Gold becomes the hot new color this season

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
CHICAGO -- Forget leprechauns. A pot of gold, it seems, lies not just at the end of this season's fashion rainbow, but all over it.
Sure, metallics may be cool, but gold is hot. As always, look no further than celebrities for your trends: Yellow gold beams brightly in the evening party dresses of Lindsay Lohan, Christina Milian and Keira Knightley.
But gold shines in the daylight hours as well.
"Throughout the years, gold accessories, gold shoes and gold bags were thought of as evening wear. But now that day and evening have blurred so much, gold -- depending on where you work -- is appropriate for day and evening," said Hope Greenberg, fashion director of Lucky magazine.
Whether on engagement rings, Godiva chocolates, Bobbi Brown's Gold Shimmer makeup or Donna Karan's new Gold perfume, this luminous color is more popular than ever.
Going for the gold? Greenberg offers her tips:
Want to jump in: "Try a gold shirt."
Want to just dip your foot: "Try a gold bag or shoe."
But beware of overkill: "If you're wearing a top, a skirt and a shoe, you've gone overboard. Even, really, a gold dress and shoe are too much. If you have a gold dress, you want a different kind of shoe ... either a black or brown leather boot.
"You probably wouldn't do a gold dress and a gold shoe, or a gold jacket and shoe."
Good and bad
But what about matching metallics? Keep it to scale:
Good: "A larger bag with matte metallic gold and ... a silver shoe."
Not so good: "A shiny gold dress and a shiny silver shoe."
Greenberg said to "exercise discretion" when wearing gold: "It's a great trend and it looks really modern and fun. It can add a whole new element to a conservative wardrobe. But you don't want to blind anybody."