Pink has been seen this year in both ready-to-wear and couture collections. I especially like how Valentino graced the Fall 2007 runway with pink as an elegant counterpoint to the palette chosen for the season: black, brown, ivory, sage, plum, and the designer’s signature red.

Pantone showed a soft pink called Strawberry Ice as one of the top fashion colors for Spring and featured it on the cover of their fashion forecast.

In February, I was interviewed by CBS Sunday Morning about…you guessed it…PINK!

The interview was taped in one of my favorite retail stores, Thomas Pink, where shirts in this hue are a favorite of both men and women. UK retailer Moss reported that pink now surpasses blue as the number one fashion color shirt for men.

Pink has also found its way into the home, and it’s not just women that are going pink.

This month, in an article titled “Colors That Men Love,” House Beautiful included two hues of pink: Colonial Rose from Fine Paints of Europe and Coral Gables 2010-40 from Benjamin Moore.

ICI paint (makers of Ralph Lauren, Glidden, Fuller O’brien, Devoe Paints, and Dulux) named pink their color of the year for 2007.

The Pantone 2007 Interior Color Forecast developed by my colleague and friend, Leatrice Eiseman, included pink in six of the eight color palettes for Interiors 2007.

Home diva Martha Stewart showed her passion for pink when she bathed her Maine country home from floor to ceiling in pink.

The pink color-mania, which began to hit its stride at about the same time Motorola released their Pink RAZR cell phone early last year, came on even stronger this year with everything from couture fashion to home decor to motorbikes sporting this once-but-no-longer strictly feminine color.

While there are many factors influencing this trend, one that can’t be overlooked is the rise in the popularity of pink as a show of support for breast cancer awareness and support groups.

Pink products continue to explode into the retail scene as retailers and manufactures come together for this cause. KitchenAid has a line of limited edition pink counter-top appliances that were developed to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation through a campaign called Cook For The Cure®.

Campbell’s soup and M&M’s are two of the many, many food and beverage products promoting pink.

Even Ford Motors is offering the 2008 Mustang with a “pink package” in support of breast cancer awareness.

Interest in pink continues and we’ll be seeing pink through the holidays and into 2008.

With so much attention, is it any wonder that this hue continues to blush so beautifully?

Those visiting the 2007 Housewares trade show earlier this month were greeted with eye-catching
pastels and bright primary palettes replacing the traditional colors of the kitchen. One color, however, really stood out from the crowd: pink.

Products in pink ranged from spatulas to microwaves. Brands such as KitchenAid and Cuisinart carry their own distinct pinks, but each hue links them not only with a color trend but also with breast-cancer awareness.

These two companies, plus many others offering pink products, are donating a portion of their sales to breast cancer charities.

Other trends of note:

• bamboo, with the focus on eco-friendly products
• silicon in eye-popping colors and shapes
• bringing the outdoors in and the indoors out

For 2006, the Homer Laughlin China Company has chosen to add a soft purple called Heather to their line.

Following the current trend of purples found in nature, this shade, inspired by the flower of the same name, is gentle yet sophisticated.

Heather coordinates with the 14 current colors in their line and blends with many of the vintage colors.

The Fiesta originally designed in 1936 has been produced in dozens of colors throughout the years and with so many possible color schemes for your tabletop, Fiesta allows you to “…reflect your individual style and unique personality.”

It is no wonder that Fiesta is among the most collected china in the world.

Look for Heather in stores in October 2006.