Pantone's color of the year announcement looks like a Gender Reveal Party. The company shares its latest phase with Pablo Picasso. It has chosen...the warmest color. Of course, we're speaking of 19-4052, or if you're a real dullard with no sense of sizzle, flash, or panache: Classic Blue.
"A timeless and enduring blue hue, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is elegant in its simplicity," a press release for the announcement reads. "Suggestive of the sky at dusk, the reassuring qualities of the thought-provoking PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue highlight our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era." Pantone seems to be making a not-so-subtle nod in the direction of PoLiTiCs—feeling triggered by 19-4052 yet??—but talking about a "dependable and stable foundation" feels like a pretty clear invitation to talk about the best stuff of all: CLOTHES!
19-4052 is the color Yves Klein painted with on his less saucy days. It is the color of, like, the middle part of the ocean, where it's not so deep and it's not so shallow. It is also the color of waking up and realizing you have absolutely nothing to wear. It is, honestly, a humdrum color but one that will always get the job done. What I mean is that almost all the stuff sitting at the middle of the Venn diagram between easy-to-wear and stylish comes in 19-4052. Can't decide what color suit to buy? 19-4052! Can't decide what to wear in the morning? How about that sweater, in 19-4052?? Blue jeans, good trousers, and indigo-dyed T-shirts all arrive blissfully in your closet in simple-to-wear 19-4052.
Part of what Pantone considers when deciding its Color of the Year is fashion trends, which means all the guys looking to make easy decisions, prune closet fluff, and look great in the process are in for a spectacular year. Previous Pantone CsotY have been less forgiving: 2019's Living Coral or 2018's Ultra Violet. But, according to Pantone, it's time to grab the most boring/reliable stuff out of your closet and drink exactly one (1) beer. To the dude who's been paralyzed by fashion anxiety over the past few years, spent months complaining that Cool Pants changed again just as he shimmied into some skinnies, and just needs a nice sweater for work...this one's for you.
