Millennial Pink, king of colors who does not wish to abdicate
How did that pastel, romantic color become a hit in recent years? Some say that pink fever started in 2014 when Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” conquered the hearts of viewers. Others attribute its popularity to Apple and to the pink-gold branded products that hit the market in 2015.
One thing is certain — Millennial Pink is the color of the new, young generation that will probably never grow old. But not everyone knows that pink has come a long way to conquer the runways of the most fashionable cities, take over Instagram, and finally fill the shelves with the goods in the same, pale pink color.
The short & sweet story of pink
The color pink is rarely found in nature, which is why its story is full of unexpected twists and turns. Its symbolism has changed over the years, giving rise to considerable controversy at various stages of its career, which we would call dizzying today. The first mention of a tone combining fiery red with the purity of white is found in ancient works. Homer and Lucretius described pink without knowing its proper name yet.
Medieval and Renaissance painters used pink to give radiance and freshness to portrayed characters and to brighten the background and red elements visible in the paintings. The wealthy ladies wore robes of that color when their fathers, husbands and brothers chose the sister of pink — bright red, yet pink was not popular enough to be called fashionable.
It was only in the seventeenth century that pink materialized in the minds of people as something that really existed. For then the word “pink” was used for the first time with regard to the color of a plant with the same name. And so began the real history of the color pink. From this moment, the mighty Europeans willingly dressed themselves and their private chambers with various shades of pink. Therefore, its ubiquity in short, but vastly interesting fashion for decorative, pastel — golden rococo is not surprising. One of the first ambassadors of pink was the mistress of Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour. Her wardrobe consisted mainly of blue-colored creations, and a special shade of pink with a blend of blue, black and yellow created especially for her.
In the following years, pink only gained popularity. Impressionists were eager to use it because it perfectly matched the full light and delicacy of Monet, Degas, Renoir and others.
The surrealists also loved pink, partly thanks to the designer associated with their environment — Elsie Schiaparelli. The eccentric designer created and distributed its new shade — shocking pink, which was formed from the combination of magenta and a bit of white. Brave, flashy pink settled in pop culture. Marilyn Monroe wore a dress in that color in the film “Gentleman Prefer Blondes” (1953) and several years later, Madonna appeared in an almost identical one in the video clip for “Material Girl” (1985).
The biggest breakthrough came in 1959 — the world saw the undisputed queen of pink for the first time — the Barbie doll. From the logo and packaging, through the creations and the plastic household appliances in the mini version — everything was pink. The girls loved the doll, which gave them the opportunity to act out as an adult woman, and many of them wanted pink clothes in pink wardrobes such as Barbie’s.
No wonder the vibrant pink shade became one of Pop Art’s favorite colors, combining high and mass art. We can admire it among others on Andy Warhol’s flashy works depicting portraits of famous people in various color variants, including pink.
In the 1990s, pink was present not only in Barbie’s dream house, or in the land of the Care Bears. The trend for neon colors didn’t allow it to disappear even for a moment from art, design and fashion.
Pink is power
Irony and distance allowed young people to break away from the identification of pink as a color dedicated only to women and girls. Nowadays, thanks to the Y generation pink is universal — it is chosen by both women and men. Practically everyone wants to have something pink, and some would definitely prefer to live in a house decorated by the master of nostalgic kitsch — Wes Anderson.
When deciding on pink at home, we don’t have to fear that it will resemble Barbie’s dream house. Fresh Millennial Pink provides a variety of applications.
By choosing this color, we can get inspiration from rococo glamour and Sophia Coppola’s “Marie Antoine”, the already mentioned cinematic hit by Anderson, Tumbler-style graphics, or finally French cafes, offering macaroons so sweet both in taste and appearance as well as other delights for the palate.
Pink has an amazing power and the pastel, pleasing Millennial Pink looks great both in the total look option and in combination with other colors. Grays, white, pastels — they all love pink as much as we do!
At Pixers you can find Millennial Pink patterns in a variety of stylistic settings — from wallpaper decorated with floral motifs, geometric figures, to fun, almost cartoon graphics that will work in your toddler’s, teenager’s and contemporary living room.
Millennial Pink presents itself perfectly in the company of invigorating green — both the potted and the graphic plants, when transferred to exotic, stimulating designs, make a perfect contrast to the pastel shade of pink. We can also tone it down with blue accents, with which pale pink blends perfectly.
Regardless of how much we want to sweeten our lives with Millennial Pink, we can afford the additional calories with ease, especially since the first natural, colorful chocolate — the pink Ruby, was created for the first time in 80 years. In addition to smartphones, today we can buy almost anything in this color: clothes, furniture, accessories, wallpaper, even hair color. Pastel pink does not intend to go out of date for a long time, which artists, fashion designers and interior designers reassure us of when reaching out for it with such incredible frequencies. It is worth considering an apartment where watching the world through rose colored sunglasses becomes everyday life.
