Cue the evolution of quiet luxury

Who could have predicted this bold shift? The signs for brown’s meteoric rise were there if you were watching. From paint companies’ palettes to LA-based interior designer Kelly Wearstler’s bronze wonderland Instagram, the glamification of brown signaled the next phase of quiet luxury. Pantone’s Mocha Mousse offers the second food-themed color of the year in a row — and the first time since revealing a color of the year 25 years ago that a shade of brown was chosen. Media outlets have compared the color to natural elements and “little treat culture.” Pantone says the color intends to represent the zeitgeist, playing on a “desire for comfort” and a “growing movement to align ourselves with the natural world.” Read on for ways to envelop ourselves in this cozy, welcoming color, from home to apparel!

Brown shades at home

Paint offers one of the easiest ways to embrace this new neutral. In April, Little Greene launched a range of brown hues, including a decadent chocolate called Ganache. The capsule, inspired by treats like madeleines and affogato, draws from the walls, woodwork, and furniture of historic UK properties. Simultaneously, Farrow & Ball began showing a palette dominated by various browns, including Broccoli Brown and Cardamom. In October, Benjamin Moore revealed Cinnamon Slate as their 2025 Color of the Year, emphasizing balance, reassurance, and restoration at home. Following Pantone’s announcement, BEHR Paint responded with a playful TikTok: “Mocha mousse, meet cocoa nutmeg.”

Color – an international language

Sabrina Carpenter’s song of the summer Espresso summed things up even better than the now sold-out Norma Kamali swimsuit she wears in the video. Bella Hadid’s sheer Saint Laurent gown at Cannes came in café au lait, while at Vogue’s Wimbledon party, model Alva Claire arrived in a brown Ralph Lauren tank dress. Ryan Gosling has long been a fan of tobacco tailoring. Anti-tech, from paint choices to catwalks, brown can be seen as the color du jour. Brands like Bottega Veneta, Miu Miu, JW Anderson, and Chloé embraced some variation, inspiring a 1,000% increase in searches for chocolate brown on the shopping platform LTK this past November. Pantone will take Mocha Mousse on a celebratory international tour, stopping in London, New York, Shanghai, and Mumbai. Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, Laurie Pressman, says, “It’s emblematic of a snapshot in time, and it’s giving people what they feel they need — that color can hope to answer,” Pressman said. “It’s us taking the temperature: What’s taking place in the world around us, and how does that get expressed into the language of color?”

Versatile for beauty & hair

According to Pantone, this soft brown suits various skin tones across various undertones and is a perfect foil for packaging. Pantone 17-1230 Mocha Mousse is a versatile shade, blending seamlessly with other colors and serving as an ideal base for metallic gloss finishes. Juvia’s Place, an inclusive beauty brand, recently debuted The Coffee Shop Collection, with a glam brown eyeshadow palette and flattering lip glosses and liners. The day the Pantone announcement was made, many were inspired to take the rich hair color route!

Mocha mousse merch

Pantone’s Instagram promotes the new shade while adding momentum to products, including Limited Edition Mugs, Cortado, and Espresso Cups. While Pantone can’t copyright “light brown,” they have partnered with companies like Motorola and makeup subscription service Ipsy to create products in color. Speaking of, if you search Arket, “brown” reaps plenty of decadent apparel options! You can also check out British brand Tove’s cult Joni bodysuit and cinnamon tanks.

Symrise has been following the food-color connection, and according to those in the know, brown will continue to be a warm-weather hit. In the comments below, let us know your favorite way to indulge in Mocha Mousse!

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Cue the peach emojis

Will Pantone’s Peach Fuzz win the spotlight as the color of the year 2024? Unveiled in early December, this shade holds big expectations, marking its 25^th iteration anniversary. Pantone provides a universal language for color decisions and standardized matching. After the foretelling Barbie-esque 2023 Viva Magenta, Peach Fuzz nestles somewhere between pink and orange. Where Viva Magenta was empowering and assertive, Peach Fuzz evokes a new modernity yet awakens our senses to the comforting presence of tactility and cocooned warmth.

Why Peach Fuzz now?

Amid media debates, Pantone attributes its current color choice to a reaction to the “turmoil in many aspects of our lives.” The shade entails “quiet” and “nurturing” aspects “whose gentle lightness and airy presence lifts us into the future.” The highly anticipated announcement offers the usual opportunities for Pantone marketing partners. For example, Motorola lets you phone home in the most chic style. Fortunately, Peach Fuzz offers many opportunities to incorporate into your life, from apparel and accessories to beauty, interior design, and décor. If you want to add a bit of peach personality to your world for 2024, read on!

Cozy comfort

Enveloped in Peach Fuzz offers the perfect way to deal with the chill of winter months. Consider an easy way to update the Amazon Essentials Soft Touch Hooded Pullover Jumper as a cozy first layer. Quilting and padding in outerwear brings in some peachy vibes with Free People’s Pippa Packable Puffer Jacket. As a footnote add sustainable Cariuma’s Pantone Peach Fuzz canvas sneakers that are sure to inspire “recalibration.”

Glow forward

Peach adds much-needed warmth to the beauty scene as well. Check out this TikTok sensation Pantone-inspired beauty tutorial with peachy-shaded eyes and ripened cheeks. Try the recently launched Tom Ford Peach Dawn Eye Color Quad for a luxurious take. As Pantone notes, the shade works seamlessly between the physical and digital worlds, so OPI’s 2023 Data Peach got ahead of the curve for digital nails. Also include lips that engage with L’Oréal’s Peach Fuzz Paris Colour Riche Lipstick or female-founded Shade by Shan’s The Lip Shine Pantone collaboration.

Welcoming ambience

As many have noted, Peach Fuzz may feel contemporary. At the same time, it also carries vaguely retro vibes in interior design. As an overall paint or an accent wall, subtle Pristine or more Intense Peach by Benjamin Moore are cited by Elle Décor as trending matches. A more obvious choice, Ruggable teamed with Pantone for an adorable “Nice Peach” bath mat. Consider kitchen appliances, cooking vessels, and earthenware in warm hues, or you can simply toast the new year with Pantone’s affordable limited-edition mug.

With a warm tactility, Peach Fuzz offers multiple ways to reach out and touch. Let us know which ones connect with you!

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Viva magenta! An exceptional color for an exceptional time

Welcome to the world of color, where hues and shades can evoke different emotions and set the tone for a particular moment. As we gear up for another year, Pantone surprises us again with its selection for the 2023 Color of the Year: Viva Magenta. This year’s choice may have surprised many of you, as you expected pink to take center stage. While, Viva Magenta may deviate a little from your typical pink hue, it will reward you with its rich, crimson shade. This unique blend of boldness and grace offers a captivating solution to those looking to stand out in the digital world. Join us as we delve into the world of Viva Magenta and discover what makes this year’s Color of the Year a game-changer.

Complex & Multi-Faceted 

The 2023 Color of the Year, Viva Magenta, offers complex and multifaceted vibes. Lee Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, describes it as powerful and empowering. It combines crimson red, hot pink, fuchsia, raspberry, and maroon, making it flowery, natural, slick, and shiny.

The source of Viva Magenta’s color seems intriguing. According to the Pantone Color Institute, the cochineal beetle inspired the hue. These tiny insects, native to parts of North and South America, feed on prickly pear cactuses and produce a vivid red pigment that people used as a dye. The indigenous people of Mesoamerica did so as far back as 2000 BCE. This included aesthetic purposes, such as dyeing clothes, tinting teeth, and medicinal purposes. The color impressed the Spanish conquistadors that much that some speculated it might have magical properties. The Pantone Color Institute’s brand partner, Motorola, is planning to release a Viva Magenta phone, further highlighting the versatility and appeal of this hybrid color. Whether you’re using it for fashion, beauty, or technology, Viva Magenta will surely command attention and make a bold statement.

Intentional

Pantone selected its 2023 Color of the Year, Viva Magenta, intentionally. According to Lee Eiseman, little debate happened over choosing a brighter, more lively color. The team emphasized the hue’s vitality, lightness, and “fun” aspects and its androgynous applications. Viva Magenta impresses an expressive, nuanced color that captures the right balance between brightness and subtleness, femininity, and androgyny. Free of cultural baggage, its warm and eye-catching properties make it a perfect representation of the mood of 2023.

Fashion & Design

Today, we use modern technology to achieve the versatile color Viva Magenta without using insect-derived pigments. Barbara Streisand wore the carmine version of the Delphos gown, designed by Spanish-born Mariano Fortuny in the 1968 film Funny Girl. This iconic dress and current color interpretations from designers like Issey Miyake and Prabal Gurung showcase this unique color range.

The jewel tone Viva Magenta will catch your eye with a softer and quieter vibe than the bold red of a femme fatale. Instead, the tourmaline red is a moodier and less demanding color with unique charm and charisma. The color works well for lipstick like this one from Hermes, as well as clothing, sports cars and cell phones, making it a versatile choice for any occasion.

Viva Magenta represents the perfect color to bring a sense of optimism and strength into your wardrobe, home, or beauty routine. This bold hue reminds us of the beauty and balance in nature. So how will you incorporate Viva Magenta into your fashion, design, or beauty choices? Tell us in the comments below. 

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