Not in a ‘walking through the back of the wardrobe into Narnia’ kind of way (although right now that seems the perfect escape), but in the shades you pick…
The Pantone Color Institute (yep, they’re American!) is the go-to when it comes to colour trends in design and creative industries. Each year since 1999, they’ve picked their ‘Colour of the Year’, based on the mood of the world at the time. If you love colour (as obviously I do) it’s a great source of inspiration for our style, and there’s some psychology behind it too if you want to get a bit geeky.
This year, they’ve been greedy and picked not just one colour, but two – ‘Ultimate Gray’ and ‘Illuminating’. After the year we’ve just had, we could be forgiven for wearing head-to-toe black in mourning for 2020, but these two colours represent a more hopeful outlook. The grey is a solid, dependable shade and the yellow is a bright sunshiny shade that gives hope for the future.
How to bring these Colours of the Year into your wardrobe
Regardless of these meanings, I’ve always loved the combination of grey and yellow – it looks fresh and chic at the same time. As ever, there are hundreds (or is it 50?) different shades of grey and yellow, but you can get the look of this pairing without it having to be spot on.
If you don’t want to do the look head-to-toe, this Stephanie scarf by Phase Eight £39, is a good way to get the colour combo in an accessory –great to throw round your neck over a soft grey jumper for a Zoom call!
The Ultimate Grey is a good mid-depth shade, that is neither too cool nor too warm so will work for most people’s colouring – you’ve probably already got something similar already in your wardrobe. If not, I love this chunky waffle knit by John Lewis’s in-house brand Kiin – £69.
The yellow on the other hand, can be a little trickier. Lots of people tell me they ‘can’t wear’ or aren’t keen on yellow, but with this combo, you can just pick a small amount – like a yellow highlighter, against the neutral grey. Yellow does tend to suit those with ‘warmer’ colouring, so if you have a pink or bluish skin tone and steely silver hair, you might want to keep it away from your top half.
If you want to go all-out, this cheery bobble knot cardigan by Tu at Sainsbury (£22) will do the trick – pair it with some comfy grey jeans to get the Pantone effect…
As ever, the main thing is to have a bit of fun with this. If you’re keen to try these colours out, but aren’t sure how to wear them, or where to find the right pieces, get in touch for a personal style session – info@vickybooker.com
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