Sophistication also means using color sparingly, as an accent, with green, lime and sky blue for shirts, knitwear and accessories. Men add to their existing wardrobes piece by piece rather than wipe it out and start again with the arrival of a new season,'' said Peter Sidell, co-owner of The Library, a west London designer store. Retailers report that young customers, aged 18 to 25, are more willing to experiment with color. They are influenced by the bright colors of modern sportswear, particularly in young sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding. The new collection is very positive with no black at all and lots of milky colors, milky green, orange and blue,'' said the designer Sophie Albou.
Designers are well aware of striking national differences in color preference.
Albou despairs of the conservatism of French men, but says American and Australian customers are begging her to pile on the color. Paul Smith reports strong sales of his more colorful pieces to Japan. Complexion and weather also play a part. The long Italian summers and olive skins of the men are perfectly suited to deep, rich or very bright colors. National tastes can change.