This is a genuine purple color that I got for Mardi Gras. The color is deep, and as it appears in photo. I planned to make bows with this, but it isn't quite stiff enough or like floral ribbon. I did make bows for some flower arrangements and it looked very nice. This would be perfect for little girls hair, or sashes to tie around a dress. The softness of the ribbon wouldn't be annoying or irritating, but its probably not the best choice if you need to create bows that have enough texture to keep shape.