Hoary holidays from Canada! All this cold and gray makes me yearn for the warm and color from Miami two weeks ago. I went down for a day to shoot Marie Claire, and even though it was chilly by Florida standards, it was radiant compared to this frozen abyss. I hate to talk about the weather though, so let's get to that second point that made the shoot so significant: color. One thing that was made clear to me yet again during this shoot was that people in the fashion industry have an acute understanding of color. As I changed into each look, the makeup artist and stylist discussed different color options for eye makeup that would complement the clothes. During one particular outfit change, the makeup artist used the word chartreuse to describe the touches of neon yellow in the Dries collection. How beautiful and soft and historic her chartreuse was to my ugly, reductive neon yellow! And I consider myself a woman of words!

Maybe because of some happy childhood memories involving color wheels, but we're suckers for Pantone colors and and the merchandise spin-offs, be they business card holders or coffee mugs. And now, there's a new Pantone Hotel, and we're pretty intrigued.

Henry Holland isn't the only designer paying homage to Pantone this season. Sea Vees, the LA-based brand that launched just last year, draws inspiration for its sneakers from 1960s California cool (think Top-Siders-meets-Keds). And, this season, they're showing Pantone some love with a collection of kicks colored in Pantone-approved shades.