Michelle Innes walks the ramp at the Stylefile Winter Show 2004 in a purple outfit (picture by Pabitra Das) and (above) a model sports a green dress at the recently-held China Fashion Week

If the 2004 story has been a pretty pink so far, with the chill setting in, the colour code has turned on its head. Green, green and more green is the fashion mantra, with generous splashes of purple screaming out from cupboard corners.

Yes, the green and purple family promises to paint your wardrobe in the coming months, if you go by international fashion forecasts and the palette pick of Indian designers.

Green, in all its forms, seems to be the colour to be seen in. And there is a wide range to choose from, ensuring something to suit every skin tone. Lettuce, cucumber, avocado, asparagus, clover green, kiwi, pea green, moss green, leaf green, pistachio, olive, parsley green, sage, mint, basil, bay, ivy, pine green, emerald, jade, sea green and aquamarine ? the palette has much to choose from (if you don?t get confused and head for the kitchen instead).

?Green is really hot this winter, particularly the muted and romantic shades like green apple and lime. Darker shades like bottle green are also going strong,? says Calcutta-based designer Kiran Uttam Ghosh. Softer shades of green like pistachio and grass have also found favour with designer Anamika Khanna, who has used liberal doses of these in her winter line. ?This winter is all about soft, mellow colours. In my collection for the season I have used muted shades of green along with earthy tones and rose pink,? says Anamika.

Calcutta-based young designer Sayon Mitra has chosen to focus on olive green for his winter line. ?I have mixed olive with dull gold to bring out a champagne-like hue. I also have a lot of red, black, rose pink, mustard and royal blue in my collection of corsets, trousers, long coats, fish-tail skirts and overlapping tops,? says Sayon.

If some stylists are seeing green, others seem to be cashing in on the purple passion of the season. Various hues from the purple family ? lilac, lavender, deep purple, amethyst, violet, aubergine and grape ? the palette here is as diverse. Says Delhi-based designer Rina Dhaka: ?Colour is the biggest player this winter, the styling is relatively simple. This season is very strong for colours with a well-defined palette. Shades of purple, lilac and aubergine are musts for any wardrobe now.?

Dhaka?s winter 2004 line, which she unveiled at the Stylefile show in Calcutta last month, was dominated by various shades of purple and lilac and a parallel family of blues, mostly peacock-blue and turquoise. Saris, lehngas, skirts, bustiers, kurtas and cocktail salwar suits created as occasion wear for ?the Indian working woman? unfolded the colour story quite boldly.

The purple riot has also affected Kiran?s collection for the season. Deep purple, lavender and plum highlights her range, with indigo blue also playing a prominent role. ?Anything in purple is just flying off the racks this season,? says Kiran, who feels that the general look of the season is ?soft and romantic?.

Though not as important as green or purple, blue also seems to be a favourite with many this winter. Washed-out blue, ice blue, pale blue, ecru, denim, sapphire, indigo, turquoise ? various tones of the colour seem to be finding their place in wardrobes right now.

However, the big players in the season?s colour drama haven?t managed to elbow out the classics ? black and white ? from the scene. ?Black is the winter staple and it always has a major role to play in any winter wardrobe. If someone is buying 10 outfits for the season, there will be four or five blacks,? feels Kiran. For Anamika, ?white is the new black this winter? and one can find a substantial amount of white and ivory in her new line.