Pantone Color Trend Report for NYFW Spring 2024 Is All About Balance

● With equal measures of warm and cool hues, the palette encourages individualism and escapism.

Self-expression, escapism,

the need for nature, culinary pursuits and soothing shades may sound like the remnants of the pandemic shutdown, but they are infused in the Pantone Fashion Color Trend Report for spring 2024 New York Fashion Week.

Collectively, the 10 leading colors and five basics serve up a more toned-down palette than in previous spring seasons, but they are also complimentary and can easily be combined. All in all, the Pantone Color Institute's executive director Leatrice Eiseman said more and more creators in other areas are looking to fashion to get their inspiration.

“These colors are definitely going to be inspirational even for industrial design,” she said.

Regardless of what design area they are in, anybody who works in color should be looking at any other industry and what they are using — whether that be automotive, interiors, technology, films or anime. “Of course, fashion has always been a forerunner — in setting color trends,” Eiseman said. “We're going to see more evidence next year in terms of electronics and even colors that are used in AI that are going to, if not duplicate exactly, but follow the lead of where fashion [colors] are going.”

In general, the color trends are less about an individual cultural influence and more about an overall multicultural mood. “You're going to be walking down the streets of Taipei and you will feel the same e mood that if you were walking down the streets of Chicago. I'm not seeing anything g like Barbiecore pink that is having that strong influence on where fashion is going.”

The spring-summer trend report should appeal to consumers for its overall balance of warm and cool colors, as well as for the potential for individualism that has become more of a priority for many in recent years, Eiseman said. “They have dropped more of the so-called color rules and are willing to experiment. This feeling of release is an ongoing factor. It's been going on since COVID[-19]. Although we keep reading things about new [virus] variants, the initial huge fear that was attached to it is easing. We're continuing ng to allow ourselves to be a bit freer, which ich opens up the imagination.”

She continued, “That inventiveness comes from sustainability and using what we have. At the same time, we know the he human eye is very fickle. We aren't at the point that people are going to stop buying. ying. We're like little kids. We still want that sparkly tool to play with. That's where color really comes on the scene — it piques ques the eye and makes you want to buy.”

To that point, BMW has developed a Vision Dee concept car that can not only y change its color and create a patchwork k effect, but e-ink can be applied to alter the vehicle's grille and headlights. That level el of industrial design is one of the most telling ng signs of color trends, Eiseman said. “If you look at industrial design and concept cars, you'll see the cutting edge of whatever finish is going to become popular whether it's matte, pearlized or whatever. Technology enables them to do that. But if you look at clothing fabric, many times you find fabric manufacturers are imitating or trying to emulate the finishes in concept cars. Of course, the price levels then have to come down to become affordable,” she said.

Just as people sometimes use food to revitalize themselves, the spring color palette can be equally restorative. The health benefits of herbal teas, for example, e, extend beyond personal wellness, according to Eiseman. “They're restorative e in every sense. They're refreshing to taste, but also refreshing to look at.”

Here, Pantone's NYFW Spring/Summer 2024 Color Palette:

This is a full-bodied red imbued with rich, woodsy notes. The toned-down shade has the same effect as the shade of a dress that had been stowed away in a cedar chest for a while, Eiseman said. Gucci, Zegna, Josie Natori, Bally, Emilio Pucci and Markarian's Alexandra O'Neill are among the early adopters.

A mildly tangy orange hue with a fruity touch, but it is not a strident bright orange. Draper James and Sandy Liang are among its adopters. “These toned-down colors are absolutely a nod to sustainability, upcycling and secondhand clothes. There's no question — there's just so much interest. It's beyond trend,” Eiseman said.

Watercress, a refreshing peppery green with a sprightly presence, is cropping up in designer collections and athletic brands alike. Under Armour and Kate Spade New York are already onto it.

This shade doesn't definitively say “so long” to all those Barbie pinks, but it signals a step toward the warmer side of pink. Christian Siriano, Jonathan Cohen and Fforme's Paul Helbers have already embraced the concept. While the pink family is one that people love, Desert Flower offers a different, warmer slant than the bluer pinks that have dominated in the past few seasons. The name alone says it all, but it also is nurturing.

The return of the Canadian tuxedo — denim-on-denim — and many consumers' everlasting fondness for faded Y2K-friendly jeans have helped to revive this blue. With a dash of vibrancy, Chambray Blue has bit more life to it than basic denim, Eiseman said. Talbots has used it for sweaters.

It was also used in the Yayoi Kusama inflatable structure outside of the Louis Vuitton flagship in Paris.

This aquatic blue isn't just one that the Key West-loving types like Ernest Hemingway and Jimmy Buffett favored. This tropical tone is like “immersing yourself in temperate waters,” Eiseman said, “Again, we have to think about climate change and heat. There is a recognition that this color is going to cool you off.”

Filled with zest, this Lemon Drop yellow has a slight tint of green that has a refreshing quality. Adeam's Hanako Maeda is already onto it, as is Mirror Palais' Marcelo Gala.

Like the azure-colored waters of a blue grotto, there is no question that at this vibrant Capri is “a consumer mer favorite.” It also has an undercurrent current of escapism with many wanting ng to retreat from the real world. Even ven the hue's name — like the island in n Italy's

Bay of Naples — is suggestive of f that sentiment. “Even though we know air travel has its challenges, people eople have a bit more freedom schedulingdulingwise. There is also the realization ion that life is short and people want ant to take advantage of it now. We don't know what the future holds,” the color aficionado said, adding that,

“anytime you get into the blue- e-green family, it's hard to make a mistake. They hey are just so popular and with everything ng else in this palette, it's a perfect complement ment to the warmer shades in the palette.” ”

Not just reliable core tones, these colors offer a contemporary edge even when worn monochromatically. The classicism associated with each means they will be long-lasting closet staples.

Clean and crisp, Brilliant White marries es well w with any of the other colors in the palette “with a gorgeous contrast,” Eiseman said. Tory Burch grasps that concept. “It's simplicity but at the same e time, it's modernity.” That can translate te with w such basic colors through the very y clean silhouettes.

This from-the- ground-up taupe offers a modern edge and practicality. Equal parts beige and gray, Mushroom serves up versatility. Bruno Cucinelli needs no convincing and Montblanc is a fan too. “People are thinking a bit more about how they are spending their money. They want to invest more in neutral colors because they know they will last more. That's not to say they aren't going to buy color because color is the ultimate tease. That's what gets your attention online, or in a store window,” Eiseman said.

Like a rainy day, this gray offers quietude. tude. L Like its fellow gray Quiet Shade, North h D Droplet is dependable, shadowy and p protective. Palomo Spain's Alejandro G Gómez Palomo is on board with that.

Quiet Shade Sha is a shadowy gray that offers a pr protective shelter. Newcomers like Sami Miro and established designers like Thom Browne and Dennis Ba Basso are fans.

A utilitarian khaki hue, Brush provides a natural ble blend e to its surroundings. Clare Waight Ke Keller e used it for her Uniqlo collection and Jane Siskin infused it into her Cinq à Sept designs.