AW2021/22 Colour Trend Report

Do you ever feel like some seasons the shops are full of colours that you either don't like or that don't suit you? It's SO frustrating when you see a style you love but the colour is all wrong and then it seems like that bad colour is literally everywhere.  And because the fashion industry pretty much dictates what we'll be wearing a year ahead of time;  you can be certain that you'll see a common theme occurring on the High Street.  That's great if those shades work for you, but not so good if they don't. 

This is the Pantone colour palette for Autumn Winter 21/22 and you'll notice right away that a few of these colours have started springing up in your favourite stores already.   On first glance you might think there's nothing here for you but I actually think this selection has something for everyone and can absolutely be adapted with a few tweaks here and there.

Detailed below you'll find my guide to this particular seasonal palette and how to make it work for you.

Inspired by the merging of both nature and urban themes, I've categorised these shades into four main groups, based on who I think they will best suit.

Clear Neutral Brights - Green Bee, Ibiza Blue, Illuminating and Red Alert.

These medium intensity colours will work really well for if you have a neutral skin tone with no predominant cool or warm undertone, or if you have been colour analysed as a Bright or Clear.  If this is the case, these are great worn close to your face or as a main item (such as an overcoat).  Just make sure you balance them out and make them really pop with a great clear pink or red lipstick.

If these shades don't work for you or they overpower you; don't worry.  They will appear in prints and accessories, so you could still pick up the trend by choosing a great bag or pair of shoes.

Medium Warms  - Tomato Cream, Daylily, Olive Branch

Also medium in intensity are the warms.  So, if you have a skin with a yellow base (think about how you buy foundation) and hair with golden or red tones, these are likely to work really, really well for you.  Being mid-intensity, these colours will look best on you if there's not a huge contrast between your hair, skin and eye colouration - otherwise like the neutral brights - they could end up overpowering you. If this is the case, think about picking them up as part of a print or via your accessories.

Cool Muted Lights - First Blush, Clear Sky, Perfectly Pale and Ultimate Gray

These three colours are perfect for the transition into Spring, so we might see more of them later in the season (as I'm writing this in late Summer/early Autumn; right now, everything seems to be about the brights).  They'll work really well for you near to the face or as a block of colour, if you have a cool (pink) undertone to your skin, hair with an ashy or grey base and cool blue, brown or grey eyes.

Again, don't worry if you love these colours but they look blah and wishy washy on you.  Simply pick them as an accent rather than the main event.

Essential Neutrals - Downtown Brown and After Midnight

For me, these are the two shades that essentially pull this palette together because with very few exceptions; they'll work with everything in it.  So unless you are really light in colouring (and if that is the case choose the light taupe or grey as your neutral), these are great choices for major purchases such as a coat, handbag, jacket or shoes. Plus, they'll work for seasons to come.

If you're drawn to the neutral brights or the warms, both of these base colours will make them truly pop