Fashion and Color Trend Final Report

Final Report for Christian Dior Color analysis

Introduction

Before studying the colors of Dior, I did some research on its brand history and its past development. Two of the most influential events were the debut of the "New Look" in the 1950s, and the pass over to John Galliano - a talented fashion designer for Dior.

The "New Look" made Dior famous and be loved by every women at the time. Black became an important color for fashion, it represented the tough and modern image of the post-war women.

Way of Dior using colors

The successful business kept running, and passed over a few designers' hands. The lastest one is John Galliano. He made Christian Dior to the top of the fashion world, every piece of his collections is a master-piece. He uses colors in his own way -

1. 3 or more Complementary colors in most collections
2. 1-2 colors on an outfit, usually analogous / mono chromatic / triad color scheme to maintain color harmony
3. complementary colors used on small accessories / handbags
4. achromatic outfits in every collection, esp in the fall
5. High chroma colors used in recent years (eg: Collection Dior 61)

Color theories

The most oftenly applied color theory is the principle of familiarity. Dior often use colors from the nature, like beige, red, orange, yellow, sky blue. These colors seem pleasing to most people, and be easily accepted. Even when sometimes Dior uses colors seems incongruous, adjustments (e.g.: changing the value) on the colors make them easier to be accepted.

Color Trend forecasting

After analysing the brand colors of Dior and the prevailing fashion and color trend, I designed a collection for Dior.

2010 SS Ready to wear
Theme - Metamorphosis

Conclusion
After the study of color in this semester, I understand that color perception varies from person to person, somehow due to our brain's interpretation and our cultural biases. It's affecting us everyday, the only way to know more about it and get more fun from it, is to observe around and to think more.

Christian Dior's color

Color Families of Christian Dior RTW collections (up to 2009 Spring)


Christian Dior loves to use achromatic scheme and monochromatic scheme very much.
These two color schemes are used in almost every collection.
The achromatic scheme is especially often used in fall winter collections, to promote a mysterous and glamorous feeling.

In the past 10 years, the preference of colors of Dior changed to make the brand younger, and show more creativity. You can easily find that the older collections' color families (upper line in the pallete above) have lower chroma, they are usually analogous colors. For collections in recent years, bright colors like sharp orange, peach pink, sky blue and sharp pink are oftenly used in a complimentary scheme. These changes help to enhance the modern classic image of the brand - it's flower blooming high fashion for new ladies, not dull look for old ladies.

Furthermore, I discover that, Christian Dior loves to use red. Different kinds of reddish colors were used over these years. Sharp red, shocking pink, peach pink, magenta, crimson, maroon, coral, violet red...adjestment in tint and tones create the variation.

Our group forecast the up coming color trend of Christian Dior based on our previous analysis and the prevailing fashion and color trend. We've got this color family:

I'll create a fashion collection for the upcoming season for Dior with the color family.

Product package and Visual Merchandising

Visual Merchandising

TST Canton Road Flagship store

Latest collection "Dior 61" in sharp colors are displayed in windows and at the middle of the store.

Shops are mainly decorated in white with much open area and sufficient lightingi the store. It enables customer to focus on items selling in the store easily and clearly.

Product packaging

Vintage perfume package - achromatic color scheme
Harris tweed pattern, named "Caf Anglais" by Dior

Modern perfume package - high chroma and metallic colors often applied, young and chic style

Fashion items are usually package with white boxes with the grey logo.
A simple, pure, orchid like elegance is brought.

BLACK and WHITE

Black...

Before the Dior’s appearance, BLACK is always a heavy color that gave people feeling of serious, formal, boring and tradition. But Dior apply a lot of black in his natural New look designs. Through his hand, black also can represent strongness, touch, modern image of post-war women. Christian Dior changed the social culture, made BLACK became a fashionable color at that time.

The New Look



Y Line dress - Autumn/ winter 1955-56

The new "H" Line - collection 1954

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Achromatic color scheme is always applied by top fashion brands like Christian dior, but does "achroma" mean a piece of black and a piece of white putting together only? How can designers put white, black, and different degrees of grey together, without looking boring?

One of the secret is the Proportion of using colors.
Pattern helps a lot for the trick. If it matches well with the sihouette, it can bring a very impressive visual effect. It's an example from 2008 Spring Ready to wear

Emphasis of color - well use of mono-chromatic scheme

Advertisement of Christion Dior FW 2008

Only a single hue appear on each poster. The garments, accessories, handbags, high heels, make up and even the background colors and Dior logo are of the same hue. Once you look at the poster, you can determine what main color it is trying to sell. It's using the color principle "emphasis of color".

To avoid boring feeling, different tones and saturation effects are made, especially obvious on the background. The reflection of light on the irregular walls make single hues appear in different values. Thus every poster is showing a mono-chromatic color scheme.

In addition shape of the walls are geometrical. The special patterns match well with each garment. For example, model with the orange pleated dress match well with the wall with radial linear effect. The proportion of deep orange sections on the poster is perfectly balance to emphasis the design of the dress.

Proportion of colors - achieve a balance

2009 Ready to wear

Theme - The Eighties

Bright colors like orange, mustard and magenta are used at high value.
They are very popular in 80's, the glamazonian era of corseted waists, pointy bras, Lycra leggings, and body-conscious knitted dresses - which inspired John Galiano.
He used these colors well to express a vintage atmosphere.

Achromatic scheme

Analogous scheme

Orange + mustard, both are bright colors, looks harmony together with the same value.

Mono-chromatic scheme in most outfits

Beige and white dots with gradual change on brown chiffon dress - a new way to present the leopard printing. The outfit remains chic and young, match well with the hater neck design.

Chocolate brown in different values to create the snake-skin pattern

Complementory color scheme

Red dress with little blue and white circles to maintain harmony but not dull. The pattern makes the dress look younger and more energetic. It applies the principle of novelty, harmony colors quickly become boring. Unexpected combinaion (adding patterns in complementary colors) will draw attention.

2008 Fall Ready to wear

Theme - Valley of the Dolls

John Galliano used "Valley of the Dolls" as the theme of this collection, and put elements of the 60's to his fashion designs: Mary Quant's mini skirts in sharp colors, and Twiggy's gigantic eyes make up.

Color family of the collection - Traid

Mainly 3 hues were used in this collection- Bright violet, Shinny lake blue and orange.
It is using the triad color scheme (three colors equally spaced with each others on the color wheel).

To bring variable visual effects, different colors were used to match with the major colors in different ways. Thus, the collection looks interesting and express a happy, fairy tale like feeling.

Analogous color scheme

Complementary color scheme

Violet match with shape greenish yellow, they look harmony due to the similar value.
Value added to handbag, grooves and shoes, the outfit looks more energetic, less boring.

[?] Diad (double complementary color scheme)

Violet and turquoise are complementary, while red and blue are complementary.
The two pairs of complementary colors goes well because violet + red are analogous, and turquoise + blue are analogous.

Achromatic scheme (appear in every FW Dior collections)