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It’s that time of year again: Pantone has announced its Colour of the Year for 2020.
Following on from Living Coral in 2019, Ultra Violet in 2018, Greenery in 2017 and Rose Quartz (a.k.a. millennial pink) in 2016, the institute has made its analysis and the shade they predict will dominate next year is called Classic Blue.
Sitting somewhere between electric blue and a navy, Classic Blue (Pantone 19-4052) is a timeless hue, that’s somehow reassuring and elegant in its simplicity.
“Imbued with a deep resonance, Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue provides an anchoring foundation. A boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky… Classic Blue encourages us to look beyond the obvious to expand our thinking; challenging us to think more deeply, increase our perspective and open the flow of communication,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute in a statement.
“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith. It is this kind of constancy and confidence that is expressed by Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on.”
When last year’s Living Coral hue was announced, we had already seen the tone trickling onto runways, into wardrobes and into homeware. Classic Blue however feels like more of a jump.
While fashion’s had a longstanding flirtation in recent years with electric blue, the tone’s more sophisticated older sister has been seen only rarely.
Edeline Lee’s spring/summer 2020 show featured belted silk and crepe dresses in the exact hue, and there was a floaty asymmetric-shouldered gown in Roland Mouret’s spring/summer show that perfectly matched the Pantone swatch.
That said, there’s no reason Classic Blue can’t overturn fashion’s preoccupation with shades of pink, lilac and lime. Not only does it ooze a certain dependability, as Eiseman said, but it’s also super versatile and pairs easily with other colours – a helpful feature in an age where we are all trying to buy fewer clothes. It’s also genderless, which can only enhance its relevance and breadth of appeal.
While Classic Blue might not feel zingy and exciting, precedent would suggest that Pantone – the company that forecasted the millennial pink obsession and last year’s purple and lilac love-in – have precedent when it comes to anticipating our aesthetic appetite.
Best start working that ‘dependable, stable’ blue into your wardrobe pronto.
Click through the gallery above for some inspiration.
