What Pantone Color of 2016 Are You: Rose Quartz, Serenity, or Both?

For the first time ever, color authority Pantone has given two colors the honor of color of the year. In 2016, Rose Quartz and Serenity will share the spotlight, serve as go-to trendy shades, and, according to Pantone, "reflect societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity." Pantone officials describe Rose Quartz...

By Becky Bartkowski

December 4, 2015

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For the first time ever, color authority Pantone has given two colors the honor of color of the year. In 2016, Rose Quartz and Serenity will share the spotlight, serve as go-to trendy shades, and, according to Pantone, "reflect societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity."

Pantone officials describe Rose Quartz "a persuasive yet gentle tone that conveys compassion and a sense of composure," while "Serenity is weightless and airy, like the expanse of the blue sky above us, bringing feelings of respite and relaxation even in turbulent times." To the less observant and not-so romantic, they look like pale pink and light blue, respectively. Together, they blend into a mellow lavender.

So actually, that's more like three colors; all of which appear in Drake's "Hotline Bling" video. Which ultimately means that Arizona artist James Turrell was way ahead of the curve on this one.

Regardless of whether Pantone also "fucks with Turrell," offering the option to choose between or blend the two colors is poetic and topical. If only we'd been offered an alternative to 2015's color of the year, the much-contested Marsala, a red-brown-purple-y shade that immediately drew comparisons to period blood. But we digress.

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