diff --git a/functions/vcs.zsh b/functions/vcs.zsh
index 7f0b9dea..9baccd24 100644
--- a/functions/vcs.zsh
+++ b/functions/vcs.zsh
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ function +vi-git-untracked() {
 
     if [[ $(git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree 2> /dev/null) == 'true' && \
             -n $(git status ${FLAGS} | grep -E '^??' 2> /dev/null | tail -n1) ]]; then
-        hook_com[unstaged]+=" %F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND}$(print_icon 'VCS_UNTRACKED_ICON')%f"
+        hook_com[unstaged]+=" $(print_icon 'VCS_UNTRACKED_ICON')"
         VCS_WORKDIR_HALF_DIRTY=true
     else
         VCS_WORKDIR_HALF_DIRTY=false
@@ -34,12 +34,12 @@ function +vi-git-aheadbehind() {
     # for git prior to 1.7
     # ahead=$(git rev-list origin/${branch_name}..HEAD | wc -l)
     ahead=$(git rev-list "${branch_name}"@{upstream}..HEAD 2>/dev/null | wc -l)
-    (( ahead )) && gitstatus+=( " %F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND}$(print_icon 'VCS_OUTGOING_CHANGES_ICON')${ahead// /}%f" )
+    (( ahead )) && gitstatus+=( " $(print_icon 'VCS_OUTGOING_CHANGES_ICON')${ahead// /}" )
 
     # for git prior to 1.7
     # behind=$(git rev-list HEAD..origin/${branch_name} | wc -l)
     behind=$(git rev-list HEAD.."${branch_name}"@{upstream} 2>/dev/null | wc -l)
-    (( behind )) && gitstatus+=( " %F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND}$(print_icon 'VCS_INCOMING_CHANGES_ICON')${behind// /}%f" )
+    (( behind )) && gitstatus+=( " $(print_icon 'VCS_INCOMING_CHANGES_ICON')${behind// /}" )
 
     hook_com[misc]+=${(j::)gitstatus}
 }
@@ -51,12 +51,12 @@ function +vi-git-remotebranch() {
     remote=${$(git rev-parse --verify HEAD@{upstream} --symbolic-full-name 2>/dev/null)/refs\/(remotes|heads)\/}
     branch_name=$(git symbolic-ref --short HEAD 2>/dev/null)
 
-    hook_com[branch]="%F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND}$(print_icon 'VCS_BRANCH_ICON')${hook_com[branch]}%f"
+    hook_com[branch]="$(print_icon 'VCS_BRANCH_ICON')${hook_com[branch]}"
     # Always show the remote
     #if [[ -n ${remote} ]] ; then
     # Only show the remote if it differs from the local
     if [[ -n ${remote} ]] && [[ "${remote#*/}" != "${branch_name}" ]] ; then
-        hook_com[branch]+="%F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND}$(print_icon 'VCS_REMOTE_BRANCH_ICON')%f%F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND}${remote// /}%f"
+        hook_com[branch]+="$(print_icon 'VCS_REMOTE_BRANCH_ICON')${remote// /}"
     fi
 }
 
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ function +vi-git-tagname() {
     local tag
 
     tag=$(git describe --tags --exact-match HEAD 2>/dev/null)
-    [[ -n "${tag}" ]] && hook_com[branch]="%F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND}$(print_icon 'VCS_TAG_ICON')${tag}%f"
+    [[ -n "${tag}" ]] && hook_com[branch]="$(print_icon 'VCS_TAG_ICON')${tag}"
 }
 
 # Show count of stashed changes
@@ -74,13 +74,13 @@ function +vi-git-stash() {
 
   if [[ -s $(git rev-parse --git-dir)/refs/stash ]] ; then
     stashes=$(git stash list 2>/dev/null | wc -l)
-    hook_com[misc]+=" %F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND}$(print_icon 'VCS_STASH_ICON')${stashes// /}%f"
+    hook_com[misc]+=" $(print_icon 'VCS_STASH_ICON')${stashes// /}"
   fi
 }
 
 function +vi-hg-bookmarks() {
   if [[ -n "${hgbmarks[@]}" ]]; then
-    hook_com[hg-bookmark-string]=" %F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND}$(print_icon 'VCS_BOOKMARK_ICON')${hgbmarks[@]}%f"
+    hook_com[hg-bookmark-string]=" $(print_icon 'VCS_BOOKMARK_ICON')${hgbmarks[@]}"
 
     # To signal that we want to use the sting we just generated, set the special
     # variable `ret' to something other than the default zero:
diff --git a/powerlevel9k.zsh-theme b/powerlevel9k.zsh-theme
index 590dc300..37950e76 100755
--- a/powerlevel9k.zsh-theme
+++ b/powerlevel9k.zsh-theme
@@ -92,16 +92,11 @@ source $script_location/functions/vcs.zsh
 if [[ "$POWERLEVEL9K_COLOR_SCHEME" == "light" ]]; then
   DEFAULT_COLOR=white
   DEFAULT_COLOR_INVERTED=black
-  DEFAULT_COLOR_DARK="252"
 else
   DEFAULT_COLOR=black
   DEFAULT_COLOR_INVERTED=white
-  DEFAULT_COLOR_DARK="236"
 fi
 
-set_default POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND "$DEFAULT_COLOR"
-set_default POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_DARK_FOREGROUND "$DEFAULT_COLOR_DARK"
-
 ################################################################
 # Prompt Segment Constructors
 #
@@ -760,6 +755,15 @@ prompt_vcs() {
   VCS_WORKDIR_DIRTY=false
   VCS_WORKDIR_HALF_DIRTY=false
 
+  # The vcs segment can have three different states - defaults to ''.
+  local current_state=""
+  typeset -AH vcs_states
+  vcs_states=(
+    ''              'green'
+    'modified'      'red'
+    'untracked'     'yellow'
+  )
+
   VCS_CHANGESET_PREFIX=''
   if [[ "$POWERLEVEL9K_SHOW_CHANGESET" == true ]]; then
     # Default: Just display the first 12 characters of our changeset-ID.
@@ -768,19 +772,19 @@ prompt_vcs() {
       VCS_CHANGESET_HASH_LENGTH="$POWERLEVEL9K_CHANGESET_HASH_LENGTH"
     fi
 
-    VCS_CHANGESET_PREFIX="%F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_DARK_FOREGROUND}$(print_icon 'VCS_COMMIT_ICON')%0.$VCS_CHANGESET_HASH_LENGTH""i%f "
+    VCS_CHANGESET_PREFIX="$(print_icon 'VCS_COMMIT_ICON')%0.$VCS_CHANGESET_HASH_LENGTH""i "
   fi
 
   zstyle ':vcs_info:*' enable git hg
   zstyle ':vcs_info:*' check-for-changes true
 
-  VCS_DEFAULT_FORMAT="$VCS_CHANGESET_PREFIX%F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND}%b%c%u%m%f"
+  VCS_DEFAULT_FORMAT="$VCS_CHANGESET_PREFIX%b%c%u%m"
   zstyle ':vcs_info:*' formats "$VCS_DEFAULT_FORMAT"
 
   zstyle ':vcs_info:*' actionformats "%b %F{red}| %a%f"
 
-  zstyle ':vcs_info:*' stagedstr " %F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND}$(print_icon 'VCS_STAGED_ICON')%f"
-  zstyle ':vcs_info:*' unstagedstr " %F{$POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_FOREGROUND}$(print_icon 'VCS_UNSTAGED_ICON')%f"
+  zstyle ':vcs_info:*' stagedstr " $(print_icon 'VCS_STAGED_ICON')"
+  zstyle ':vcs_info:*' unstagedstr " $(print_icon 'VCS_UNSTAGED_ICON')"
 
   defined POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_GIT_HOOKS || POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_GIT_HOOKS=(vcs-detect-changes git-untracked git-aheadbehind git-stash git-remotebranch git-tagname)
   zstyle ':vcs_info:git*+set-message:*' hooks $POWERLEVEL9K_VCS_GIT_HOOKS
@@ -806,14 +810,15 @@ prompt_vcs() {
     if [[ "$VCS_WORKDIR_DIRTY" == true ]]; then
       # $vcs_visual_identifier gets set in +vi-vcs-detect-changes in functions/vcs.zsh,
       # as we have there access to vcs_info internal hooks.
-      "$1_prompt_segment" "$0_MODIFIED" "$2" "red" "$DEFAULT_COLOR" "$vcs_prompt" "$vcs_visual_identifier"
+      current_state='modified'
     else
       if [[ "$VCS_WORKDIR_HALF_DIRTY" == true ]]; then
-        "$1_prompt_segment" "$0_UNTRACKED" "$2" "yellow" "$DEFAULT_COLOR" "$vcs_prompt" "$vcs_visual_identifier"
+        current_state='untracked'
       else
-        "$1_prompt_segment" "$0" "$2" "green" "$DEFAULT_COLOR" "$vcs_prompt" "$vcs_visual_identifier"
+        current_state=''
       fi
     fi
+    "$1_prompt_segment" "${0}_${(U)current_state}" "$2" "${vcs_states[$current_state]}" "$DEFAULT_COLOR" "$vcs_prompt" "$vcs_visual_identifier"
   fi
 }