Spring/summer 2023 color trends pantone

Prepare for juicy brights and soft pastels in a new era of color play.

Photo: Imaxtree

Prepare for juicy brights and soft pastels in a new era of color play.

Known as the authority on color, the Pantone Color Institute just released its semiannual Color Trend Report, crowning the standout Spring 2023 hues from New York Fashion Week before the collections walk down the runway.

Every season, the Color Trend Report gives us a sneak peek of the fashion to come, based on the palettes designers are inspired by and gravitating towards, with Pantone sometimes working directly with them to create new shades and set the trends. For Spring 2023, the standout colors — i.e. the most common and noticeable in the new collections — are an ode to revival and individual rejuvenation.

"Colors for Spring 2023 are recalibrated for the new era we are entering. Blending escapism with reality, wholesomeness, and joy, we embrace the exploration of extreme contrast in mood and color," Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone Color Institute's executive director, said in a statement.

The Spring 2023 palette is a mix between colors you may already have in your wardrobe [like a soft blue] and those that you may have shied away from [imagine yourself experimenting with an orange shade as vibrant as a juicy tangerine or a sunflower-reminiscent shade of yellow]. The top 10, which you can browse below, are: Fiery Red [18-1664], Beetroot Purple [18-2143], Tangelo [15-1335], Peach Pink [15-1530], Empire Yellow [14-0756], Crystal Rose [12-1708], Classic Green [16-6340], Love Bird [13-0443], Blue Perennial [16-4036] and Summer Song [14-4316]. 

The report also highlights some classic colors that are trending for Spring 2023, that are more muted and soft — think a Macchiato [17-1221] brown and a Gray Lilac [13-3804]. 

Between the mix of vibrant hues and toned-down newcomers, this season's color trends signal a freedom in fashion. Rather than being beholden to strict matching, expect a reconnaissance with color play as a form of reclaiming individuality. There's still a practicality to the palette Pantone's highlighting, but it's mirrored by a feeling of fun through the unexpected nature of these colors. 

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