What’s New in Color Trends for Fall/Winter 2020-2021?

The Pantone Color Institute, the go-to resource and undisputed authority for color trend forecasts, in the beginning of this year published “The Fashion Color Trend Report,” outlining the most important color palettes for the Fall/Winter 2020-2021 season. “Autumn/Winter 2020-2021 is a story of mindfulness as we see a stripping back of color to the essentials,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Prevailing in singular color statements, our color story for Autumn/Winter 2020-2021 conveys a message of strength and purposefulness with a sense of optimism.”

The Institute’s color trends include a strong palette with hues that convey optimistic determination and purpose and place a heavy focus on timeless shades like classic blue. The colors are wearable classics that stay in vogue and can be incorporated into nearly any wardrobe. It’s a color shift that is in synch with a movement away from in-the-moment fast fashion toward long-lasting, well-thought-out wardrobes and key pieces.

Now that we’re in the middle of the Fall/Winter season, we’re excited to see how these color trends have influenced fashion, interior design and jewelry.

Color Our World: Trends 2020-2021

The range of colors for Fall/Winter 2020-2021 includes everything from mandarin red for high energy and contrast to the more somber hues for the season. Samba (bright sunny yellow), vibrant blue, orange (for exuberance), military olive, celery, ultramarine green, burnt henna (a robust red shade), magenta purple, and tawny birch (a woodsy rose-tan evocative of nature) are all part of the season’s trends. The complementary colors for Fall/Winter 2020-2021 are made up of an off-white hue, a rich camel tone, a true blue (think of a man’s classic business suit) and sleet (a timeless gray).

How the Fashion Shows Reflected the Season’s Color Trends

Many of the fashion shows – from Michael Kors to Salvatore Ferragamo, Longchamp, Carolina Herrera, Proenza Shouler, and Moschino – indeed featured the Pantone Color Institute’s Fall/Winter 2020/2021 color trends in their clothing. The blues in one show completely took over the runways – from classic to true and strong blue – in coats, jackets and dresses. Ultramarine green, described by the Pantone Color Institute as exuding “self-assurance and poise,” reflected a lot of the sophistication found in the clothing on the runways.

Rose tan was another featured color, as seen in Gucci’s catwalk showstopper — a dress made of ruched and ruffled tulle with a voluminous skirt that had just a touch of black lace to add a dark contrast.

But we’re also getting a good dose of metallic for the Fall/Winter 2020-2021 season. The Versace show, for example, featured uber model Kendall Jenner draped in a silvery, hourglass-shaped mini dress. 

Shades of Color in Interior Design

Just as our wardrobe changes from season to season, influenced by top color trends, so do our homes withaccents that reflect the most current hues. We’re seeing a pop of color added to the many neutrals that proliferate in living rooms, family rooms, and bedrooms. Orange pillows bring a simple gray sofa to life, and the introduction of an orange side chair brings an autumn vibe to an otherwise plain room. Rose tan ottomans and side chairs are used to impart a relaxed vibe and a sense of composure.  Magenta purple painted on the wall behind an off-white couch delivers intrigue and captures the imagination of a guest as he or she enters the room.

Fall/Winter Color Trends in Jewelry

One of the trends in jewelry for the Fall/Winter 2020-2021 season is the revival of all types of pearls – from freshwater to cultured – indicative of this year’s message of strength and purpose and the use of off-white as an accent color. Girls are wearing sterling silver pearl earrings as a throwback to elegance and quietude to power pearl rings as a way of saying, “I know who I am, and I like who I am.” Think of icons Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn, and Jackie O who inspired generations of woman and today’s Rihanna and Scarlett Johansson, all of whom have donned pearls beautifully.

Blues are also taking center stage in this season’s jewelry pieces. You’ll find sterling silver rings and necklaces set with stones of deep blue kyanite, lapis, lolite, and opals with transparent blues reminiscent of the Mediterranean. Red is featured in pieces with garnet stones, and yellow makes its sunny appearance with canary yellow cubic zirconia stones set in rings.  The richness of purple is reflected with jewelry designs featuring amethyst. Hematite stones found in necklaces and bracelets showcase the rose pinks/tans color trends of this season.

Color Trends for Our Time

The desire for timeless color trends for Fall/Winter 2020-2021 represents society’s shift to waste less and make products more sustainable – perhaps a foreshadowing of the period we are going through now as we work from home, spend more time with family and loved ones and rethink what is most important to us. Yet these timeless shades are also combined with several striking contrasting colors to reflect our optimism and strength. The mix of different color palettes uplifts us, brings vibrancy to our environment, the clothes we wear, and the jewelry with which we accessorize.