To put it plainly, last season's collections were cautiously optimistic. Designers stuck to basic silhouettes and a serene colour palette [1] 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 autumn/winter 2021 season, that hope remains a constant with classic, muted shades like soft greys (as chic suiting at Vetements) and frosty pale pinks (as a bejeweled 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 [2] 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 [3]) 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 Colour Institute, when the colours of 2021 [4] 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 colour combination that gives us resilience and hope."
Read on to see the top colours for autumn/winter 2021.
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).
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia
Anna Sui autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia
Christian Cowan autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia
Y/Project autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia
Claudia Li autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia
Markarian autumn 2021
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).
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay
Alberta Ferretti autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay
Gabriela Hearst autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay
Norma Kamali autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay
PH5 autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay
Ulla Johnson autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay
Victor Glemaud autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay
Thakoon autumn 2021
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.
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink
Carolina Herrera autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink
Erdem autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink
Private Policy autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink
Simone Rocha autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink
Y/Project autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red
Red — the colour 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 [6]).
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red
Victoria Beckham [7] autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red
Adeam autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red
Adam Lippes autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red
Alice + Olivia autumn 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red
Zero + Maria Cornejo fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Reed
Moschino fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray
Quiet and subtle, this shade of grey 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.
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray
Vetements fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray
Emilia Wickstead fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray
Proenza Schouler fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray
Veronica Beard fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray
Vivienne Westwood fall 2021
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
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown
Fendi fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown
Cinq a Sept fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown
Collina Strada fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown
Rebecca Taylor fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown
Sandy Liang fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown
The Row fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown
Zimmermann fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow
Like a jolt of energy, this electric yellow is the colour 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
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow
Claudia Li fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow
Tanya Taylor fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow
Simon Miller fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow
3.1 Phillip Lim fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow
Proenza Schouler fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow
Victor Glemaud fall 2021V
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow
Prada fall 2021
Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow
Jil Sander fall 2021