We can't show you these colors, because CMG members pay to look at them and they don't want you getting a free peek. We can tell you that some of the shades look suspiciously like avocado green, burnt orange, harvest gold, and other colors that once exemplified all that was tacky and garish. For those who endured the first appearance of these hues 20 years ago, their return is an inexplicable nightmare. Their reappearance doesn't seem to be a case of CMG fiat, either. In the last two years, chartreuse has gone from being the majority's least favorite color to a favorite for up to 5 percent of people in some categories, says Mimi Cooper, vice president of Cooper Marketing Group of Oak Park, Illinois.
Color is full of nuances.
The shade we used to call avocado is cleaner and fresher this time around. Perhaps more to the point, the consumers who buy these colors are either unaware of their negative associations or are fashion fanatics who are willing to give them another try. Furthermore, if color can make or break a product, words can make or break a color. So just to be on the safe side, recycled colors get new names. Hence, chartreuse becomes limone, and avocado is updated as sage.