BROWN The comforting color is like a hug

Its association with mother earth tends to offer a sense of security.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It is the color of chocolate truffles, the expresso that gets you through the morning and the dirt in your flower garden.
Brown.
It is also traditionally the hue of hard financial times.
So it is no accident that with a shaky economy, every shade from chocolate to tan and copper has permeated the fashion arena in apparel and even the home.
Leatrice Eiseman, the Seattle-based color consultant and executive with Pantone Color Association, says it usually emerges in recessions and depressions because of its association with mother earth. "It gives a sense of security. It has rooted quality. It's something to hang on to."
A new perspective
But in the '90s, another perspective emerged: The rise of gourmet coffees and chocolates provided a more sophisticated image. Check a hang tag of clothing in a retail store today and you often find color descriptions such as cappuccino, expresso, chocolate and mocha.
"It now has two sides to its personality," says Eiseman, author of "The Power of Color." "More elegance is attached. Now we're seeing brown for after five clothes. It always been worn for daytime in tweeds and country clothes."
Certainly you cannot venture far in a retail store without encountering a rich warm-colored sweater, a tan leather jacket, latte-colored corduroy pants, a beaded top or suede bag the color of an Almond Joy. Sheiks of chic like to say it is the new black.
Upscale designers Dolce & amp; Gabbana made a brown satin coat for fall. The selection of brown leathers and faux leathers runs from high to low couture. Dana Buchman did an $800 chocolate suede jacket with fur collar. Popular boomer designer Eileen Fisher offered brown duster and dress. Banana Republic has a brown Merino wool V-neck sweater for $58.
InStyle magazine pictures such celebrities as Minnie Driver and Cindy Crawford in brown corduroy pants. Brad Pitt wore a brown Christian Dior suit to the Emmys.
Margaret Walch, associate director with the New York-based Color Association, says brown is on the forecast sheet through 2005. "It is heavily projected."
Aside from being the '30s depression color, it was also part of the 1970s, an era providing considerable inspiration for today's retro fashion, Walch notes.
The appeal in part is in the ease with which it mixes with other colors such as green, yellow, pink and purple. And at a time when the world seems a scary place, brown is like a hug. "It is comforting and cozy," Walch adds.
In the home
On the home scene, apparel colors usually emerge well after they have done a few turns on designer runways. But the lag time is considerably less than it used to be, says Margaret Russell, the editor in chief of Elle Decor magazine.
"If you see something that looks good on the runway, you'll say, 'wouldn't the color of that skirt look good on -- a pillow?'"
Already the browns have emerged in items such as Calvin Klein towels, Joseph Abboud sheets, Haviland porcelain patterns, plumbing fixtures and cork floors.
"Many people are inspired by what Billy Baldwin did years ago," Russell says. "He did two side chairs in patent leather and they were wonderful."
Browns are showing up at Pottery Barn in lamps, pillows and throws. You can also find dishes in amber, another version of the same hue family.
Often used in leather furniture, brown is, of course, a softer, more romantic, and richer color than black, Russell adds.
Interior designer Thomas O'Brien, is known for the "warm modernism" style by his firm, Aero Studios. In a telephone interview, he says he loves brown for its richness, especially in textiles with textures such as corduroy and velvet.
"It creates a strong silhouette without being as severe as black or white." adds O'Brien whose credits include Waterworks' plumbing fixtures and the New York hotel, 60 Thompson.