I always find it fascinating how the color palate for the season is a reflection of what is happening around us and how we are feeling about it emotionally. Keep in mind, that these spring colors were chosen by designers over a year ago when fabric teams and design teams began to imagine this season’s colors and styles.

Join me for a minute and think back to January of 2021. Do you remember what you were feeling? We had just finished 2020, and I remember hoping we were leaving Covid behind us, having just come out of a very difficult fall and winter with Covid infections and deaths. I felt shell shocked and yet hopeful, the way you leave a bad year behind and look forward to better times as the new year comes.

So it is out of this diverse state of needing comfort, familiarity and stability while at the same time needing to find hope and joy again that this season’s color palate and styles were born. This is how Leatrice Eisemen, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, defines the season, “Colors for Spring 2022 bring together our competing desires for comforting familiarity and joyful adventure through a range of soothing and timeless colors, along with joyous hues that celebrate playfulness. As we enter this new landscape, one where fashion rules no longer apply, hues for Spring 2022 allow us to mix and marry as we please, encouraging the exploration of new chromatic realities, opening the door for personalized style and spontaneous color statements.” (https://www.pantone.com/articles/fashion-color-trend-report/new-york-fashion-week-spring-summer-2022)

As you look at this palate of colors, what feels familiar? Are there colors that you have seen before in previous seasons? What feels comforting or reminds you of a peaceful place? What feels playful? What brings you joy?

We all might answer these questions differently, but as for me, I’ve seen soft blues like Spun Sugar and pinks like Gossamer Pink for several seasons now, even in winter. Bright sunshine yellows life Daffodill as well as deeper mustards have also been consistent over the past several seasons. Denim blue is always foundational, so the Skydiver color feels familiar to me and grounding. Harbor Blue and Glacier Lake remind me of the ocean and a summer sky, so they make me feel comforted. Coca Mocha reminds me of my favorite latte and brings up images of holding a steaming cup of goodness. Dahlia, Innuendo and Poinciana are bright and playful colors, suggesting adventure and joy.

My pairing suggestions are to keep the softer, more pastel colors together as well as the bright colors together. The navy blue is your neutral, and every color in the palate besides the Cocoa Mocha will match well with it. Pair Cocoa Mocha with Gossamer Pink.

This next grouping of colors are what we consider neutrals and foundational colors for the season. You can see that they are all easy to wear shades in soft flesh tones and greys. And then there is Basil. Does it seem out of place to you? Consider what green connotes – Pantone mentiones health and wellness, but green also symbolizes growth, newness, life, vitality, and change. Is it any wonder, coming out of 2020, that this color was included as a core color for the season? Pair Basil with any of these other neutrals for a delightful pop of color. The Poppy Seed will be a great grounding color for the brighter colors in the previous palate and the Northern Droplet will look beautiful for the softer, more pastel colors.

As you begin to shop for new items to add to your spring and summer wardrobe, you will likely be seeing these colors and versions of these colors in your favorite clothing lines. Pay attention to the emotional feeling they evoke for you. As a repesentation of our greatest hopes and desires, they are also a means to find healing. Look for colors that bring you comfort as well as those that inspire you to seek new adventure and find joy.

Watch my live video teaching series called Wednesday Wardrobing each Wednesday at 6 p.m. MST. I will be beginning my Seasonal Trends series tomorrow night and showing you examples of these colors and also how to pair them. Find out more about this series here and join to get messaged reminders of the videos. These classes are only broadcast in our VIP Facebook Group. You can join and watch live here: Fashion Crossroads Fashionistas.