Tangerine Tangos into 2012

It’s official. The color gurus at Pantone have named the zeitgeist color of 2012: Tangerine Tango.

“Sophisticated, dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenalin rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy,” says Pantone’s website.

Why such a bright, bold color?  “There’s the element of encouragement with orange,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, told the Associated Press. “It’s building on the ideas of courage and action, that we want to move on to better things. I think it would be a disservice to go with a relaxed, soothing color now.”

What does this mean for the rest of us? And how can you incorporate the New Year’s hue into your style profile?

That’s a cinch because everyone from designers to make-up artists are already squeezing tangerine and other citrus inspired shades into just about everything they’re doing.

Benefit Cosmetics has a new “mango tinted” lip and cheek stain, called “ChaChaTint.” For less than $30, you can heat up your look and sport some tropical flair whatever the weather.

Designers like Nanette Lepore, Mila Schon, Elie Tahari and Betty Jackson have already worked the color into their 2012 collections, from tangerine tipped pumps (Mila Schon) to full-on, monochromatic looks (Betty Jackson).

Even discount retailer H&M is picking up on the trend with its new “Chicaboomboom” nail polish in bold orange.

So with 2012 poised to make its entrance, you can get ready to greet it in Technicolor style with a burst of brightness.

Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.