EMERALD GREEN: PANTONE'S 2013 COLOR OF THE YEAR

1- Willy Daro malachite and bronze lamp, 1stdibs.com; 2- Emerald cut cocktail ring, made of green onyx, $128; 3 - BCBG pave stone earrings at BCBG, $58.00; 4- Elie Saab's Spring 2012 Ready-To -Wear; 5- Brazilian green agate coasters, $68 from Rain Collection; 6- 14.35 carat emerald engagement ring flanked by 3.95 carat triangular shaped diamonds, $85,000 at Sotheby's;  7 - 1950s arm chair from 1stdibs.com; 8- Gold and malachite Rolex, 1stdibs.com; 9 - Catherine Malandrino stretch silk-blend jumpsuit available at net-a-porter, $395
It ain't easy being green. . . actually, it wont be hard for you to incorporate 2013's color of the year—the most abundant hue in nature—into your wardrobe and home. The Pantone Color Institute,  a world-renowned authority on color, has released the result of its annual poll of designers and brands secret  meeting of international color standard groups, forecasting that one of my favorite colors, emerald green (Pantone color 17-5641*), will be having a moment next year. I've been recommending malachite accents to friends and family for their homes and almost wore this stunner to my birthday celebration last week (but decided that wearing sequins three years in a row would be doing way too much). I do wear these BCBG earrings often though! This color has positive psychological connotations as well. According to Leatrice Eiseman, Excecutive Director of Pantone, emerald green is "the color of growth, renewal and prosperity — no other color conveys regeneration more than green. For centuries, many countries have chosen green to represent healing and unity." Here's to rebirth, revitalization, well-being and looking fab in 2013!

* Pantone believes that these colors are their intellectual property and cannot be used freely by others. But that belief is not supported by trademark law. Query how Pantone's position would play out in the courts following the recent decision in Louboutin v. Yves Saint Laurent, a case in which Christian Louboutin, he of the red bottom fame, challenged Yves Saint Laurent's use of the color red on soles of certain shoes. While a 2011 ruling by a Southern District Court found that the law does not support Louboutin, disallowing "recognition of a trademark for the use of a single color for fashion items", the Second Circuit Court of Appeals conferred limited trademark protection to Louboutin in "only those situations where the red lacquered outsoles contrasts in color with the adjourning 'upper' of the shoe".

NOTABLE & QUOTABLE: GUCCI

"George Borababy and Timothy Chorba, testified . . . that they never said Moss was a lawyer, and Gucci never asked them."

The fashion industry in general and major designers like Gucci in particular are always beleaguered by knockoffs and fakes. Speaking of which, The New York Lawyer reports that Gucci fired their chief U.S. lawyer when they realized that he is not licensed! Jonathan Moss, former in-house counsel to Gucci, since 2003, was initially placed on administrative leave when the faux pas was discovered, but is now no longer with the company. Turns out Mr. Moss is in fact a lawyer, but did not keep up with his license (by paying bar dues and attending continuing legal education (CLE) classes)--he was probably too busy representing Gucci in legal proceedings! I just sat through two days of a riveting CLE focusing on Investment Management, btw.

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