Ultra Violet: Pantone Colour 2018

In December, the Pantone Color Institute announced that Ultra Violet is the colour of 2018.  According to Pantone, this blue-based purple is a shade which suggests forward-thinking and the intrigue of what lies ahead. It points us towards the future.

It’s also a colour associated with mindfulness, the practice of looking at the here and now and which offers refuge from the stimulation overload we face on a daily basis. And that’s really quite interesting because I know of so many people, myself included, who are prioritising self-care for 2018. Although mindfulness and self-care are not synonymous, they are linked. Mindfulness is one of those buzzwords which seemed to enter our vocabulary out of nowhere. I hadn’t heard of it until two or three years ago and now they do it in my 14 year-old son’s PSHE classes at his (all boys) school. The benefits of mindfulness are becoming increasingly apparent and I think the tide is definitely turning. Many are looking for calm. Yearning for a quieter life and a simpler existence. Because of this, I think Pantone’s choice of Ulra Violet is an excellent one.

Ultra Violet: How To Style It

What does this mean for us though in terms of trends? How do we wear Ultra Violet?

Well, sartorially, Ultra Violet is confident, artistic and expressive. It might seem rather theatrical but it’s actually a lot easier to wear than one might think. It lends itself to beautiful and unexpected colour combinations. This beautiful shade takes on a luxe appearance alongside metallics and evokes natural elegance when juxtaposed with soft greens and greys. It is utterly stunning when teamed with yellow-orange, its opposite number on the colour-wheel. It’s a shade which serves to enhance, and be enhanced by texture, a key trend for Spring Summer 2018. Velvet and satin, fabrics usually associated with eveningwear, are refreshingly modern in daywear this new season. (See the lush purple velvet blazer in the collage below)

I didn’t think I owned a single Ultra-Violet item when I started writing this. But I remembered this dress and wondered if it might pass for Ultra Violet.

Almost…

It’s close enough to show how well it works with pewter metallic accessories and how good Ultra Violet looks with grey. (Full details of this outfit). And if you like the grey geometric pendant, I have a few left in my boutique (£8.50)

Another key trend for spring is bold colour; bright clear shades. I have a blog post in the pipeline about it. Ultra Violet fits this particularly bill very nicely. For those wishing to dip a toe, try adding accessories, eyewear or jewellery. An Ultra Violet nail polish even. And to those for whom Pantone 18-3838 is a little too conspicuous, I suspect we’ll soon have a whole palette of purple to choose on everything from shoes to sofas.

Purple definitely reigns.