The color of the year for 2018 is out from the style-makers at Pantone, and the winner is a dark purple shade they call “ultra violet.” The color “communicates originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking,” Pantone executive director told the New York Times.
With the holidays coming up, there are plenty of ways to bring more ultra violet “originality” to the visionaries in your life. Here are some suggestions in five categories:
High-Tech Purple Gifts
Samsung and Apple aren’t making their popular phones or laptops in purple—at least not yet—but there are ways to give the gift of ultra violet to the techies on your list. Canon makes a version of highly-rated and easily pocketable PowerShot Elph camera in a deep purple hue. And Apple’s Beats division offers its Solo3 wireless headphones in a dozen colors including “ultra violet.” And if your buying the year’s hottest gaming portable, the Nintendo Switch, be sure to accessorize with purple controllers.
Gifts for Travelers
If there are frequent travelers on your holiday shopping list, purple is an excellent choice for a new suitcase or backpack. Samsonite’s Winfield 2 Fashion line of hard-sided luggage has top ratings on Amazon and comes in a rich shade of purple in a variety of sizes. JanSport backpacks are popular with students and the simple look of the company’s Superbreak model looks sharp in purple. For a higher-end carry with a more luxurious look and feel, Clark & Mayfield’s Hawthorne bag comes in deep purple, too.
Purple Gifts for the Home
At home, purple works well as an accent color. A set of flannel sheets from Thermee or Limelight’s steel lamp with a purple shade bring the color of the year to the bedroom. KitchenAid calls its purple-colored mixers “Plumberry,” but the shade match’s Pantone’s pick. And Ginsu makes some of its knife sets with dark purple handles.
Purple Stocking Stuffers
There are also plenty of small gifts, the stocking stuffers, that come in beautiful shades of purple. They’re more useful than sexy but Panasonic’s purple earbuds cost under $10, while a four-pack of KidKer purple charging cables with Apple’s lightning connectors costs $11. And Silk’s purple iPhone case for the iPhone 7 or 8 is just $12.
A Purple Book
Finally, for the budding literary genius who loves purple, the book of choice is obvious: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. The 1955 children’s classic was obviously way ahead of the zeitgeist for color selections.