Pantone Chooses "Chocolat" - a Shoo-in for Best Color in a Leading Role for Fall 2001.

Entertainment/Fashion Editors

CARLSTADT, N.J.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--March, 22, 2001

Juliette Binoche is onto something.

With the Academy Awards just around the corner, much of the buzz is focused on Miramax's Chocolat, a film about a small town that discovers the power of chocolate as an aphrodisiac. It's doubtful that any of the actors, producers, writers and directors on the film could have known that as Chocolat was receiving its five Oscar nominations, New York's Fashion Week was getting under way - a week that proved that chocolate not only makes magic on the silver screen, but on the runways as well.

According to Pantone, the world's leading color authority, no other color stood out at the Fall 2001 collections more than Chocolate Brown or, more specifically, Hot Chocolate PANTONE 19-1325 TC, one of the 1,757 colors in the PANTONE TEXTILE Color System, the standardized color language used by fashion and interior design professionals. From runway to runway, designers consistently proved that chocolate brown is the key color for the fall season. Ralph Lauren, Peter Som, BCBG Max Azria, Badgley Mischka, Chaiken and Diane Von Furstenberg (just to name a few) all used the shade as a base for their collections. From casual coats and sweaters to elegant suits and gowns, fall looks varied in silhouette, fabric and inspiration but were all tied together by that one ubiquitous common denominator - Chocolate.

"Until recently, brown has been thought of as a utilitarian and earthy color, but now there is an entirely new take on it - people are seeing brown as rich and elegant," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute(R). "This started in the `90s with all the robust coffee colors and now again in 2001 with the deliciously decadent colors of chocolate."

Indeed, the future of fashion is looking darker. Unlike the Spring 2001 collections, the Fall 2001 runways were noticeably more muted with, of course, Chocolate Brown, but also with subtle shades of gray, dark blue, moss green and deep violet.

Each season, Pantone surveys the designers showing at 7th on Sixth and collects feedback on prominent collection colors, color inspiration, color philosophy and each designer's signature shades. This information is then used to create the seasonal PANTONE Fashion Color Report.

Pantone, Inc., developer of the globally accepted PANTONE Color Systems, is the leading source of traditional and electronic products for the selection and accurate communication of color. With over 38 years of experience, Pantone is recognized as the worldwide market leader in color communication and color technology for the graphic design, printing, publishing, textile and plastics industries. Wherever color is spoken, Pantone is the definitive authority. Visit our Web site at www.pantone.com.

PANTONE(R)and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc.(c)Pantone, Inc., 2001