So Orange is the New Black ...Since When?

Since its new fashion cred skyrocketed orange from the most under-used color on the color wheel to topping the 2014 trend-setting A-List.  

 
That's what fashionistas-in-the-know and design prognosticators call the latest color trend, cropping up in clothes, accessories, cosmetics, home decor, graphic design, marketing, etc.,  It's big, bold and daring.  (Elle - left) 
 
I doubt the perfect little black dress has anything to worry about.  Especially since this fashion staple has stayed in women's closets since the twenties roared.  But in this era of microwave success, orange is indeed the new black -- ready to accent more colors than you think.

 (Elle)

 
Poppy here, I send you greetings from Kiki Kearse, the owner of iCafe Woman Moderne, a virtual cafe for inter-generational women and girls inside an Art Moderne home -- and the host of our text web series.

Yes, Poppy is my real name, like Actress Poppy Montgomery, star of the CBS drama series, Unforgettable.  If only my parents could've seen past my first birthday into my awkward adolescent years.  Sue or Jen would be talking to you now.  It was a given that I'd host today's text-webisode:  So Orange is the New Black ...Since When?

  (Elle)

Speaking of bold and daring, The Cartoon Network jumped on the orange bandwagon years ago with its hit animated show, Annoying Orange.  Not surprising, since orange brings vibrancy and rejuvenation to many areas of our lives.  And like everything else in our society, colors have meanings with a cause and effect.

  (Elle)
I see you frowning at the orange lips on the model in green.  Orange lips say I'm confident and determined to get where I'm going.  On the flip side, it can create unwanted attention if that wasn't your goal.  There's a psychology of color that gives orange big bragging rights.   

Empower Yourself with Color Psychology.com (EYWCP) says, orange promotes happiness by combining the physical energy of red with the cheerfulness of yellow.  That's a wonderful thing.  Orange is optimistic and uplifting and why EYWCP suggests we find ways to incorporate orange into our daily lives.

Contemporary Kitchen by San Francisco Architects & Designers Mark English Architects, AIA

You may not want to commit to orange kitchen cabinets.  But how does starting each day full of optimism and energy sound, as you scoff down a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios?  Not bad, huh?  Keep in mind that orange stimulates, especially your appetite.  A second color may balance it out and stop you from eating a second bowl.
 
Orange also helps us stay positive and motivated during tough economic times.  You may want to keep a selfie of yourself dressed in orange, where you can see it daily.

Five ways you can incorporate orange into your daily life.

1.  Plant Orange Flowers - 
Perennial Echinacea
This sturdy perennial can bloom from early summer until the first frost.  Very low maintenance, this perennial attracts butterflies and makes for a great cut flower garden.  Removing past flower spikes will promote re-blooming throughout the summer and fall.  You had me at butterflies.  It's no surprise that butterflies are attracted to this graceful flower.  Orange frees the spirit of its limitations.

2.  Handbags and Cell Phone Purses
You can't imagine living a day without your handbag or cell phone purse.  It's like having an extra limb that takes risks, inspires confidence and loves being the life-of-the-party.  An empowering glance may be all you need to turn a negative situation into a positive. 
                                                   
 Mellow World Rosette Cell Phone Pouch (Orange)

 

(Orange Handbags)

3. Orange Shoes

Orange is the most rejected color on the spectrum.  Put the color orange on a stylish shoe, and then start counting how many times you're asked:  "Where did you get those cute shoes?"

 (Orange and White Shoes)

 

(Orange Laptops)

4.  Orange Laptops
Home-based writers, artists, entrepreneurs, telecommuters ...benefit from the social interaction and creative drive that orange evoke.  

 (Accessories)

5.  Orange Home Decor Accessories
Sometimes you only need a dab of color to uplift you.  
Let's look at this scenario.  You've had a rough day at work, and desperately need a pick-me-up.  You head for the kitchen, but stop suddenly.  It wasn't the need to avoid those double fudge brownies you baked last night that stopped you in your tracks.  The orange dishes you purchased last vacation, now displayed in your china hutch, inspired another idea.  

Five minutes later, you're bouncing on your mini trampoline with a television remote in your hand.  Fort minutes later, you jump off the rebounder, grab a pen and paper and write down solutions to the work problems floating in your head.