Orange Era? All about the colour linked to Taylor Swift’s new album

Taylor Swift swathed her bombshell new album announcement this week in a shade she is calling Portofino Orange Glitter after donning the colour onstage during the latter part of her latest tour. Will The Life of a Showgirl usher in the pop star’s Orange Era? On her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast, Swift leaned toward a yes. “I’ve just always liked it,” she said. “It feels like kind of energetically how my life has felt. And this album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour.” In all its glory, the colour can evoke creativity, enthusiasm, energy, optimism and more. While some see a downside in the brighter hues, perceiving them as clownish or silly, orange is more often exuberant or inviting, colour experts said. The positive sentiments are precisely how Swift described the mood she wanted to capture on the album: “so exuberant and electric and vibrant”. Here is an exploration of the colour orange, from pale peach to deep terra cotta. Orange brings all the feels Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Color Institute, said Swift’s shifting of her colour story to a bright orange feels like a “new personality coming out”. “And she looks so happy,” Pressman said. “She’s glowing and she’s basking.” The orange hue Swift is going with is the perfect expression of positive vibes, Pressman said. The closest shade in Pantone’s vast library of colour is called “Exuberance”. Referencing the spectrum of orange, she said: “Even when you go down to the peaches, which are very pale, there’s a deliciousness, there’s a warmth that comes with that. There’s just a softness, a tactility. There’s a sweetness to it.” In its deeper tones, orange is also all goodness, Pressman said. “Going all the way over to the darker terra cottas, there’s an earthiness and authenticity, but also warmth. Whereas red is about being bold and dramatic, orange is more friendliness, more approachable,” she said, noting Swift’s previous red era. As saffron, it can have religious connotations The saffron shade is a different story in a contemporary context in India, said Dheepa Sundaram, who researches Hindu nationalist politics as an assistant professor of religion at the University of Denver. In ancient Hinduism and Buddhism, she said, monks and other spiritual figures who renounce worldly life clothe themselves in saffron garb as a way to express their piety. “Some people have speculated that it’s because saffron [the spice] was really cheap as a dye and sort of fit with the poverty roles of monks and ascetics. Kings and royalty preferred more expensive colours like the colours of rubies and emeralds,” Sundaram said. (Nowadays, though, saffron is among the world’s most expensive spices.) Fast forward a couple of thousand years to a right-wing policy strategy wielded by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s powerful Bharatiya Janata Party, which aims to implement Hindu nationalist views while embracing the saffron colour as a symbol. Incendiary, anti-Muslim songs have been dubbed “saffron pop”. “The colour saffron has become their colour,” Sundaram said. “They have sort of positioned themselves as true Hindus, and this has become part of that schtick.” So what about that glittery Portofino orange? Swift and Kelce frolicked last year in Italy’s Lake Como, but did they also hit up Portofino and soak up some orange-hued charm in the coastal village known for its colourful buildings? This is unclear, though that did not stop the Italian Riviera playground for the rich and famous issuing the “it” couple an open invitation to visit via Instagram this week. “We are ready to welcome you, and we are already preparing an official Portofino Yacht Marina T-shirt for you… with a logo in perfect orange!” read the Italian-language post. “Between sunsets on the sea, music and the magic of the main square, Portofino awaits you. And it already shines in your colour.” The luxe destination features ochre- and terra-cotta-coloured buildings along the port that reflect on the water, particularly during sunsets. The gingers are ready for it We went directly to the source, redheads, to suss out the orange appeal. Sara Schafer, a 40-year-old lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, in the US state of Florida, is the ginger-haired mother of two ginger-haired daughters. All three are dedicated Swifties. Schafer also proudly owns a bright orange car. “We’re all really excited. It’s a great day when we have Swiftie news,” she said. “I love everything orange. It’s like happy sunshine.” She added: “You know what they say, redheads are the feistiest. We feel everything more deeply.” Orange has a young appeal in home decor Amy Wax, a colour expert focusing on residential and commercial design, called orange a universal feel-good hue that evokes youthfulness in interior spaces. “I’ve done dining rooms in a really, really rich rusty orange. It kind of takes the traditional red dining room and updates it. It feels more contemporary,” she said. Swift’s stage design featured orange touches, including a projection of a mysterious orange door, confirmed by Swift on the podcast as a clue she was heading into a new era. Orange also works for transitional spaces like hallways. “A light orange in a hallway can feel very pleasing and energetic,” Wax said. Orange blends beautifully with browns, cream colours and other neutrals, she said. Who can pull off wearing orange? Natalie Tincher, founder of the BU Style consulting company and a personal wardrobe stylist, said people should not fear wearing the colour as there is likely a shade out there for everyone. Swift’s own tour included lots of orange stage costumes, including the work of the late Italian designer Roberto Cavalli. Vibrant orange will pop and softer oranges can lend harmony with softer skin tones, Tincher said. “Incorporate it into a scarf, a handbag or a trouser if you don’t want it reflecting your face.” And what company is known for its orange luxury goods? Hermès. The “Hermès Orange” is a signature of the French fashion house known for its silk scarves and pricey handbags. View this post on Instagram A post shared by FASHIONPHILE (@fashionphile) On a more egalitarian level, and despite the seasonal nature of pumpkin spice, Tincher sees orange in some shade or another as perfectly acceptable year-round. For the bright, bold shades, consider pairing a loud orange with a lighter tone, Tincher said. Or go all in with a bright monochromatic orange look. “And browns are very big right now as a neutral, so you could do a rich brown with a bright orange,” she said. “Mom’s rules aren’t the case anymore.”

Orange Era? All about the colour linked to Taylor Swift’s new album

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Following Taylor Swift’s swathing of her new album The Life of a Showgirl in Portofino Orange Glitter, we explore the colour deeper

Following Taylor Swift’s swathing of her new album The Life of a Showgirl in Portofino Orange Glitter, we explore the colour deeper