My Top 3 Fashion Items In Pantone's Colours Of The Year, Ultimate Gray and Illuminating
/Who are Pantone?
Pantone, is the leading authority on all things ‘colour’ - they provide a “ universal language of colour that enables colour-critical decisions through every stage of the workflow for brands and manufacturers.”
Their colour reference charts allow graphic designers, fashion designers, and manufacturers (to name but a few) to talk a common language when it comes to colour, as each colour created is given a specific reference number.
Their influence is far reaching - make-up, fashion, product packaging and home furnishings - and no more so than when they announce their “colour of the year”, which is promptly followed by an influx of products focused on that ‘colour’.
Pantone’s Colour of the Year for 2021: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating
“A marriage of colour conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting.”, says Pantone
This year their colours of the year are ‘Ultimate Gray and Illuminating’. Described by Pantone as: “Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, the union of PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating is one of strength and positivity. It is a story of colour that encapsulates deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the promise of something sunny and friendly.” After the year that was 2020, the psychological effects of these colours - Illuminating: friendly and joyful, and Ultimate Gray: quietly assuring and reliable - definitely embody all of our wishes for brighter days in 2021!
”Illuminating” is a bight yellow hue, a colour more suited to those of you with strong ‘bright’ characteristics and it looks cool in tone, so this would be best suited to someone with “Winter” colourings. “Ultimate Gray” is a softer gray to charcoal (- a colour a lot of us have in our wardrobes, especially if you’re used to working in the corporate world) and again I would argue that this particular hue is better suited to someone with a cool undertone to their skin, so a “Summer” or “Winter”. For those of you with a warmer undertone to your skin you would need to seek out clothing and make-up with a warmer element to it…. and that’s what happens each year, there is a focus on a particular colour and if that particular colour is not flattering for us then we need to be strong and resist the temptation to buy, even if we do really, really love that colour!! As an example take a look at the images below…
My Top 4 Fashion Items in Pantone’s Colour of the Year
Whistles, Issy Mini Foldover Bag, Lemon, £69
I’m a huge fan of foldover bags and ones that can be worn across your body - maybe this comes from having a son and always needing my hands-free! If you want to embrace the “Illuminating” colour trend in your wardrobe but don’t feel comfortable going all-out with an item of clothing, then accessorise with the colour instead. Over the years I’ve been very impressed with Whistles as a brand and this is the perfect accessory. It comes in 4 colours and in the theme of “Illuminating” there are two yellows: vibrant yellow (- perfect for a cooler skin-tone) and gold (- for a warmer skin-tone).
COS, Relaxed Hoodie, Light Grey, £45
A beautiful light grey toned hoodie and at a good price point too. This style of hoodie is perfect if you have a ‘natural’ style preference but are wanting to look more put-together, as it would team really well under a blazer. The cut of the hoodie lends itself to suiting someone who is ‘straighter’ on top rather than ‘contoured’.
www.mywardrobehq.com, Versace Femme Baroque Printed Silk Wrap Dress, From £36 / Day (RRP £2,267)
Now that’s a dress! Not my style by any stretch of the imagination but if you have a special occasion coming up and you want to remain on-trend by embracing this year’s colours, then one option you might want to consider is renting that special item. I’ve heard some great things about this company and, from a sustainability point of view, the fact that you can rent their items of clothing really appeals to me. It’ll definitely be a company that I’ll be keeping an eye on!
If you purchase any of the products above let me know what you think in the comment box below - I would love to hear how you get on.
And if you would like to learn more about which colours are your most flattering and those that you can wear to enhance your skin-tone, creating a glowing, healthy, vibrant look. Then a 1-2-1 colour analysis or joining my Make-up & Style Academy - where you’ll learn about this and so much more, are the perfect solutions!