The trend of gray tones in consumer goods brings to mind the Puritan rule of wearing only "sadd colors." Perhaps we are experiencing a new wave of Puritan chic?<p>From the book <i>Albion's Seed</i>: "The taste of New England ran not to black or gray, but to “sadd colors” as they were called in the seventeenth century. A list of these “sadd colors” in 1638 included “liver color, de Boys, tawney, russet, purple, French green, ginger lyne, deer colour, orange.” Other sad colors were called “gridolin” from the French gris de lin (“flax blossom”). Still others were called puce, folding color, Kendall green, Lincoln green, barry, milly and tuly."