Pantone’s Top 7 Fall Color Trend Predictions, Plus 2 I Think They Missed

Red, in all its shades and forms, has been a huge trend throughout 2024, but for fall we’ll reach peak vibrancy with Cherry Tomato. This super-bright hue is not for the faint of heart, but is a phenomenal way to add punch to any outfit. The easiest way to incorporate Cherry Tomato red into your wardrobe is with smaller pops—a shoulder bag, ballet flats, cat-eye sunglasses, a cropped jacket. If you want to mix it in with other colors, lean into rich jewel tones or pale pastels and avoid similarly bright shades.

This tropical ocean blue is one of my favorite colors, so I’ve been delighted to see it popping up so often while scrolling through Shopbop, Nordstrom, Net-a-Porter and other retailers. It’s a universally flattering hue that’s just so joyous to look at, and pairs beautifully with both neutrals and other bright colors. Seriously, you can wear Wave Ride with pale pink, deep burgundy, cool gray or sunshine yellow and it will look equally fabulous with each one. This is one hue you can feel comfortable sporting in both small doses or head to toe.

Last fall Sparkling Grape was the reigning purple hue, but this year we’re going all in on rich Eggplant for a much moodier vibe. My favorite aubergine-colored pieces come in fabrics with textures that are just as rich, like cashmere and faux-leather. And while you can’t go wrong pairing Eggplant with other dark neutrals (charcoal gray, forest green and black), adding in a small touch of vibrant red or pale icy blue creates a gorgeous contrast that’s sure to garner you oodles of compliments.

There’s something about this shade of gray that gives me major ‘90s vibes, perhaps because I associate it most with the tailored workwear separates that were so trendy at the time (see: Rachel Green’s gray minidress from season six). And that’s exactly how I suggest you embrace this hue for fall 2024—with wool trousers, sharp shift dresses, prim cardigans and oversize blazers. To balance those office vibes, try mixing in some much funkier colors, like sour apple green, acidic purple or patent silver.

This warm beige hue will never go out of style, but for fall 2024 it appears to be having its own moment in the spotlight. It brings to mind a timeless trench coat, and indeed the best way to wear it is in large swaths by way of outerwear, wide-leg trousers or oversize blazers. In fact, this is one shade I’d recommend specifically for clothing, rather than accessories or shoes, because it works as such a fabulous base for showcasing other bolder shades. Go bright with an orange handbag or keep things classic with caramel or chocolate brown boots, either way this is one color you can feel confident will look great with literally anything in your wardrobe.

Yellow sometimes gets a bad rap as being difficult to wear, but I like this muted shade because it almost looks like an oversaturated beige, and can be treated as such if you like. On its own, this lightly spiced hue evokes images of changing leaves and saffron lattes, but depending on the other colors in your ‘fit, you can either play up or down those vibes. Shades of green, blue and purple or darker neutrals provide enough contrast to amp up the yellow-ness of this hue, while reds, oranges and paler neutrals tone it down.

Much like red, green has been a steady presence throughout 2024, in a wide range of shades. And while you can absolutely rock an acidic apple green or deep emerald, the tone of the hour appears to be Fern. It’s lighter than your average forest green, but not as bold as last year’s Kohlrabi trend, and surprisingly easy to mix and match with tons of other colors. Like Sheepskin, this is a color you can invest in and wear for years to come, regardless of trends. If your fall budget is tight, I advise leaning more timeless pieces (jackets, trousers, sweaters, crossbody bags), but if you have some room to play, a Fern-hued maxi dress is a super-fun and flattering pick to add to your wardrobe.

This burgundy-esque hue was not included in Pantone’s trend report for the season, but I this they may have missed the mark by not including it. The rich hue was all over the runways for the fall/winter ’24 shows, including Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Chloé, Erdem and Khaite. It’s such a classic hue that’s wonderfully easy to wear and goes with just about every shade under the sun. The trendiest ways to rock Red Dahlia? By pairing it either with brighter shades of red or with other vibrant hues, like Brat green, Misted Yellow or Wave Ride.

Another hue I think Pantone should have included? Pale pink. I saw ballerina-inspired shades all throughout the fall/winter ’24 shows—Miu Miu had an abundance of pink bows, Dries van Noten showed pink cocoon coats and Simone Rocha, Jil Sander and JW Anderson all showcased Gwyneth Paltrow-inspired pink gowns you can bet we’ll be seeing on red carpets very soon—and it’s such an easy color to wear that I expect it will become a major trend in the coming months. If you’re pale, opting for slightly richer tones will prevent you from looking washed out. Once you’ve found your preferred pink, have fun layering it with just about any other color in your wardrobe, from bold Cherry Red to rich Eggplant.