If you thought Pantone’s Fashion Color Trend Report for the next installment of New York Fashion Week was all trend-driven, think again.
Diversity, Barbiecore, pandemic lockdowns, intergalactic images, and our deeper connection with nature all come into play. Leatrice Eiseman, managing director of the Pantone Color Institute, reviewed the top 10 color palettes and the five Essential Classics, explaining the list’s practicality and implications.
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One of the lasting effects of the pandemic, Eiseman said, has been a slower pace of fashion trends, in part because people have become accustomed to shopping less and rummaging through their closets more. Priorities changed and sameness became a factor. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for innovation. This is what attracts the human eye. “This doesn’t mean the trends will ever disappear,” he said.
However, many shoppers are increasingly inclined to confuse new finds with something they already own. “The other practical issue for a lot of people is, ‘How much is this going to cost?’ If they have something that’s practically good, they want to improve it and make it more fun,” Eiseman said. “It’s definitely less about following the rule book of fashion and being more creative.”
Eiseman cautioned that all of this doesn’t mean the fall 2024 palette “isn’t exciting.” “It’s always about how you can combine them.”
Compared to the vibrant colors that have been splashed across social media and some catwalks in recent seasons, some of the top 10s may seem solemn. Is this a response to Barbiecore? Eiseman thinks so, too, and explains that there is now a return to colors that are inherently rich, warm and convey a sense of elegance. “I call this ‘homeostasis’ in my classes. It brings balance to your colors and seasons. If the previous season was unusually bright and you open your closet, you may think you need something to lighten things up. “We often don’t express it in words, but we feel it instinctively.”
Another subconscious factor influencing fall color preferences may be the intergalactic images we see from the James Webb Space Telescope. “Moonstruck” parallels this, “a shadowy, mysterious gray that lurks in the atmosphere and looks great with any color you put it next to,” Eiseman said. Same goes for Italian Plum, Red Orange and Winter Sky.
Besides outer space imagery, other determinants are the changing winds in the art world, and socioeconomic forces as well as “what’s going on in the world around us in general are always taken into consideration. We keep our ears and eyes open to the soul of the consumer. Part of what we do when we forecast is ‘What brought us to this point?’ is to think about the question. We also try to look into the soul of the designers. When we see their collections, we wonder what they might have had in mind when choosing colors,” Eiseman said. “Frankly, we cannot think for them. But a lot of creative people, especially in the design field, have that second sense.”
On another level, having two versions of brown – Raw Umber and Buckthorn Brown – points to the ongoing debate about diversity. “It’s definitely an undertone. It may not be expressed in so many words. Varieties of brown tones and brown skin are much more appreciated. Of course, we see this in both the cosmetics industry and the fashion industry. This has affected many areas such as advertising. Now your eyes are open to all variations of brown. “We’re seeing a lot more diversity in print, online, fashion, art, product design and wherever color is applied,” Eiseman said. “I think diversity has a lot to do with it.”
New York Fashion Week Fall 2024 Color Palette
Tomato Cream 16-1348: The name alone is familiar and delicious to many beyond cooks who love canned Campbell’s Soup, but this shade has a toasty, nutty undertone. John Galliano’s Maison Margiela served Tomato Cream in simple styles, and Christian Siriano hinted at it in an inspired sketch for fall 2024. Compared to all other colors, this warm hue “is at the top in fall because it makes you want to wrap yourself in it,” Eiseman said.
Red Smile 19-1558: Paging Taylor Swift: Scarlet Smile looks like it was tailor-made for the megastar, whose signature red lipstick is as bold as can be while cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs and boyfriend Travis Kelce. With Mac’s Ruby Woo and Nars’ Velvet Matte in Dragon Girl being part of the Grammy winner’s makeup arsenal, determining the exact shade has become a science in itself. Another big Chief fan, Brittany Mahomes, wore a Scarlet Smile bikini for Sports Illustrated’s 60th anniversary swimsuit issue. “If you are practical and hold on to what you have, psychologically there is nothing better than red to give you an adrenaline shot. It’s the first color that comes to mind for most people when they add something to their wardrobe,” Eiseman said.
Palme d’Or 17-0839 TCX: Inspired by the environment, Golden Palm blends with greenery like a tree in the forest in the color report, whether it is Aventurine or the deeper Fern. Not a dull yellow green, the earthy Golden Palm has a warmth that makes it somewhat familiar. Designer Adam Lippes attended the Veronica Beard party in Los Angeles this week, wearing a Palme d’Or embellished outfit.
Aventurine 19-5421: Close to teal and turquoise, Aventurine is a rich mineral-based hue. It compliments the toasty tones and reds in the cast.
Red Orange 17-1464: This vibrant hue at the peak of red and orange shows that reds signal warmth rather than coldness. NFL fans might argue that Red Orange is more central to the Kansas City Chiefs’ jerseys, and there are millions of fans to make that argument with Super Bowl LVIII two days away in Las Vegas. There are more Chiefs fans than ever, considering the team’s social media base grew nearly 7 percent to 550,000 as of October.
Fern 16-0430: As greens have become more routine on the fashion color wheel, they have reached neutral status because they go with just about everything. This leafy green “works very well with half the colors in the palette,” Eiseman said.
Italian Plum 19-2514: No matter how inviting this name is, Italian Erik may not strike you as neutral at first glance. But Eiseman said this deep purple provides versatility when combined with other tones, just like eggplant and dark grapes.
Moonstruck 14-4500: The dusky gray has enough presence to rank in the top 10 rather than being grouped with the Core Classics, a sign of the staying power of grays. AZ Factory and Zuhair Murad incorporated Moonstruck into their couture collections, and Remain used it in evening wear at Copenhagen Fashion Week.
Winter Sky 14-4307: While the cool blue hue may be a surprise for fall, Winter Sky “makes a statement,” as does the next Lucent White. Both shades balance the top 10 with simplicity.
Bright White 11-0700: The prominence of this pure, “clarifying” white doesn’t mean creamy whites are disappearing, Eiseman said. The Lucent White shirt is a key piece of the relaunched Donna Karan New York collection. “What happens is there are a lot of white people, it feels weird to say that.” Asked whether the emphasis on explanation points to the idea that everything is or can be deleted, Eiseman added: “That’s absolutely true.”
New York Fashion Week Fall 2024 New Classics
White Swan 12-000: The soft and fluffy White Swan is also the second white in the selection, signaling that more clarification is needed. However, according to Eiseman, it is warmer than Lucent White and pulls the shadow in another direction. Boygenius’ Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus accepted their Grammys last weekend wearing Thom Browne suits in White Swan. Zendaya and Bad Bunny also caught this trend in important photo shoots.
Raw Umber 17-1422: This grounded brown is associated with the Earth, and designers are using more brown than ever before. Dapper Dan added touches of Raw Umber to his recently released series of collaborations with Gap.
Dark Seagull Gray 18-0403: Balancing solid, dense and cool tones, Dark Dull Gray provides a solid foundation just like Raw Umber does. It also makes good sense for the evening, as Tory Burch proved in Los Angeles this week.
Baritone Blue 19-3812: This navy blue is a color that Pantone has developed over the last few years and it hits just the right note. Blues tend to be subjective for many shoppers. The same can be said for designers including Dennis Basso for fall 2024. When most people think of “navy” they think of varying degrees of navy blue, but Baritone Blue doesn’t make people think, “Oh, that’s just another navy or dark blue.” blue,’” Eiseman said.
Buckhorn Brown 18-0935: Although it was unusual to have two browns in the list of five primary colors, the Pantone team felt that “browns were very important.” As its name suggests, Buckhorn Brown has a western flair, another fashion trend that Ralph Lauren first tackled decades ago. “This whole western vibe has become so strong that I call it a cowboy classic,” said Eiseman, who completed his estimate of a home’s interiors. To this point, it’s worth noting that Beyoncé wore a white Stetson hat to the Grammys last weekend.
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