To me, the Phillies' iconic shade of red is the clearest, prettiest, and most vibrant color out there. I look best in red. I feel best in red. In fact, I'd argue that I love red as much as any sports fan devotes himself (or herself) to the team.
My choice to bleed Phillies red this World Series is no minor admission. I'm a New Yorker from Jamaica, Queens, making me a Mets fan by birth. The only team half my family hates more than the Yankees is the Philadelphia Phillies.
Is it my fault that navy blue doesn't warm my heart in the same way as Phillies red (or National League Championship Series MVP Ryan Howard's bulging muscles)?
In the fashion and interior design world, Phillies red is known as Pantone 200 C. Its boldness speaks to the fashionista in me the same way Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Spa, Chanel No. 5 lipstick, and Target's bull's-eye does.
"That red is definitely a very visceral color you could never be indefinite about," said Leatrice Eiseman, director of the New Jersey-based Pantone Color Institute. "It's one of fashion's strongest shades. Bill Blass once said he considered red a neutral color. And how can we forget Diana Vreeland's living room?" The former Vogue editor was known for unabashedly mixing shades of red.
Turns out, this year the Phillies are winners and trendsetters.
A close cousin of Phillies red, Eiseman pointed out, is one of the top colors on the fall 2009 Pantone Color Report. "American Beauty," a notch or two bluer than Phillies red, was heavily featured in a bevy of designers' runway collections this year, including Temperley London and Yigal Azrouel.
