Purple is winter’s hottest pop color

It’s not always clear why a particular color emerges as a strong trend each season. Color is always in style, but it seems that each new season is defined by a pop color or two common to many designer collections and clothing lines.

Purple has emerged as the most prevalent signature color this fall and winter.

Fusing the coolness of blue and the heat of red, purple is mysterious and intriguing, often associated nobility, royalty, spirituality. It tends to be a favorite color among children and artists.

Eggplant, amethyst, and other deeper shades of purple evoke a sense of wealth. Lighter hues such as lilac and lavender conjure images of romance and cheer.

For this winter, Lela Rose and Nanette Lepore incorporated menswear-inspired purple plaids into attractive coats while Tadashi Shoji and Zac Posen were among those stitching soft, shiny purple fabrics into elegant uptown gowns and cocktail dresses.

Menswear also has taken to the color, with Victorinox using varying shades in pants and shirts and Banana Republic offering a cashmere V-neck sweater in a handsome color right up the middle of the purple spectrum.

Purple is like pink in one respect - it can be worn by anyone, it’s just a matter of finding the right shade, hue, or tint to fit your skin tone.

Check out a few of the season’s hottest purple pieces below.