Life in colour S/S 2024- a colour & style guide
Editor Sharon Graubard, New York, famous for her knowledge in design history and style icons. Building commercial colour & style concepts to express the subtle shift in trends, rathter than focusing on lifestyle-driven insights for brands and retailers.
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FROM THE EDITOR
Life in Color is about the way color impacts and informs everything we touch, see or use. A specific shade can spark desire for a simple notebook, make a lipstick become a personal fetish or bring newness to a classic blazer. At a moment in time where we are caught between socio-economic turmoil, humanitarian crises and environmental urgency, color vacillates between escape in the form of fantasy expression and providing real solutions with eco-friendly vegetal dyes and unbleached neutrals.
This season balances optimism with pragmatism; dreams of a better future view with real-world facts. But in turbulent times, a dose of fantasy is more than just an escape; it offers the brain and spirit a respite, a breathing space that allows for new solutions or profound insights.
KEY THEMES FOR LIFE 24.2 - spring/summer 2024
Mauve-Elois: Purple loses its hippie-tie-dye-fortune-teller connotations and gets sophisticated. A range of wearable and elegant violets, from pale lilac to deep plum, accented with chartreuse and turquoise. The entire palette works for powdery eyeshadows, while the heliotrope shades are new for lip color, especially in sheer yet highly pigmented formulations. KEYWORDS: glossy opulence, floral purple, Powerful statement, haut-craft
Bio-Nature: is where we save the earth with plant-based greens, brightened with a goldenrod ochre and deepened with a beetroot red. These verdant colors lighten with glittery finishes or sheer applications. Checkerboards in these shades become an updated camouflage pattern, while pleated or fuzzy surfaces imitate foliage or soft moss. KEYWORDS: glistening nature, shimmering greens, camo-chameleon, biomimicry
Blossom Dearie: palette takes its name from the iconic chanteuse whose feathery voice lent whimsy and sweetness to jazz. Like those mid-century recordings, petal pinks and flowery pastels add a fanciful note, while a suntan neutral keeps it modern. Dreamy eye shadows, frankly fake hair colors and rosy blushers for any gender expression. Flower motifs work for jewelry and vintage-y wall coverings, while scalloped edges add charm to both clothing and furniture. KEYWORDS: floral blooms, whimsical pastels, Romantic glow, delightfully playful.
Chanterelle: Mushrooms — whether humble or exotic, medicinal or magic — are celebrated. These are the new neutrals, both calming and luxurious, a mix of pinky taupe, deep morel brown, oyster gray and golden yellows. The beautification of beige continues in tone-on-tone interiors and subtly made-up faces. Mushroom-derived leathers powdered “umami” seasonings and alternative coffees are all part of the current fungi obsession. KEYWORDS: organically earthly, mushroom neutrals, sunbaked warmth, Restorative
Summer Haus is about the joy of simple things, elevated with a constructivist sense of geometry. The classic banner-waving palette softens with a coral pink rather than flag red, a range of coastal blues, and a natural linen color rather than optic white. Sunshine yellow provide an accent. This palette works for retro swimwear, beachy stripes, or preppy blazers, or goes boho with artisanal techniques. Makeup can be classic or creatively applied with a freehand approach. KEYWORDS: bau-haus graphics, nostalgic simplicity, artfully boho, energetically bold
Sea Life. A more mythological view of oceanic inspiration brought forward from last season. Aquatic turquoise and green-cast blues mix with periwinkle and seaweed olive for a palette that is both naturalistic and dreamy. Glimmery surfaces add mermaid allure to fluid knits, sequin-covered sheaths or glazed tiles. Makeup is pearlized or sparkling, with coarse-grained glitters adding fish-scale- like glints to eyelids or nails. KEYWORDS: reflective surfaces, deep sea, harmonious depth, aqueous cools.
Dark Arts get even more esoteric, with dusky shades conjuring occult practices or arcane knowledge. Deep sapphire, carnelian red and rubellite get metaphysical energy from a coppery brown and a silvery gray. These pigments can go punky or goth with spikes and face jewelry, or work in moody classics for a dark academia feel. A renewed interest in calligraphy informs packaging and ink-drawn prints. KEYWORDS: magic spell, mystical jewels, intense talisman, edgy elegance
Euphoria is the all-out escapist fantasy. Magical shocking pinks and highlighter yellow mix with morphing greens, for painterly prints, psychedelic swirls or jewel-encrusted solids. Surfaces can be shiny, velvety, perforated or plush. An expressive approach to make-up pervades, with faceted face-gems, double-lined eyes and plenty of glitter. NFTs inspire a cyber aesthetic with fantasy hair colors, exaggerated shapes and plenty of holographic glitter. KEYWORDS: cyber-sports, fantasy florals, intense expression, imaginative freedom
