Five colours fashion’s fallen for this autumn (and shrinking violent isn’t one of them!)
So, it’s official: brights are back, as decreed by the Pantone Color Institute, the global authority on such matters.
This season, it claims, will be awash with a punchy palette of grassy greens, vivid oranges, cobalt blues, sunshine yellows and statement reds. A feel-good rainbow of powerful shades, setting a defiantly positive mood for our return to normal life.
Each season, Pantone’s ‘colour consultants’ create the Fashion Colour Trend Report, predicting the shades that will dominate at London Fashion Week. In February, it anticipated that ‘a range of heartening hues’ would dominate in autumn and winter.
Looking at the shops, it was spot on. And it makes sense: after so much doom and gloom, we’re being drawn to more celebratory shades. No more sombre and sensible neutrals. We want to feel reinvigorated.
You don’t have to do it top-to-toe. If you prefer, add a flash of vivid orange with a crossbody bag, or swap navy for a splash of striking cobalt. Colourful, confident clothes make us feel more colourful and confident. So let’s bring on bold, bright colour.
SUNSHINE YELLOW
Pantone calls this yellow ‘Illuminating’, and it was spotted on the Burberry catwalk worn with nude tones. It’s described as ‘friendly, joyful and optimistic’. Think daffodil rather than mustard. Many of us will find this a tricky shade to pull off — starting with accessories can be less daunting. Uniqlo has a lemon cashmere scarf (£39.90, uniqlo.com), or try the Jessie crossbody bag at Oliver Bonas (£46, oliverbonas.com). Boden has a sunny tailored coat that strikes the right balance: not too acidic, not too warm (£95, boden. co.uk).
VIVID ORANGE
Temperley London and Victoria Beckham both used accents of energising orange in their autumn collections. According to Pantone, this will continue to be a trend next season, so it might be a good colour to buy into. If your complexion has cooler undertones, a yellowy-orange shade similar to Pantone’s Daylily may suit you better than a redder hue, which looks best with warmer undertones. For a look to go with denim, try knitwear from Me+Em (£225, meandem.com) and The Kooples (£92.50, thekooples.com). Feeling brave? Choose a tailored suit in perfect marigold (£105, riverisland.com)
STATEMENT RED
We’re talking full-on fire hydrant red. If confidence were a colour, it would be this one. Vivienne Westwood sprinkled her autumn collection with scarlet accessories, from knee-high socks to jaunty berets. And Emilia Wickstead did a top-to-toe look, combining a cropped shirt and A-line skirt. On the High Street look for a red with real vibrancy to match Pantone’s Red Alert. You’ll find dresses that hit the mark at Joseph and Whistles (£178, joseph-fashion.com; £79, whistles.com), and tailored suits — best paired with crisp white shirts — at Hobbs (blazer, £89, trousers, £65, hobbs.com)
GRASSY GREEN
A shot of lush, grassy green as seen at Stella McCartney after years of khakis and olives, is a breath of fresh, country air. More modern than emerald, Pantone’s Green Bee has a vitality and radiance to it, which already has us looking forward to spring. Zara has a caped blouse (£27.99, zara.com). Otherwise head to & Other Stories and Ghost for midi dresses (£120, stories.com; £82.80, asos.com) or try Benetton (£45.95, gb.benetton. com) for a bright green roll neck
COOL COBALT
This season you can barely move for cobalt. Me+Em has an array of tailored tracksuit bottoms, cashmere knits and hoodies in the colour. Hobbs has an incredible cobalt wool coat (£169, hobbs.com). And M&S’s new collection has a great cobalt shirt dress (£45, marksand spencer.com). British designer Molly Goddard’s autumn collection featured one of her tulle dresses in an electric blue. Pantone calls this colour Ibiza Blue, but it works on grey days, too: a cobalt coat will instantly pep you up
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