Tickle Me Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle pink trapunto hat, no label. The Vintage Hat Series.
Pantone's Honeysuckle swatch. It's a very close match for my hat.Tan-tan-tara!* Behold, the Mighty Oracle Pantone speaks! Honeysuckle (18-2120 TCX) is 2011’s Colour of the Year!
‘Energizing Honeysuckle Lifts Spirits and Imparts Confidence to Meet Life’s Ongoing Challenges’ Pantone announces grandiosely on its press release.
Crikey, that’s a lot for the humble watermelon pink to live up to.
I’ve talked about pink before. Some people are afraid of it; some revile it; and yet others love it. I used to dislike it, deeming it too girly, until I discovered that it suits me. (Did you know between the 1920s and 30s, pink was used for baby boys, and pale blue for girls?) Pantone tells us that Honeysuckle is guaranteed to deliver a healthy glow to anyone who wears it. I’d like to qualify that bold statement by adding: only if it actually complements your complexion.
Whenever any authority makes uncompromising statements like this my natural contrariness makes me long to buck the trend. However, I must confess that presciently, I purchased this mad hat not three weeks ago, and long before I had any inkling of Pantone’s forecast.
Honeysuckle pink trapunto hat, no label. The Vintage Hat Series.
After all, a honeysuckle by any other name is just as pink.
And isn’t it divine, with its tulip-bud tassels? It stands up just like that, all on its own. That type of stitching is called ‘trapunto’. The parallel rows give strength to sculpted fabric; Jeanne Lanvin used it extensively in her designs. I’m guessing this hat is a Sixties model, and it complements the pleated sleeves of the Veronika Maine top beautifully.
I guess this all means that stores will obediently flood the market with honeysuckle-coloured items. But what about us Australians? This is not a flower that is native to our shores, and it does not inspire ‘waves of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer’. Watermelon does that though, so I am quite happy with that designation. After all, a honeysuckle by any other name is just as pink.
* Well, that’s how Enid Blyton announced the blare of trumpets!