It’s plain to see from our autumn/winter 2021 trend report that colour has a huge part to play for the second half of the year. The forthcoming season is set to be bold and rather beautiful with super-bright, densely pigmented shades taking a prime position across many a key designer collection. You’ll find ultra-saturated corals, highlighter yellows, neon, Kelly and emerald greens, lipstick reds, juicy oranges and punchy cobalt blues. There’s an omnipresent pink aura running through the runways, with every option available—light baby-pinks through to deep fuchsias—but perhaps that no surprise considering how well established the pink colour trend already is at this point in the year. Perhaps a more surprisingly addition is the noticeable rise in purple: It’s a divisive colour, for sure, but it’s being backed by the likes of Loewe, Ferrgamo, Prada and more, so you know fashion people are going to take this seriously.
On the other end of the spectrum is a sea of minimalism: Soft beiges and oatmeals, wintry greys and plenty of brown. It’s a more sophisticated palette, but it’s certainly more sombre. Mid-blue denim underpins many a look, and works well with both these more sumptuous tones and the aforementioned super-brights. What is worth noting, however, is that there is very little in-between these two extremes. There’s a rainbow on offer, and it’s up to you whether you wear these colours solo head-to-toe, mix them in with equally vibrant different hues or choose to soften them with neutrals. Keep scrolling for the colour trends we think will take off this autumn.
Head-to-toe canary yellow at Versace.
A vibrant pinky-red tulle dress at Molly Goddard.
Prada combined shades of electric blue alongside purple and black.
Saint Laurent’s metallic brown lurex is so fab.
These soft tones dominated many a runway, Gabriela Hearst does them best.
Brown also comes in prints, both stripes and florals.
Raf Simons tried out Barbie pink with bright yellow and acid green—it worked.
Chanel’s pink was more of a deep fuchsia.
Thebe Magugu’s pink trouser suit is all kinds of photogenic.
Designers who went for grey did it head-to-toe, just like Lemaire here.
Another great example of tailoring + layers + grey comes from Tory Burch.
And Petar Petrov’s version worked with a more feminine skirt silhouette.
Purple accessories against black? That’s the Stand way of doing it.
You could even mix purple in with the other super-brights, as seen here at Ferragamo.
Loewe’s mix of purple, black, blue and yellow made the challenging colour seem more approachable.
Kermit greens work surprisingly well with black and tan—see Stella McCartney for guidance.
Lime greens worn together? A perfect look to get on board with ASAP from Supriya Lele.
Dark forest greens also apply. These leather Alberta Ferretti trousers are so great.
Next up, our editors’ top shopping picks.
Next up, our editors’ top shopping picks.
