MOOD CHANGE Bright, bold colours and fashion joie de vivre have replaced the muted tones and moods of the pandemic years.
2023 colours reflect post-pandemic optimism
Fashion
Maggie Gibbons
It’s all about vibrancy this season. The oracle has spoken! Pantone has revealed the colour palette for 2023, and it’s vivid and beautiful.
From bright orange to hot magenta, earthy greens and citrus yellows, there’s something for everyone. These colours were decided upon six months ago, long before this season began. Each shade was carefully selected to reflect the upcoming season as well as influences like weather predictions and general mood.
The catwalks play a major part in influencing what we’ll see in the stores. The colour of 2023 is magenta. This is not a colour many of you will be familiar with. I am, because in Leaving Cert year we had to have magenta pencils for drawing maps. It’s a sort of hybrid of purple and red, and if you licked the tip of the pencil it actually deepened the colour. Because I associate it with school, it will never be a favourite of mine.
While the aim of colour selection is to encourage individualism, it’s also to encourage us to go a bit bolder with our choices. There is a leaning this year towards bright colours, and more than a nod to dramatic ones. This really makes a change from the softer, muted shades of previous seasons. I suppose in Covid times the mood was muted, hence the softer colours of the past couple of years. Vive la change!
Feel-good rainbow
Red, orange and raspberry will be hugely popular. Pantone’s Fiery Red is a high-energy colour, not a shade for the faint hearted. You’ll be seen coming in this hue. You certainly won’t hide in it!
Fuchsia is a dramatic shade of pink, and designers certainly favoured it in the fashion shows. If this is too bold an option for you, then the peachy pink may be more to your taste. Half a world away from ‘Beetroot’, Crystal Rose is soft and romantic. This is appearing in floaty dresses and blouses. Isn’t pink just the most romantic colour anyway?
Empire Yellow is a citrus tone that will be very evident. I saw it on the Today show yesterday. It’s very yellow, which sounds a bit daft, but there’s nothing soft about it. Think buttercup yellow and you have it.
Burnt orange is both vibrant and warm. Watch out for coats in this shade. It can be a tough one to wear, but if it suits you go for it. A brilliant mood booster.
A Gray Lilac is still keeping with the ubiquitous grey, but infuses it with a hint of lilac. While lilac can be a difficult colour to wear as it’s very light, the grey inclusion adds interest.
Mid greens, limes and emeralds are back again. There’s been a huge resurgence of green, in every shade over the past couple of years. I’m already seeing blazers and dresses galore in bright greens. Love it! There were beautiful shades of blue also. One of my favourites was Skylight! Can’t you just imagine the colour by thinking of the night sky through a skylight.
Neutrals
There were also a lot of blacks and browns on the runways. Black will never go away; there’s no doubt, it’s classy and safe. And so forgiving! But remember there’s a myriad of other colours that will make you look slimmer while flattering your face too. This is where jewel shades, like ruby, emerald and violet blues play a blinder. While neutrals don’t bring on the same exuberance, they’re a key part of any wardrobe, and are fabulous foundation shades. Coffee and cream look wonderful with blues and greens, while white will soften black in a flattering way. Macchiato brown is a coffee-inspired shade that is classy and elegant.
This is truly a year of inspirational wardrobe colours. Enjoy picking yours!
Maggie Gibbons is an Image/Style Consultant based in Louisburgh. She can be contacted at living@mayonews.ie.