers (600 of them to be exact).

Although I was one of them, I must admit the designers’ concepts that were showcased were unbelievable. If we didn’t show that going green can be a fashion decision that stems to all angles of your life, I am not sure what would! Each designer spun their own story: Sarah Trutter made her pieces out of plastic garment bags, muslin and scrap fabric; while Sofia Vintage transformed vintage pieces into a new collection, bringing a completely new breath to old thrown out clothing. Ogi Merziers collection was also unbelievable. To construct one of her pieces, she collected empty chip bags and orchestrated a dress made from, well, someone’s garbage. I also went a completely different route and used old patchwork quilts and felted raw wool that came from one of the coolest animals on the planet, the alpaca. (On a side note, I was watching Jay Leno last night, and he had an alpaca on his show. The best part was that the alpaca master was speaking of how the alpaca could be a tremendous help in cleaning up the oil spill. He showed how the fibers soak up an enormous amount of the oil, and all that is needed is to shave the animals and soak it up. People may think I am crazy, but my love for the alpaca has now grown to an even higher level.) I also used cookie tins of old abandoned buttons that were forgotten and now have been given a new life.  Each one of us designers was inspired by and drew from the idea of bringing new life to what was garbage in someone else’s eyes.

Becoming green is definitely a trend right now; the question is whether or not it will be something that the world recognizes and realizes is life changing and could, if not done soon, be life threatening. This is one trend that in my book I hope is forecasted to last forever.

Are there any cool websites, designers, stores where you live that showcase the love for all things green? And don’t forget check out EarthShare of Illinois, become aware of their greatness for all that they do, and watch for next years’ ReVamped fashion show.