Knitch Magazine

Purple Yarn

The future becomes the past with fashions inspired both by the glamour of the Elizabethan era and the mystical simplicity of medieval monasteries. Adding vibrancy to the darker hues are cooler shades, the most elegant of which is a deep and glorious shade of purple, the traditional color of royalty.

Yes, we’ll have dazzling accents of Marine Blue, Peacock, and Scarlet to electrify the midnight grays, but the most prominent and promising shade of the season will be the glorious purples: Eggplant, Plum, Violet, Aubergine, and Royal Lilac.

The color purple first made fashion history with the seafaring Phoenicians  who, from about 1200 BCE, had a world monopoly on the dye used to create the shade. Renowned traders of the ancient world, the Phoenicians  (who lived in the area now called Lebanon) extracted the color from crushed shellfish. Because it was so rare and expensive, purple cloth quickly became de rigueur amongst royalty. It has remained the color of power and prestige for over 3000 years.

So important was the purple dye trade to these ancient people that their name “Phoenicians” literally means, “trader of purple dye.”
While some may believe that fashion has done little to advance civilization, it was the color purple that led to the origins of the alphabet. With trade in their unique dye creating a booming economy for the Phoenicians, they needed to find an easier way to record their transactions…and the first western alphabet was born.

purple yarnIn psychological terms, purple represents a conflict between impulsiveness and calm sensitivity, dominance and submissiveness. The person who prefers this color lives in a world of imagination. Turmoil is abandoned. Fantasy takes flight. The lady in purple wants to enjoy a mystical, magical relationship.

This cold grey winter, we embrace the richness and splendor of purple, especially in luminous fibers that provide a sparkling, precious presentation. With its qualities of dignity, endurance, and courageous sacrifice, purple is the color of royalty and tradition -- a color befitting modern ladies who know how to charm with their womanly power: aggressive femininity with understated strength.