Each year, Pantone searches for color influences stemming from entertainment, art, travel, and culture across the globe to choose the color of the year. The color of the year impacts designs in fashion, graphics, and products of every genre. This year, Pantone has chosen Emerald as the 2013 Color of the Year.

The 2012 Color of the Year was Tangerine Tango, a bright and energetic shade of orange. At the announcement of Emerald 17-5641 as the 2013 Color of the Year, many people were a bit thrown off – even angry! Tangerine Tango was so cute and now you’re going to … Emerald? I, for one, have decided to embrace Emerald wholeheartedly. I’ve even made a Pinterest board dedicated to the color! Here’s why:

Emerald Fashion

Emerald really can be used as a new neutral – it looks great with all different shades of blues, pinks, and even metallics!  Victoria’s Secret is adding Emerald to their Spring 2013 line, both in solids and patterns. My favorite addition? The Victoria’s Secret Emerald Macramé Bikini. I really think this color is flattering for everyone, no matter what your skin tone! This is a suit that anyone can rock at the beach.  It’s such a bold, unexpected color, and since it’s a jewel tone, it really will be universally flattering.  Whether you’re looking for solid green or a fun pattern, I think it’s worth checking out Victoria’s Secret’s suits for emerald options of all different shapes and patterns.

If rocking a teeny green bikini isn’t your thing, you can sport the color of the year in a smaller way. You can add a pop of Emerald to your outfit by playing off the J. Crew bubble necklace trend, but in a more budget-friendly way! Adding this Emerald bubble necklace to any outfit can make it stand out. It’s a more subtle way to rock the color of 2013.  Emerald can definitely be a statement color, but you can change the look depending on how much of it you wear.

Emerald Beauty

You might be thinking that you can’t incorporate Emerald into your beauty routine. True, green lipstick would be gross. And true, green eyeshadow can look … scary, if not applied just so. But that doesn’t mean you have to be scared of trying something new!  I’m seeing Emerald as a neutral this year, just as navy and eggplant have been before. Swap your black or brown eyeliner with an Emerald one, like mark.’s No Place to Run Longwear Eyeliner in Grassroots or Dolce & Gabbana’s Crayon Intense Liner in Emerald.

Of course I couldn’t write a blog about beauty and not include nail polish! Try wearing Emerald on your nails – whether as a base color or just an accent! Zoya’s Holly is the perfect gem tone to sport in 2013.  Wearing brights on your nails is an easy way to wear color if you’re not used to it. A small flash of color is all you need to make a statement.  If a full-blown green manicure isn’t your thing, use green as an accent on a black or gray manicure, or even take a skinny brush and create a fun Emerald design on your manicure!

Whether you’re looking to wear Emerald head-to-toe, which isn’t really recommended unless you’re the Wizard of Oz, or whether you wanna try it simply as an accent on your ring finger, Emerald is in style and here for the season, if not longer. I’m loving the look and the versatility of the color, and I can’t wait to figure out more ways to wear it! How will you wear Emerald?