The colour trend for Spring 2021 is most definitely pastels – think ice cream shades of pink and mint, baby blues and pale lilacs.
These colours are synonymous with warmer weather but admittedly don’t work for everyone, so for this week’s edit I’m highlighting a few different ways you can embrace these lighter shades whilst still looking and feeling fabulous.
Below I’ve highlighted ways you can wear pastels depending on your dominant colour category – if you’re not sure which category you fall into don’t forget you can sign-up for my Glow Up Challenge – Wearing Colour with Confidence for £39 (starting 19th April!) – take a look here.
LIGHT
If you fall into the LIGHT dominant colour category (fair skin tone, light blonde/white hair and blue/light grey eyes) then pastel shades will look fabulous on you.
This pastel pink dress from & Other Stories is the perfect light, delicate shade to harmonise with your colour characteristics. I’d dress it down with trainers and a denim jacket or up with some strappy heels and jewellery. Shop it here.
I would encourage you to experiment with the pastel shades in the shops this season if you’re drawn to them as most will look great on you and are beautiful combined together too.
DEEP
If you’re a DEEP you’ll have dark hair and eyes and your skin tone could be anything from medium-depth through to black. Pastels on their own don’t look great worn next to your face as they can be quite draining so opt for an accessory or wearing them away from the face.
This mint green Katie Loxton bag will give the perfect pop against an outfit from your rich, deep colours (it would look amazing against Aubergine or Dark Navy).
Shop it here.
WARM
If you have red tones to your hair (whether natural or dyed, from Strawberry blonde to dark auburn), tend to get freckles in the sun, and your eyes are brown, hazel, green or blue, then you probably fall into the WARM dominant colour category.
Whilst not strictly a pastel shade, this gorgeous yellow halter-neck from Reiss will suit most Warms and is perfect for any events you may have this Summer. Remember, to accessorise with Gold or Rose Gold jewellery to harmonise with your skin tone.
Shop it here.
COOL
If you have hair that is grey, silver or platinum blonde, a pinkish tone to your skin and eyes that are grey or blue then you may fall into the COOL dominant colour category. If this is you then look for pastels that are blue-based (greys, lavenders/lilacs, blues) as these will work best with your skintone.
Most Cools need some vibrancy within their colours so wearing pastels on their own could wash you out. Instead, try putting the paler shade on your bottom half and a brighter colour on top. This Boden skirt would look fabulous worn with a bright, cobalt blue for example.
Shop it here.
CLEAR
A CLEAR will have lots of contrast to their colour characteristics, this could be a fair skin tone with dark hair and bright eyes or a darker skin tone with bright, sparkling eyes. Your look is all about contrast and therefore the colours that will flatter you most will have vibrancy and contrast too.
As you may have guessed, pastels don’t work so well for you BUT you can mix them within a pattern or block colours and they’ll look great. This Whistles dress is a great example of how you could wear pastels, combining a minty shade with black.
Shop it here.
SOFT
Those who fall into the SOFT dominant colour category tend to have medium-depth skin tone, hair that is mid-brown (may be highlighted/low-lighted) and eyes that could be any colour. If you’ve spotted bits of your colouring in a few of the above categories but felt none of them were quite right, then you could be a Soft.
As your colour characteristics harmonise together with little contrast, you ideally want the colours you wear to do the same. So nothing too light or too dark right next to your face. This jumper from Wyse London is the perfect nod to the pastel trend without being too light next to your face – the perfect Spring knit!
Shop it here.