I was recently invited to do a trend presentation for AICI (the Association of Image Consultants International) at a meeting in Chicago. I happily accepted, as I have watched this group grow from its inception in the late 1980s in California. What started as a small group of dedicated members has now blossomed into a worldwide network of talented creatives. The membership used to be made up primarily of image and color consultants, but now includes a much broader area of expertise, including stylists, leadership coaches, and communication experts, in both personal and corporate settings.
At the meeting I attended, there were participants from Peru, Panama, Mexico, Europe, Canada, Ghana, India, and all over the U.S. With so many contributing cultures, it was a perfect opportunity to mingle, network, and learn from the various attendees and speakers.
What I admired most was that while attendees had backgrounds in several different color concepts and theories, everybody was willing to share and learn from each other. As the originator and teacher of the Colortime theory, it is always heartening to me to have someone (professional or non-professional) tell me that they gained more knowledge and insights about color through our training. As I always tell our attendees, whether online or in person: “You never stop learning about color; it is an ever-evolving subject”.
Although the Chicago event was mostly a learning experience, there was also great food and fun to be had by all. Most of us stayed at the Drake Hotel, a venerable piece of interior architecture that looked like something out of the television series “The Gilded Age”. There is a small shopping mall under the hotel that is reminiscent of vintage hotels, and the Drake is just a step away from Michigan Avenue with its tempting storefronts filled with colorful goods and goodies.
For the final night gala, we were encouraged to wear something quirky, different, mismatched, an unusual color combination, or just simply in bad taste. That was a challenge, but I do have a wonderful Ellen Tracy silk jacket that I could just never give away because of the color treatment. It looks like something resurrected from the retro show “Dynasty”, and those big shoulders are “in” again! The collar is hot pink, the body of the jacket is orange, the cuffs and a pleat in the back of the jacket are avocado green. The lining is a golden yellow. I wore avocado pants and deeper fuchsia shoes and, to top it all off, an Issey Miyake handbag that contains all of the above colors (and more). Actually, all of the colors in the jacket are within my Colortime Sunset palette, so it isn’t outrageous, but it is an inventive way of combining color within a design.
My hosts asked me and another guest to judge the best of the worst, and the first prize went to clothier and color analyst, Edwards Buice, for his turquoise nylon jacket worn over a tangerine-patterned shirt and vibrant yellow sneakers!
Leatrice Eiseman is a world-renowned color expert, known as the “International Color Guru”. She is the founder of the Eiseman Center for Color Information & Training and the Executive Director of the Pantone® Color Institute. Lee has written ten books on color, has been widely quoted in many publications, and is recognized by Fortune Magazine and the Wall St. Journal as one of the most influential people in the world of color. Today, she is available as a corporate color consultant and a sought-after speaker. She also offers online courses on color theory and personal image color training.
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