The Colours That Dominated the 2021 Runways Are Here

To put it plainly, last season’s collections were cautiously optimistic. Designers stuck to basic silhouettes and a serene colour palette of soothing powder blues, sage greens, and mellow corals for the most part. The result was like the Calm app in clothing form: a comforting sartorial message of hope amid a (very) turbulent year.

And for the Northern Hemisphere autumn/winter 2021 season, that hope remains a constant with classic, muted shades like soft grays (as chic suiting at Vetements) and frosty pale pinks (as a bejewelled dress at Erdem). But the most startling difference this go-around is the blatant, unadulterated joy in the pieces, which manifested in bolts of brilliant yellows, fiery reds, and fuchsia – colours so fiercely bold and feminine, they could almost be seen as an affront to the sweats we’ve been living in for the past year. Perhaps that’s the point: to remind us of clothes from the Before Times, like a trio of hot pink gowns from Prabal Gurung or a delicate pleated dress by Victoria Beckham in siren red.

Still, we’re not out of the woods just yet. In an act of restraint, designers, including Kim Jones of Fendi, Gabriela Hearst, and Collina Strada, chose to firmly root their collections in reality via monochromatic looks in colours that literally remind us of the ground: rich dark browns that look like soil (Pantone cleverly coined this shade “root beer” brown) and reddish-browns that resemble adobe clay. The delicate balance between practical hues and lively brights can be best summed up by Leatrice Eisemen, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, when the colours of 2021 were chosen: “The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. Practical and rock-solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a color combination that gives us resilience and hope.”

Read on to see the top colours for fall/winter 2021.

Prabal Gurung

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia

It was only fitting that designers chose the hottest shade of pink to craft the hottest designs of their collections, from a shimmery cutout number at Christian Cowan to sweeping, can’t-look-away gowns at Prabal Gurung (pictured).

Richie Davis

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia

Anna Sui fall 2021

Adrienne Raquel

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia

Christian Cowan fall 2021

Y/Project

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia

Y/Project fall 2021

Claudia Li

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia

Claudia Li fall 2021

Markarian

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia

Markarian fall 2021

Simon Miller

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay

Designers captured the warmth of this salt-of-the-earth, reddish-brown hue via swingy knit dresses (as seen at Simon Miller, pictured, and Gabriela Hearst), structured coats (Thakoon), and breezy handkerchief skirts (Ulla Johnson).

Alberta Ferretti / Photo: Alberto Maddaloni / idi.s

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay

Alberta Ferretti fall 2021

Greg Kessler for Gabriela Hearst / Thomas Concordia

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay

Gabriela Hearst

Norma Kamali

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay

Norma Kamali fall 2021

PH5

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay

PH5 fall 2021

Ulla Johnson

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay

Ulla Johnson fall 2021

Victor Glemaud

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay

Victor Glemaud fall 2021

Thakoon

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay

Thakoon fall 2021

Lela Rose

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink

Designers made a strong case for this delicate shade of pink: Wes Gordon of Carolina Herrera and Lela Rose (pictured) opted for structure, while Glenn Martens of Y/Project and Simone Rocha played up its femininity.

Carolina Herrera / Jonathan_Nesteruk

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink

Carolina Herrera fall 2021

Erdem

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink

Erdem fall 2021

Private Policy

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink

Private Policy fall 2021

Simone Rocha

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink

Simone Rocha fall 2021

Y/Project

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink

Y/Project fall 2021

Molly Goddard / Ben Broomfield @photobenphoto

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red

Red – the color of passion, love, and strength – has always been a dynamic shade, and while some designers amplified its power through angular shapes and rigid lines, like at Moschino, others opted for a sweeter take with tiers of tulle (Molly Goddard, pictured) and translucent silhouettes (Victoria Beckham).

Victoria Beckham

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red

Victoria Beckham fall 2021

Adeam

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red

Adeam fall 2021

Adam Lippes

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red

Adam Lippes fall 2021

Georgia Nerheim

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red

Alice + Olivia fall 2021

Zero + Maria Cornejo

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red

Zero + Maria Cornejo fall 2021

Marco Ovando

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Reed

Moschino fall 2021

Rosetta Getty

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray

Quiet and subtle, this shade of gray always delivers relaxed sophistication, whether that’s through sweeping dresses at Rosetta Getty (pictured) and Emilia Wickstead, or sharp suiting at Proenza Schouler, Vetements, and Vivienne Westwood.

Vetements

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray

Vetements fall 2021

Emilia Wickstead

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray

Emilia Wickstead fall 2021

Proenza Schouler

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray

Proenza Schouler fall 2021

Veronica Beard

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray

Veronica Beard fall 2021

Vivienne Westwood

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray

Vivienne Westwood fall 2021

Atlein

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown

This incredibly rich, deep shade of brown is inherently grounding. Use it to temper a brighter shade, or wear it on its own as a floor-sweeping dress (Rebecca Taylor) or flirty mini (Fendi and Cinq a Sept).

Pictured: Atlein fall 2021

Fendi

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown

Fendi fall 2021

Cinq a Sept

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown

Cinq a Sept fall 2021

Charlie Engman

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown

Collina Strada fall 2021

Rebecca Taylor

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown

Rebecca Taylor fall 2021

Sandy Liang

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown

Sandy Liang fall 2021

The Row

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown

The Row fall 2021

Zimmermann

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown

Zimmermann fall 2021

A.Potts

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow

Like a jolt of energy, this electric yellow is the color we need after a dark year. And it’s just as versatile as any other hue, from sporty separates (Victor Glemaud and Claudia Li) to elegant shapes (Proenza Schouler, Prada, and 3.1 Phillip Lim).

Pictured: A.Potts fall 2021

Claudia Li

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow

Claudia Li fall 2021

Tanya Taylor

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow

Tanya Taylor fall 2021

Simon Miller

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow

Simon Miller fall 2021

3.1 Phillip Lim

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow

3.1 Phillip Lim fall 2021

Proenza Schouler

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow

Proenza Schouler fall 2021

Victor Glemaud

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow

Victor Glemaud fall 2021V

Prada

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow

Prada fall 2021

Jil Sander

Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow

Jil Sander fall 2021

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