Radiant Orchid: The Lively Friend You Bring To A Boring... Golf Course?

Radiant Orchid Plays Golf          © Golf Girl Media via Polyvore 

Are you ready for some on-course radiance? Well, meet Radiant Orchid: The Pantone Color Institute's 2014 Color of the Year.

Twenty-thirteen had Emerald, a color that lends itself...quite organically... to golf; from Augusta National's famous jacket to the verdant fairways and greens we play on, Pantone 17-5641 was a natural when it came to golf style. Emerald green golf apparel and accessories were an easy fit.

While this new COY may not scream golf the way its predecessor did, Radiant Orchid will no doubt be prominently featured in apparel collections at this year's PGA Merchandise Show later this month... and will surely start showing up on fairways and greens in the coming months.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone Color Institute, likens the pink-purple hue to "the lively friend you bring to a boring party".  I'm guessing this unapologetically feminine hue will be livening up a few golf courses this year.

Apparel & accessories at left: Lizzie Driver, PoodleGolf, JoFit, Schriffen, Aerogreen, Callaway, Sunice, Datrek

Add Warmth to Your Golf Wardrobe With Marsala; 2015 Color of the Year

Check my inspiration board, Marsala Plays Golf  on Polyvore for ideas on how to bring this warm color to the course    

Move over Radiant Orchid, Marsala is here.

Pantone 18-1438, Marsala, was recently declared the 2015 Color of the Year by world wide color authority, PANTONE®.

As a result we can expect to see a distinct warming trend in the colors that surround us; everything from fashion, to media, to industrial design and home decor, will be taking on the rich, earthy tones of a fortified red wine... and the fairways and greens of the world's golf courses are no exception.

Just as Radiant Orchid,  the outgoing COY made its golf apparel mark in 2014 ( Nike, Poodle JoFit, Daily Sports ) Marsala is sure to figure in 2015 collections, but while the former was distinctly modern; an icy-bright shade of pinkish purple, this year's choice is somewhat more, shall we say, muted. Some have called Marsala old-fashioned, dull... even... icky.

Well as my French husband often says, "les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas" which roughly translated means, "individual preferences for taste and color are totally subjective", and to that end Marsala also has no shortage of fans...and besides you don't need to transform your entire wardrobe... or decor... to partake of the year's trendiest hue. Marsala fits into numerous color palettes as a perfect compliment.

I see Marsala on the golf course with a color palette that includes burgundy, coral, navy and taupe... but that's just one of many that work. See what you can do with Marsala. After all it's color of the year for the next 12 months, you may as well have some fun with it.

So Hot, So Pretty - HSBC Women's Champions

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While the PGA Tour is in Phoenix getting ready for the annual boisterous bacchanalia golf tournament known as the Phoenix Open, another tour on the other side of the planet is... collectively painting orchids on silk?

I know. That comparison sounds totally Mars/Venus doesn't it? But peinture sur soie is just one of many activities top LPGA golfers are taking part in leading up the HSBC Women's Champions later this week.

There'll be VIP galas and evening events with sponsors. Plus, Singapore has some of the best shopping and dining in the world, and they just opened The Resorts World Sentosa, a huge entertainment and resort complex.

Fifty-four of the top fifty-five players from the 2009 LPGA Official Money List will be in Singapore for the event. Defending champion Jiyai Shin, World Number One Lorena Ochoa, US Number One Cristie Kerr and Sunday's winner Ai Miyazato all took up paint brushes in lieu of putters yesterday, along with avid artist Michelle Wie. They each put their own personal touch on a single orchid in the batik painting that will commemorate this year's tournament.

HSBC is a great supporter of golf and runs quite a number of programs to develop young golfers. You can read about them on the tournament website. Oh, and there's an HSBC Women's Championship Facebook page. too.