The Color of Fashions in Your Model a World the Birth of the Color
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Page 1 of 11 The Color of Fashions in Your Model A World Color Dictionary and Color Table By Peggy Gill A number of years ago, one of our fashion friends from Texas queried MAFCA’s Era Fashion Committee about the colors that would be appropriate for a young woman, specifically a teen, in the Model A Era to wear. At that time, we had no definite answer to give, as those of us on the EFC at the time could not find specific documentation. The topic was put on the back burner, but I made a note to clarify the color question for all women’s fashions at a later time. My research and compilation led to some interesting findings when it comes to the question of colors in fashion during the Model A era. Was I able to answer the initial question about the teen from Texas? I am not sure, but the project resulted in a lengthy thirteen-page article that included a “color dictionary” and cross-referenced color table. However due to space limitations for publication in The Restorer, it was decided to publish the background and history in the magazine (May/June 2020), and directing readers to MAFCA’s website for the color dictionary and color table. The Birth of the Color Dictionary: Due to the prevalence of mail order shopping, color descriptions for consumer goods became more and more important to the consumer. Sears, Roebuck and Co., one of the largest distributors of apparel and textiles during the Model A era decided to take the lead in correcting the “color problem” by standardizing and simplifying color names for their customers. According to information found in their Spring and Summer 1931 Catalog, a number of years before this same catalog was published the company had appointed a “Color Committee” to “establish standard colors” and provide “intelligent descriptions” for those colors. Furthermore, they made the decision to provide the standard name in parenthesis for their descriptions used in their catalogs along with another popular name. For example, the description might read, “Pistachio (light green).” The Color Committee developed two separate color lists: one for the colors used to describe clothing, underwear, and textiles and another for the colors used to describe footwear, hosiery, and “wearing apparel” accessories. Their rationale was that the colors for shoes, hosiery and accessories were often used as a means of contrast in the ensemble; therefore, the color names should be different. The Following lists are for informational purposes only, and are taken from Sears, Roebuck and Co., Catalog No.162, Spring and Summer 1931. It is a list that could be used when looking at fabric and apparel descriptions in their catalogs. Many of these same names are found throughout the 1928, 1929, and 1930 catalogs describing fashion items. Color of Fashions www.MAFCA.com November 2019 Page 2 of 11 COLORS USED IN DESCRIBING CLOTHING, UNDERWEAR, AND TEXTILES Gascon—medium dark grayish Admiralty—new dark Navy Blue Cadet Blue—medium grayish blue Alice Blue—pale grayish blue blue Gobelin—medium light grayish Almond—light grayish green Camel—light grayish tan blue (same as Copenhagen; Basque (same as Pistachio; Gooseberry Canary—pale yellow Blue) Green) Cardinal—medium red Gold—yellow with olive cast Amber—medium golden brown Castilian Red—very bright red Golden Brown—medium brown, American Beauty—medium dark Challenge Blue—medium bright gold cast red with a slight purple cast blue Gooseberry Green—light grayish Amethyst—medium grayish violet Chamois—light clear tan green (same as Pistachio; Almond) Antique Gold—deep orange yellow Champagne—light pinkish beige Guardsman—new medium Navy Apple Green—medium light yellow Cheny—light red with blue cast Blue green (same as Pastoral Green) Chestnut Tan—medium brown Apricot—very pale pink orange Chocolate—rich dark brown Harding—light blue (same as Aqua Green—pale green; slight Chukker—medium bluish green Brittany) blue cast (same as Spruce Green) Havana—very dark golden brown Autumn Brown—dark brown Cocoa—light brown of orange cast (same as Tobacco Brown; Hula Copenhagen—medium light Brown) Baby Blue—pale blue grayish blue (same as Basque Blue; Heliotrope—light lavender Baby Pink—very light pink Gobelin) Honeydew—pale pink orange Basque Blue—medium light Coral—deep orange pink Hong Kong Khaki—medium tan grayish blue (same as Copenhagen; Corn—light yellow (same as Maize) Hula Brown—very dark golden Gobelin) Crab Apple—pink orange brown (same as Tobacco Brown; Beach Sand—light beige (Beige Cream—white with slight yellow Havana) Claire) cast Hunter Green—medium green Beige—light tan with gray cast Cricket—dark green (same as Hyacinth—light violet (same as Sea Sand) Jungle Green) Hyacinth Blue—light blue; Beige Claire—light beige (same as lavender cast Beach Sand) Dale Green—light bluish green Bermuda—light bluish green Deer Tan—dark beige (same as Imperial—bright purple blue Billiard Green—bright green Burma Tan) Indigo Blue—dark blue Blossom Pink—light grayish pink Delft Blue—medium grayish blue Ivory—very light yellowish white Bluebird—bright blue Drab—dark shade of grayish Blue-de-Lyon—medium bright brown Jade—light green blue Jockey—bright red; slight blue cast Blue-Gray—gray with a bluish cast Ecru—light beige Jungle Green—dark green (same Blue Heather—blue predominates Eggshell—very light pinkish cream as Cricket) with other contrasting colors mixed Emerald—bright green in English Green—pure dark green Kelly Green—bright green Blue Turquoise—light greenish Khaki—greenish brown blue Fallow Tan—medium dark tan Krimmer Gray—medium gray Bottle Green—medium dark green Firebrand—bright orange red (same as Meadow Green) Flame—bright orange red avender—pale violet Brittany Blue—light blue L Flesh—very pale pink Bronze—dark greenish yellow Leaf Green—light grayish green Flesh Tint—very pale orange pink Brown Heather—brown Leafmold—medium dark brown Forest—medium dark green; olive predominates with other Leather Brown—pure brown cast contrasting colors mixed in Leghorn—pale yellow Fraise—deep rose (same as Brush Brown—medium brown Lilac—medium light violet Strawberry) Buff—medium tan, yellowish cast Linen Blue—light grayish blue French Beige—medium tan with Burma Tan—dark beige (same as (same as Queen Blue; Lucerne) rose cast (same as Rose Beige; Rose Deer Tan) Lipstick Red—deep bright red Nude) Burnt Orange—orange; light Lucerne—light grayish blue (same French Blue—medium blue brown cast as Queen Blue; Linen Blue) Butler Yellow—pure yellow Garland Green—medium light green Color of Fashions www.MAFCA.com November 2019 Page 3 of 11 Poppy—red of poppies Spanish Yellow—very bright Maize—light yellow (same as Powder Blue—light grayish blue yellow Corn) Spruce Green—medium bluish Marine Blue—light navy Queen Blue—light grayish blue green (same as Chukker) Maroon—very dark red (same as Linen Blue; Lucerne) Steel—dark gray with blue cast Marron Glace—light brown; rose Strawberry—deep rose (same as cast Reseda Green—medium gray Fraise) Sulphur—pale greenish yellow Meadow—medium dark green green Sun Bronze Khaki—medium light (same as Bottle Green) Rose—deep pink khaki Middy Blue—medium bright blue Rose Beige—medium tan; rose Sunrise Red—light orange red Mode—medium shade of tan case (same as French Beige; Rose Suntan—light reddish tan Nude) Naples Blue—deep lavender blue Rose Cedar—tan with a rose cast alisman—darker shade of Natural—cream color Rose Nude—medium tan with rose T Natural Baku Color—tan cast (same as Rose Beige; French Cardinal Natural Beige—medium light Beige) Tan—very light brown grayish tan Rose Pink—pink with a rose cast Tan Heather—tan predominates Natural Cream—color of cream Rose Romantique—pink with other contrasting colors mixed Natural Leghorn—pale yellow Rosewood—reddish brown in Natural Sand—light tan; gray cast Royal Blue—deep bright blue Tanbark Heather—medium Natural Straw—tan Royal Purple—bright reddish brown predominates with Natural Tan—light tan purple contrasting colors mixed in Navy—dark blue Rust—medium orange brown Tangerine—deep bright orange Nickel—pure gray Terra Cotta—medium brown Nile Green—pale green Sand—pale beige orange Tobacco Brown—very dark golden Noisette—medium brown Sandalwood—medium golden brown (same as Havana; Hula Normandie—dark Copenhagen brown Brown) blue Sapphire Blue—medium blue with Tomato—red orange (same as Nutria Tan—medium grayish tan slight green cast Paprika) Scarlet—bright red Topaz—deep golden tan Oakwood—medium brown Sea Sand—light tan with gray cast Turkey Red—bright red Old Gold—dull gold color (same as Beige) Turquoise—light greenish blue Old Rose—deep pink; grayish cast Seal Brown—very deep dark Olive Brown—medium brown with brown aikiki—medium brown with slight yellow cast (same as Waikiki) Seashell—very light pink W Olive Drab—U.S. Army olive drab Shell Pink—bright pink with pale slight yellow cast (same as Olive Olive Tan—tan with olive green orange cast Brown) cast Silver—light gray, color of silver Wine—reddish purple Orchid—pale pinkish violet Silverwing—medium light gray Winetone—dark red with slight Oxford Gray—very dark gray Singalee—light cocoa brown purple cast Oyster—very light gray Sky Blue—light blue Sorrento—light blue with lavender Paprika—red orange (same as cast Tomato) Pastoral Green—medium light yellow green (same as Apple Green) Peach—pale orange pink Peacock Blue—bright greenish blue Pearl—pale gray Piecrust Tan—golden tan Pistachio—light grayish green (same as Gooseberry Green; Almond) Platinum—light gray, color of metal Polo Tan—grayish tan Pongee Color—light tan Popcorn—light clear yellow Color of Fashions