Popsugar Fashion Autumn Fashion 2021 Autumn Colour Trends 2021 The Colours That Dominated the Autumn 2021 Runways Are Here 14 October 2021 by Andrea Cheng Image Source: Simon Miller 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 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 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 Colour 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 colour combination that gives us resilience and hope." Read on to see the top colours for autumn/winter 2021. Related: The 7 Fashion Trends We'll All Be Happily Wearing This Fall Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia Image Source: Prabal Gurung 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). 1 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia Image Source: Richie Davis Anna Sui autumn 2021 2 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia Image Source: Adrienne Raquel Christian Cowan autumn 2021 3 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia Image Source: Y/Project Y/Project autumn 2021 4 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia Image Source: Claudia Li Claudia Li autumn 2021 5 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Flaming Fuchsia Image Source: Markarian Markarian autumn 2021 6 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay Image Source: Simon Miller 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). 7 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay Image Source: Alberta Ferretti Alberta Ferretti autumn 2021 8 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay Image Source: Greg Kessler for Gabriela Hearst Gabriela Hearst autumn 2021 9 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay Image Source: Norma Kamali Norma Kamali autumn 2021 10 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay Image Source: PH5 PH5 autumn 2021 11 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay Image Source: Ulla Johnson Ulla Johnson autumn 2021 12 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay Image Source: Victor Glemaud Victor Glemaud autumn 2021 13 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Adobe Clay Image Source: Thakoon Thakoon autumn 2021 14 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink Image Source: Lela Rose 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. 15 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink Image Source: Carolina Herrera Carolina Herrera autumn 2021 16 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink Image Source: Erdem Erdem autumn 2021 17 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink Image Source: Private Policy Private Policy autumn 2021 18 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink Image Source: Simone Rocha Simone Rocha autumn 2021 19 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Frosty Pink Image Source: Y/Project Y/Project autumn 2021 20 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red Image Source: Molly Goddard 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). 21 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red Image Source: Victoria Beckham Victoria Beckham autumn 2021 22 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red Image Source: Adeam Adeam autumn 2021 23 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red Image Source: Adam Lippes Adam Lippes autumn 2021 24 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red Image Source: Georgia Nerheim Alice + Olivia autumn 2021 25 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Red Image Source: Zero + Maria Cornejo Zero + Maria Cornejo fall 2021 26 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Fiery Reed Image Source: Marco Ovando Moschino fall 2021 27 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray Image Source: Rosetta Getty 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. 28 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray Image Source: Vetements Vetements fall 2021 29 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray Image Source: Emilia Wickstead Emilia Wickstead fall 2021 30 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray Image Source: Proenza Schouler Proenza Schouler fall 2021 31 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray Image Source: Veronica Beard Veronica Beard fall 2021 32 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Soft Gray Image Source: Vivienne Westwood Vivienne Westwood fall 2021 33 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown Image Source: Atlein 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 34 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown Image Source: Fendi Fendi fall 2021 35 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown Image Source: Cinq a Sept Cinq a Sept fall 2021 36 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown Image Source: Charlie Engman Collina Strada fall 2021 37 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown Image Source: Rebecca Taylor Rebecca Taylor fall 2021 38 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown Image Source: Sandy Liang Sandy Liang fall 2021 39 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown Image Source: The Row The Row fall 2021 40 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Root Beer Brown Image Source: Zimmermann Zimmermann fall 2021 41 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow Image Source: A.Potts 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 42 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow Image Source: Claudia Li Claudia Li fall 2021 43 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow Image Source: Tanya Taylor Tanya Taylor fall 2021 44 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow Image Source: Simon Miller Simon Miller fall 2021 45 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow Image Source: 3.1 Phillip Lim 3.1 Phillip Lim fall 2021 46 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow Image Source: Proenza Schouler Proenza Schouler fall 2021 47 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow Image Source: Victor Glemaud Victor Glemaud fall 2021V 48 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow Image Source: Prada Prada fall 2021 49 / 50 Colour Trend Autumn 2021: Vibrant Yellow Image Source: Jil Sander Jil Sander fall 2021 50 / 50 Autumn Fashion 2021Fall Fashion 2021Fashion TrendsColour TrendsRunwayFashion Week