It’s not the fact that the company chose a member of the brown family for COTY that shocked me. After all, dark brown has been trending for months, both on the runway and off. Mocha Mousse is quite different though. Unlike the rich, deep browns of early autumn, Pantone is forecasting a teddy bear-esque ’70s shade to take center stage. It’s distinctly not a chocolate brown, nor is it a walnut. It’s warmer and lighter, with more white in the mix (or, at its prettiest, more translucency). It’s unapologetically a food color — it’s right there in the name, a purposeful choice, intended to evoke a sense of satisfaction. (While there are plenty of shades that remind us of food, many don’t really make us think of the edible corollary at all. Orange doesn’t always call to mind oranges, nor does lime green make us salivate for bitter citrus or burgundy for astringent wine.)
