2009 looks yellow

Pantone, a global color company which provides color standards for design and fashion industries, recently picked yellow as its color of the year.

Often associated with smiley faces and sunflowers, the color has already been seen on runways from designers ranging from Michael Kors to Anne Tyler this year. There are yellow pots and pans available from Williams and Sonoma, and Big Bird looks increasingly fashionable each day on PBS' Sesame Street.

While often associated with optimism, many psychologists think the amount of light reflected by the color causes people's eyes to get fatigued, which heightens feelings of frustration and anxiety.

And as we can see with Michelle Williams at the 2006 Academy Awards and Reese Witherspoon at the 2007 Golden Globes, a lot of women tend to look washed out when wearing the color. One can also see the color draws more attention to the garment itself and not the person wearing it.

However, there was one person who always looked good in yellow, but I wouldn't exactly say he was known for looking optimistic or feminine. But you can decide for yourselves. I posted the picture below.