Changing Seasons, Changing Colors

Remember the days when "no white after Labor Day" was a common style code? We do; and yet, fashion "rules" such as these, couldn't seem more out-of-touch with how we realistically dress these days. And in a new reality where the very act of dressing has changed, what do seasonal trends around colors actually mean?  Do the usual themes like darker tones for the winter months show up consistently in retailers' assortments during this timeframe?  We took to StyleSage's color data to unearth more insights around color in retailers assortments.

New Neutrals

Of course we all know that black is the neutral of choice; its ability to play nice with other shades has long made it a safe bet, particularly when building out assortments.  But yet, there are other neutrals that ought not be ignored.  Let's take a closer look.

While you can see the overall dominance of black here in terms of product count, the growth of both brown and gray shades deserve some attention.  Between March and July of this year, gray grew in product count by 88%, while brown grew by 56%.  So, this means that not only are these neutrals growing in importance in assortments, they're also transitioning to season-less status, as this growth was noted during the warmer months of the year.  

Orange Is The New Red

You see what we did there, right?  Anyways, when someone uses the phrase "pop of color,"  we can't help but think of colors in the red family.  These shades have long brightened up wardrobes, and yet these colors have seen their predominance shifting in recent seasons.

One of the most interesting things to note here is the growth of the color pink in assortments.  Between August 2019 and the end of October 2021, we saw the number of pink women's shirts and dresses grow by 78%. Where red was once more dominant than pink in assortments, this trend has actually reversed.  And what else is worth calling out here is that while you might traditionally expect to see a lot of pink during the warmer months, we now see the trend continuing into the colder fall and winter months.  

What else is interesting to note is the growth of the color orange.  Perhaps a polarizing color, orange's growth between March 2021 to present has nonetheless been unstoppable, clocking in an increase of 159% in product count.  In recent months, the product count of shades in the orange family has outpaced red shades.

Neither Blue Nor Green

The world of blue and green shades is anything but boring, and fashion's embrace of this spectrum has been eye-opening, to say the least.  We wanted to understand which specific shades of green and blue have seen growing mainstream traction.  

What was most interesting to us is that olive green has become a shade to be reckoned with in recent seasons.  From March to July of this year, product counts in olive shades, specifically in women's tops and dresses, grew by 131%.  It also is an all-season contender, registering this growth during the spring and summer season.  In the same family, we've also seen dark green evolve into a cross-seasonal assortment favorite, with its counts recently surpassing that of navy blue.  On the other hand, light blue seems to remain most dominant in the warmer months, as its counts have declined from their summer peak levels.

Curious to know more about color stories and how you can fine-tune your assortment?  Learn more here about how StyleSage can supercharge your color and assortment analyses.