Summer Color Trends That Double as Mood Boosters

From mellow yellows to powdery pinks.

summer colors collage
(Image credit: Courtesy / Susanna Hayward)

You can choose to ignore the runway trends, but color? It's everywhere. Finding your favorite hue may come down to how it makes you feel, and wearing it, even unknowingly, can be a powerful communication tool. From ethereal blues to gentle yellows to feminine pink hues, the spring/summer 2021 runways are leaning into the power of color theory. Here are the top color schemes to tap into.

Sky Blue

summer color collage

Hermès, Loewe, Fendi

(Image credit: Courtesy)

Reminiscent of a cloudless sky, designers are embracing soft, soothing blue hues. The color's calming influence graced short suits for business, jumpsuits for play, and floaty dresses for wiling the summer away in.

Rust

summer color collage

Dior, Miu Miu, Acne Studios

(Image credit: Courtesy)

This earthy tone is no longer reserved for the autumn season or '60s corduroys. In a sheer fabric or silky strap dress, we're putting it at the top of our summer wish list.

Mellow Yellow

summer color collage

Givenchy, Miu Miu, Bevza

(Image credit: Courtesy)

Contrary to bright canary yellows, this gentler iteration is suited for a monochrome look. Luckily, the effects of wearing it are still mood-boosting.

Powdery Pinks

summer color collage

Prada, Chanel, JW Anderson, Proenza Schouler

(Image credit: Courtesy)

Exuding charm, romance, and hope, a dusty pink color can be worn as a neutral. The runways were chock-full of it; on sophisticated dresses, light summer knits, and quirky tailored suiting.

Golden Hour

summer color collage

Paco Rabanne, CELINE, Dries Van Noten

(Image credit: Courtesy)

Synonymous with ambition and good fortune, summer's gold tones express optimism. Wear the alluring color on everyday staples like windbreakers and maxi skirts or parade them celebratory on capes and gowns.

Soft Grey

summer color collage

Michael Kors, Issey Miyake, Brunello Cucinelli

(Image credit: Courtesy)

Perfectly poised for plush sweaters and trims in cold weather, we're reminded that grey is anything but a drab winter tone. From breathable knit dresses to vacation-ready gathered skirts, soft grey is the ideal warm-weather palette cleanser.

Orange Theory

summer color collage

Sportmax, Versace, MSGM, Miu Miu

(Image credit: Courtesy)

Designers played with uplifting orange colorways in statement-making prints and proportions. If you're not ready for all eyes on you, opt for an attention-grabbing citrus accessory instead.

Sara Holzman
Style Director

Sara Holzman is the Style Director for Marie Claire, where she's worked alongside the publication for eight years in various roles, ensuring the brand's fashion content continues to inform, inspire, and shape the conversation about fashion's ever-evolving landscape. With a degree from the Missouri School of Journalism, Sara is responsible for overseeing a diverse fashion content mix, from emerging and legacy designer profiles to reported features on the influence of social media on style and seasonal and micro trends across the world's fashion epicenters in New York, Milan, and Paris. Before joining Marie Claire, Sara held fashion roles at Conde Nast's Lucky Magazine and Self Magazine and was a style and travel contributor to Equinox's Furthermore website. Over her decade of experience in the fashion industry, Sara has helped guide each brand's style point of view, working alongside veteran photographers and stylists to bring editorial and celebrity photo shoots to fruition from start to finish. Sara currently lives in New York City. When she's not penning about fashion or travel, she’s at the farmer’s market, on a run, working to perfect her roasted chicken recipe, or spending time with her husband, dog, and cat. Follow her along at @sarajonewyork