The first recorded use of beige as a colour name in English was in 1887.
The term originates from beige cloth, a cotton fabric left undyed in its natural colour. Standardised in 1934 from samples submitted by the textile trades. See notes on Ecru.
The colour pearl is a pale tint of off-white.
The first recorded use of pearl as a colour name in English was in 1604.
Used in interior design when an off-white tint is desired.
The term pastel has been applied to colours of soft ‘chalky’ appearance since the end of the nineteenth century when there was a vogue for pastel drawings.
The name pastel blue was originally given to colours produced by the pastel plant, a French name for woad.
