Fashion Color Trends for The Year 2021
2021, one year further into our second attempt at the roaring 20s!
Since 2020 was a slow year for fashion opportunities, we keep faith in the world that 2021 will offer new possibilities to impress others with our stylish take on modern fashion.
Read on to find out how we can knock you off your socks using the most popular colors of 2021. Here is our full forecast of the most trending fashion colors for the year 2021:
Fashion Trend Forecast
| COLOR | SEASON |
|---|---|
| Illuminating | All Year |
| Ultimate Gray | All Year |
| Raspberry Sorbet | Spring |
| Burnt Coral | Spring |
| Marigold | Summer |
| Desert Mist | Summer |
| Green Ash | Fall/Autumn |
| Mint | Fall/Autumn |
| French Blue | Winter |
| Cerulean | Winter |
All the trending colors of the year 2021
There are many sites on the internet where you can research the upcoming color trends in fashion. And, there’s always one place people refer to: Pantone. For this article, we’ll also be using other sources and our own experiences to forecast color trends. But yes, Pantone influences our decisions quite a bit.
Why Should You Care About Color Trends?
We get it. You're just a regular person, going about your life and trying to look as fly as you can. Sometimes you grab a copy of GQ on your way to the office, but generally speaking, you don't care about fashion trends. You're your own person after all!
However, if you're anything like us, you've seriously been lacking inspiration lately. Color trends can be an ideal tool to kickstart your creativity again. Let’s have a look at this year’s top colors, shall we?
Pantone Color of the Year 2021: Illuminating Yellow
Pantone has been appointing a color of the year for 20 years now. The experts at the Pantone Color Institute carefully analyze color trends to come to the ideal conclusion.
This year the color combination with the great luck of becoming immortalized in fashion and interior design is Pantone 17-5104 and Pantone 130-0647.
Illuminating #f5df4d
Ultimate Gray #949597
A bright, illuminating yellow coupled with a cool, ultimate gray.
Why choose such a bold, youthful yellow? 2021 is a year for looking forward, for being uplifted by the resilience of the human spirit. Seems logical after such an epidemically plagued past year, doesn’t it?
As we describe in our article about the meaning and interpretation of yellow clothing, yellow symbolizes positivity and happiness. We suggest reading up on our article, should you wish to learn more about the color psychology of yellow.
Middle gray gives a nice contrast to a rather saturated yellow and gives the whole combination an aura of “strength and resilience”, without being overbearing. We think it’s a great color combination – but rather difficult to pull off in clothing.
Building a color palette from these two colors might be fun, though. It could even result in outfit combinations you would have never thought of otherwise.
Nevertheless, this color pairing will be everywhere in 2021. Just wait and see! But, there are several other colors that will be strong contestants – more on those in the following paragraphs.
The Pantone Color(s) of The Year in Fashion
Do you want a pop of this bright and cheerful yellow color in your 2021? Why not have a look at our Banana Sky Socks? A yellow accent piece to make your ankles sing.
Pair with a gray suit to let everyone know that you're solid and dependable as well as energetic and fun.
Did you know that the interior “Performance Pack” design of the new Polestar 2 uses a similar color scheme? Accenting dark gray with a bright yellow just seems brutally right, doesn’t it? It almost feels like some sort of guilty pleasure...
Absolutely on trend with this color scheme. | Image credits: Polestar
Throughout Spring, you will see fashion brands and companies take this bright yellow to a more subdued level before popping back out in full vibrancy in the Summer. Get a headstart on the daffodils springing up and get your friends and family excited for warmer weather.
To learn more about seasonality in fashion, we suggest reading up on our corresponding article.
Raspberry Pink – The Spring Color Trend
Pink may be the most polarizing of all the on-trend hues, but we already see everything from flamingo pink to watermelon pop up in collections and shop windows.
Poppin' pink's cousin magenta is not only a part of the Rocky Horror line-up anymore. It's time to keep it from horrifying you and get comfortable with this eye-catching color injection.
Check out what Pantone has to say about the color pink – namely two variations of the hue:
Raspberry Sorbet #d2386c
Burnt Coral #e9897d
Pantone 18-2043 Raspberry Sorbet: vivid and tantalizing for your senses
Pantone 16-1529 Burnt Coral: inviting and friendly
We’re pretty sure that Raspberry Pink and Burnt Coral will be the most trendy colors during Spring 2021. As soon as nature reverts back to its green and flowery self after Winter, people will be donning this color!
Both of these colors are great on dark skin, by the way. Seriously, if you have dark skin or even a rather strong tan, Raspberry Sorbet and Burnt Coral will look great as part of your outfit.
Totally on Trend: Orange
Do you see yourself as a bit of a firecracker? Then this trending orange will become your new soulmate. Orange exudes both warmth, and as one of the rarest colors found in menswear, it can truly help you stand out in a crowd.
Avoid pairing it with something weird, though. It could make you look more clownish than Clooney-ish. Paired with a nice brown Tweed, Charcoal, Ultimate Gray, or even black, it will surely look great.
We’ll be diving into how to match and pair orange in a future article. We suggest you subscribe to our member list to get an email every time we publish a new post (1-2 times a month).
A pocket square to match our Squorange socks will pull your whole look together. Orange in your outfit says you're fearless and radiate warmth. There's a reason you can find it in the Gryffindor colors. Roar like a lion (or a… griffin)!
Specific Orange Variations To Note:
Marigold #fdac53
Desert Mist #e0b58a
Pantone 14-1050 Marigold: comforting and warming
Pantone 14-1127 Desert Mist: fine sand between your toes
Our prediction for these two orange variations is that they’ll be most prevalent during Summer 2021. We’re almost certain you’ll be seeing both colors almost everywhere in fashion during the warm months.
Evergreen, Ever On Trend?
We've all been locked down, locked away from nature, and craving getting out in the green.
The Japanese art of forest bathing is a method of being in nature and de-stressing from bustling city life. For many of us, this is still an impossible dream.
It's no wonder green is taking part on stage in 2021. Bring a part of nature into your fashion with some pops of color.
Our hot tip: these kiwi classics for a subtle yet effective way to get noticed. Slide your feet into these bad boys, open your windows, cross your legs, breathe in deeply, and ahhh, forest bathing right in your living room.
Some Pantone Greens for 2021:
Green Ash #a0daa8
Mint #00a170
Pantone 13-0117 Green Ash: menthol fresh and soothing
Pantone 16-5938 Mint: technicolor green for a bright future
Our prophecy for the two greens mentioned above is that we’ll see a lot of them in Autumn 2021. Both colors would also fit springtime, but we don’t think that people are ready for them quite yet.
Don't Step on My Blue Suede… Socks
One variant of blue made it onto this year’s Pantone list of Spring and Summer Colors: French Blue.
Shades of blue are never far from the red carpet or the runways. You may be bored of blue, but blue does not have to be boring. Add some spice to your outfit with these chili socks on a beautiful, versatile azure (french blue) base.
French Blue #0172b6
Cerulean #9cb7d4
Pantone 18-4140 French Blue: our personal favorite color – so Parisian!
Pantone 15-4020 Cerulean: the color of clear skies in springtime
At COLORBUX, we believe that blue – especially French Blue – will be a trending color for Winter 2021. Why? Well, let’s call it gut feeling… We also explain why in our article on color seasonality.
Color Trends 2021 – Now What?
Trends come and go. So, it’s absolutely fine if you think it’s not worth pursuing them – we understand. Especially when it comes to color in fashion, we understand that you can’t just always swap out your whole wardrobe every other season.
But, you know what? We’re pretty sure you have a few different colors stored away in your closet, right? Maybe some of them actually match the colors we mentioned in this article?
This is what COLORBUX is all about! We teach you how to use the clothing colors you already have easily, successfully, and efficiently to make the impressions you want to make.
If you'd like to further explore color trends in fashion, you will enjoy our article on the topic. At COLORBUX, we hope to get you noticed in all the right ways. Stay awhile, have a browse of our style articles, and make a lasting impression! Remember, don't be bland - dress the smart way.
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