Shop 5 Of Fashion Week's Trending Colors

During Fall-Winter 2023 New York Fashion Week, designers presented more than just fashion pieces. Most of the shows created fantastical imagined universes that merged our physical reality with our digital world. A textured technicolor palette referenced past nostalgia, present optimism, and future digitization. For several years now, Pantone has referenced this union between fantasy and reality in their color palettes composed of bold and experimental hues grounded by neutral core classics. According to Fashion United, Pantone’s trend report for FW23 includes joyful colors like the color of the year, “Viva Magenta,” various shades of bright reds, oranges, pinks, yellows, and warm greens and blues expressive of a “new reality” of “elation and anticipation” to encourage “exploration and experimentation.”

Experimentation with campy fashion was certainly prominent during Fashion Week, on and off the runway. We have all seen those rubbery red MSCHF boots in street style shots, signaling a continued push toward cartoonish fashion as our zany digital selves enter our physical reality in eccentric tones that differ slightly from those we typically see in reality almost like the high saturations of Hollywood’s technicolor motion pictures. This color nostalgia played into several shows from Sergio Hudson’s ‘90s inspired layered neon in coral, magenta, and chartreuse to Alice + Olivia’s 1960s inspired vivid pop-art tones and vibrant ‘90s snack packaging colors in warm blue and red. Vivienne Tam and many others showcased a rainbow color palette, as Tam says the aim was to “bridge the gap of reality and the virtual world.”

Most fashion pieces seen on runways were highly textured and fluid, marking a desire for movement and animation. NYFW designers essentially brought characters from imagined universes, nostalgic cartoons, and art pieces to life in a dopamine-centric color palette. Here are the five color trends we noticed, and how to shop them!

PLAYFUL CHARTREUSE

A major trend we spotted on the runways was in the unexpected warmth of classically cool colors. Chartreuse, a yellow-tinged green hue, painted many presentations from LAPOINTE’s chartreuse fringed sweater, laminated pants, and ruffled top to Anna Sui’s holographic chartreuse slip dresses. Kate Spade unveiled its official “Kate Spade Green,” in celebration of the brand’s 30th anniversary a few days before fashion week and presented a collection ranging multiple shades of green including chartreuse. Kate Spade’s warm green is meant to display a playfulness and optimism in fashion, and many brands followed suit in spades.

Ombré peach

Many fashion presentations played with a wide spectrum of peach tones. Ulla Johnson’s collection presented peach tones with hints of pink, orange, rust, and red. Instead of presenting a neutral brown, many designers opted to add warmth. Similar to magenta and chartreuse, peach does not indicate a single color, it implies a gradient. Due to the trend of highly textured pieces on the runway, there were seldom purely solid-toned looks. Melke’s “Peaches and Pests” collection includes embroidered peach bras, jackets, and dresses in a fanciful display.

multi-dimensional magenta

Pantone’s color of the year, “Viva Magenta” is a striking hue for its boundlessness. It is not quite red, not quite pink, and not quite purple. It exists exactly midway between red and blue, making it an off-center hue that cannot be categorized. Because of this, magenta is suited to fashion collections evoking fantasy and digitization. Both Sergio Hudson and Christian Siriano added a playful magenta twist on classical silhouettes for their collections. AREA’s “Fabulous Fruits” collection added a citrus splash to feathered gowns and ombre banana two piece sets, playing into the color’s multi-dimensional properties, shifting us into another dimension!

optimistic yellow

There is no color more synonymous with joy than yellow. Designers are certainly subverting norms by presenting colors that are typically associated with warmer seasons in their Fall-Winter collections. In Prabal Gurung’s collection, he explored a metamorphosis butterfly theme emphasizing transformation in life through color. He told the Associated Press, “In Nepal, we talk about it all the time, what is present and how it soon can go. There’s actually an optimism to that, especially during these challenging times.” Gurung knows that bold yellows pop best against dark backdrops. Proenza Schouler also included bright yellow pieces in their collection in a yellow sequined dress and faux fur coat. Marrisa Wilson presented several yellow pieces for her “RHYTHMIC” collection, a presentation highlighting joy and movement in bold gold.

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holographic gray

The color that best represents digitization’s effect on fashion is the holographic gray tone reflected in the runways. The color lends itself to fantasy and the celestial. The color is one that reflects a rainbow of hues when you look closely. The stunning finale gown of Rodarte’s “Gothic Fairies” collection, for example, is a gray tinsel piece twinkling back every color under runway lights. The holographic tone allows for movement and fluidity which was particularly important to most designers this season!

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