Right about now we need some lightness in our world. “We all need beautiful colour surrounding us, even if we don’t know it, to lift our spirits and feel positive.” says award winning artist Morag Myerscough. Step in WGSN and Coloro, who recently announced their key colours for 2022. Of the five announced, Orchid Flower came out as the colour of the year. They describe it as “hyper-real” and having “an energising quality”. Morag agrees saying, “As soon as you see it, it draws you to it, so vivid it almost seems artificial.” Whilst we will see its use predominantly in young women’s fashion, the trend forecasters also see it transferring into menswear, because of its purple undertones, as well as in small ways in interiors such as accent pieces or in prints (scroll down for tips on how to make it work for you).
Joanne Thomas, head of content at Coloro, said in a statement. “[Orchid Flower] is versatile enough to work across seasons and continents. In a challenging time, this saturated magenta tone will be a great way to create a sense of positivity and escapism.” This ties in with Ingrid Fetell Lee’s findings on the power of colour to spark joy, which we all know is exactly what we need right now. She says ““Bright color adorns festivals around the world, and it almost seems as if the more intense the colors the more intense the joy.”
The first three images are from WGSN & Coloro’s announcement. The last two are from un-credited sources on Pinterest.
So pink doesn’t seem to be going anywhere just yet, although Orchid Flower is much more intense than the pinks we’ve seen a lot of in recent years. I look forward to introducing it as a highlight in styling and playing with complimenting it with textures and other tones.
Here’s how I see Orchid Flower evolving as a highlight colour. Paired with midnight skies and urban greys, clashed with provocative animal prints and grown up florals. Picked out as a flash of colour in a more muted overall pallet. I love this look and see that I already have elements at play in my own home and wardrobe.
Footwear Design Consultant, Cleo Reid tells us to expect to see “the vibrancy of this colour in simple silhouettes using rich suedes and luscious satin.” She describes the colour as lending itself to Spring/Summer, but that we will see darker hues being introduced into Fall/Winter (which I’m particularly looking forward to).
Cleo Reid provides examples of footwear trends that we can expect to see using Orchid Flower in 2022.
Key Trends : Simple sandals, using fine stripping, a big emphasis on shape and silhouette, the heel being the main focus.
I've already been drawn to taking my pinks back a few notches by styling them with dark tones (you'll notice a bit of a change on my grid) and Orchid Flower will need that more than any other. So although these bright tones will play an important part in uplifting our mood as we come out of this global pandemic, we will also see colours given more maturity and sophistication through styling, texture and tonality. Where pink had become synonymous with millennials, I see pink taking back its place in the pallet of stylish, grown up and sophisticated colours.
Get the look now with these pieces.
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