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Here Are the Most Fashionable Colors of 2016, According to Pantone

The experts say to deck your NYFW wardrobe in peach echo, lilac grey, and limpet shell.
Images courtesy Pantone

Personally, I thought the fashion world was headed in the direction of monotone drapery, assemblages of all the numerous shades of black and grey thrown over the shoulders of the tall and lanky. But according to the color experts at Pantone, 2016 is set to be yet another colorful year. Pantone, a global authority on color, has released a followup to their first semiannual color report, published back in February of this year. The X-Rite subsidiary once again brings together of a collection of fashion world aristocrats to construct an overview of the top 10 colors used by designers for the upcoming season in both women’s and men’s fashion.

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Released in conjunction with New York Fashion Week, the new report features color swatch cards that provide a backdrop for designer sketches of the outfits worn on the runways this week. The dominating color of each outfit is quickly identifiable as it is paired and labeled with its corresponding swatch card.

Through a reflection on the high stress nature of modern society, and a desire to develop a disconnect with technology, designers this year have been utilizing a more relaxing and soothing color palette. As written in Pantone’s press release, “The colors emerging in the Spring collections serve as vehicles that transport wearers to more tranquil, mindful environments which encourage relaxation first, followed by curiosity and exploration.”

Designers explore the contrast between urban expansion and the natural world, the artificial with the organic, trying to create an image that reflects the world we live in while playing with the idea of escapism.  The colors on the runway are bright and optimistic, transcending both cultural and gender norms: “For Spring 2016 there are truly no perceivable distinctions in color choices between the men’s and women’s collections, both of which focus on a desire to breathe and reflect, then play.”

Nicole Miller, Rebecca Minkoff, Pamella Roland, and many others are using the top colors of the Spring Season shown below:

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