diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 2bad21b..0942066 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -77,6 +77,24 @@ function applyStyle() {
 	return str;
 }
 
+function colorize(text){
+	// Permit a map of aliases for long styles
+	var styleAliases = {
+		'b' 	: 'bold',
+		'u' 	: 'underline',
+		'i' 	: 'italic',
+		'inv' : 'inverse',
+		'h' 	: 'hidden',
+		's' 	: 'strikethrough',
+		'd' 	: 'dim'
+	};
+	return text.replace(/<(\/?)(\w+)>/g,function(full,closed,tag){
+		var color = ansiStyles[(tag in styleAliases) ? styleAliases[tag] : tag];
+		return  color ? color[closed ? 'close' : 'open'] : full;
+	});
+};
+
+
 function init() {
 	var ret = {};
 
@@ -98,3 +116,4 @@ module.exports.styles = ansiStyles;
 module.exports.hasColor = hasAnsi;
 module.exports.stripColor = stripAnsi;
 module.exports.supportsColor = supportsColor;
+module.exports.colorize = colorize;
diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
index 147b1d1..604629e 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -81,6 +81,12 @@ console.log(chalk.green('Hello %s'), name);
 //=> Hello Sindre
 ```
 
+You can also render colored text using an HTML-like string with tags.
+
+```js
+var chalk = require('chalk');
+console.log(chalk.colorize('<red>Error!</red>'));
+```
 
 ## API
 
@@ -144,6 +150,32 @@ if (!chalk.supportsColor) {
 }
 ```
 
+### chalk.colorize(string)
+
+Returns color styled text from a tagged string.
+
+Tag names are the same used for accessing colors in `chalk.styles`.
+
+Example:
+
+```js
+var chalk = require('chalk');
+
+console.log( chalk.colorize("<magenta>Hello</magenta>, <red>th<green>is</green></red> <b>is</b> a <white><u>test</u></white>!") );
+```
+
+You can also use a shorthand for some modifiers :
+
+| Alias | Modifier      |
+|-------|---------------|
+| b     | bold          |
+| u     | underline     |
+| i     | italic        |
+| inv   | inverse       |
+| h     | hidden        |
+| s     | strikethrough |
+| d     | dim           |
+
 
 ## Styles
 
diff --git a/test.js b/test.js
index b7359bf..94c02d9 100644
--- a/test.js
+++ b/test.js
@@ -137,3 +137,12 @@ describe('chalk.stripColor()', function () {
 		assert.equal(chalk.stripColor(chalk.underline.red.bgGreen('foo')), 'foo');
 	});
 });
+
+describe('chalk.colorize()', function () {
+	it('should render correctly colors tagged within string', function () {
+		assert.equal(chalk.colorize("<red><bgGreen><u>foo</u></bgGreen></red>"),
+		             '\u001b[31m\u001b[42m\u001b[4mfoo\u001b[24m\u001b[49m\u001b[39m');
+		assert.equal(chalk.colorize("<u><red><bgGreen>foo</bgGreen></red></u>"),
+		             '\u001b[4m\u001b[31m\u001b[42mfoo\u001b[49m\u001b[39m\u001b[24m');
+	});
+});