We’re at the end of the road with millennial pink and France’s growing Gilets Jaunes movement has given Gen Z yellow a new meaning. So, with a huge sense of relief, Pantone has ushered in a new shade to be obsessed with. It’s a musky terra-cotta called ‘Living Coral.'
The international authority on colour predicts this shade, which has the heat of a desert adobe, the vivid brilliance of underwater life and the backing of Marc Jacobs, Prabal Gurung and Roksanda’s spring-summer 19 collections will be the hue of next year.
But, how the heck do you wear it? Some celebrities, like Jennifer Lopez, Dina Asher-Smith and Leslie Mann are keenly forging a path in this vivid sunset shade. And, as aforementioned, a handful of designers have already delivered a styling masterclass.
There is only one rule that remains sacrosanct when it comes to coral, a little does not go a long way. You can’t dip your toe into the trend, you have to fully commit. OK, not totally true. You can go head-to-toe, it worked well for Gigi Hadid and Jennifer Lopez, but you don’t have to.
A winning formula is to clash the coral with a pink, orange or lemon sherbet shade. At Roksanda, a vivid peach one-shoulder dress had saffron bows at the waist and neckline. For those without early
Net-A-Porter's global buying director Elizabeth Von Der Goltz recalled how Sies Marjan and Rejina Pyo embraced the shade. It was a 'masterclass in how to style unexpected colours like coral – we loved how she styled it back to a neutral palette of beige and cream to keep it more understated,' she said.
access to the London label’s spring summer collection, pair Stine Goya’s Acacia gown (£497) with Zara’s yellow suede belt (£25.99). Channel Leslie Mann with a Goat’s raspberry Hennessy dress (£595) and a pair of vibrant Dries Van Noten's coral sandals (£430). Or, perhaps, do away with all the faff of DIY colour clashing and invest in Carolina Herrera’s bi-colour silk dress (£1,208), like Constance Jablonski.
Will living coral ever be as popular as millennial pink? Only time will tell, but all signs point to yes when you start chalking up how many celebrities have already adopted the colour and 2019 hasn’t even begun.