Way back in January, as I forced my dad to help me take a million blog photos before heading back to school, I got the idea to do a blog post about this year’s Pantone Colors of the Year—nothing special, since I’ve done posts on the annual colors in the past (see my Ultra Violet look here and Living Coral outfit here). But considering that I have very few yellow items in my closet, and none were quite the right shade, I wanted to get a lil’ creative with this yellow wall from my birthday photoshoot and use that as my outfit’s yellow. I finally got around to taking the photos last weekend, so without further ado, here are this year’s Pantone Colors of the Year: ‘Illuminating’ and ‘Ultimate Grey’!
This is what Pantone’s website has to say about this year’s color choices:
“Ultimate Gray + Illuminating, two independent colors that highlight how different elements come together to support one another, best express the mood for Pantone Color of the Year 2021. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, the union of Ultimate Gray + Illuminating is one of strength and positivity. It is a story of color that encapsulates deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the promise of something sunny and friendly.
A message of happiness supported by fortitude, the combination of Ultimate Gray + Illuminating is aspirational and gives us hope. We need to feel that everything is going to get brighter – this is essential to the human spirit.”
I don’t know that I buy into all the deep, philosophical analysis of colors, but I can’t deny that yellow IS such a happy hue. I’ve found myself gravitating towards it so much lately—from the doodles in my Passion Planner to the outfits I save on Pinterest. Like I mentioned in Monday’s post, I actually just purchased a pair of yellow shorts that I think might be the exact Illuminating shade. Obviously it’s still too cold to wear them right now, but I look forward to reaching towards brighter pieces come spring and summer.
I admit, I used to be quite picky about yellow. I only liked the sunniest, brightest hues (as opposed to darker, more golden shades), which I think is why I have so little yellow in my closet. But now? I must be influenced by Pantone (or the psychology of wanting something ‘hopeful’?), but I have been gravitating towards ALL the yellow!
Yellow gets such a bad rap (one of my high school’s colors was ‘gold’—aka mustard—and girls hated it), but I shared a few tips for wearing the color in this blog post. Some people worry about how wearing yellow will make their teeth look, and I always respond to that by recommending Crest 3D White Strips. I’ve used them for years and always get such good results—can’t recommend them enough!
Now onto grey—who doesn’t love grey? I have quite a bit of the color in my closet, with so many various shades, so I decided to go with a monochromatic look with this outfit. My cableknit sweater is a hand-me-down, and my dark grey mom jeans are an Express purchase from the fall—I wear them all the time and love the high waist! I thought this casual look was super cute and very fitting for college classes. I wanted to get a little more creative with these photos, but I had to stand on this ledge (the yellow ‘wall’ is actually a huge sculpture you can see from I-25 in Denver). The ledge was still slick with ice so I basically didn’t move the whole photoshoot out of fear of falling, ha!
Grey and yellow isn’t a combo I would usually think to pair together, but I actually love how modern and sophisticated it feels. Would you wear these two shades together??
In other news, I’ve decided to give up on my College Creator Linkup. I know, I know, it was only around for a few weeks… but nobody is joining, even though I have reached out to all my college blogger friends and begged them to participate. So instead, I’ve decided to open the linkup to everyone! I’m still deciding on a new name, but feel free to share your most recent fashion and beauty-related blog posts. I just want to start a community, and since a college-themed one wasn’t working, I figure I’d just let it grow as it will. Happy linking, and I can’t wait to read your posts!
Let me know your thoughts on this year’s Pantone Colors of the Year in the comments. Do you love yellow or hate it? Have you already been seeing a lot of the color in stores?
Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope you have a great Thursday!
Miles of smiles,
Grace
Grey Cableknit Sweater: Hand-me-down, last worn here | Grey Jeans: Express, $19 | Black Boots: Clark’s via DSW, gift, last worn here | Aviator Sunglasses: Icing, $16, last worn here | Black Fringe Purse: Gift, $50, last worn here