mauve • \ˈmȯv, ˈmōv\ • noun and adjective
noun: a moderate purple
adjective: of a pale to moderate greyish violet color
The word mauve has appeared in 18 New York Times articles in the past year, including on Jan. 27 in the fashion review “New and Old at Armani Privé and Maison Margiela” by Vanessa Friedman:
PARIS — Taxi cab drivers are striking in Paris, protesting the rise of Uber. On Tuesday, the air traffic controllers were, too. By the catwalks, editors and clients were arguing over whether Giorgio Armani’s new favorite color was mauve, as his Armani Privé show notes claimed, or lilac, as it seemed, or maybe even lavender. Shades of the notorious Internet dress dispute of almost a year ago. Plus ça change, and all that. What’s new?
In Mr. Armani’s case, shorts for the red carpet. Lots of them.
Not that they were any old shorts, of course (this is Armani). They were couture shorts, in bubble-light silk or organza jacquard, embroidered in crystal and baguettes, paired with matching jackets covered in sequins and sparkles. They also came tailor-made, in every sense of the word, for day, finished with the most casual fillip of a ruffle under swishy suit jackets. All in mauve, natch (let’s use his word, though it looked lilac to me), with a watercolor wash, the merest suggestion of a flower beneath, or the occasional addition of black or silver for contrast. Greige is so last decade.
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