The days are getting cooler and the leaves are turning golden… which means the usual dark and moody colours to wear in autumn? Well not this year! There are a few unexpected surprises to add a pop of colour to your wardrobe in 2022!
The colours to wear in autumn 2022 reflect the recent trend of “dopamine dressing”: bold pinks, fiery reds, bright oranges and saturated yellows light up this autumn’s colour palette. According to Pantone’s colour predictions, there is still a place for neutrals: deep blues, cool greys, coffee-inspired browns and warm whites.
Read on for the colour breakdown – from feel-good bolds to versatile neutrals – with vegan-friendly suggestions for each!
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Bold, refreshing blue
To me, this colour screams summer, but it popped up on the autumn-winter runways, including as full-on monochromatic looks. I struggled to find clothes this exact colour, but there’s a hint of it in these earrings (as well as a lot of the other colours on this list!):
Fall palette earrings
Nomads organic cotton raglan jumper, in duck egg
Denim blues
Now for some slightly less controversial blues… It’s easy to see how these blues would pair well with the other colours, whether that’s other hues of blue, a bold purple or the “safer” neutrals.
Kurt heart print denim shacket
Nomads organic raincoat, in cornflower
Dewey read more books slogan tee
Bold pinks and purples
I love these colours! They appeared in various ways on the runway: as part of monochromatic looks (a bit Barbiecore for me…), but also as part of patterns or as an accent. For a colourful autumn outfit, pair them with yellow, green or blue.
Thought Olwen chunky knit jumper
Nobody’s Child fluff heart cable knit cardigan, in violet
Caitlyn retro floral A-line mini dress, in pink
Soft pinks
I would normally expect these soft pinks in spring rather than autumn, but they can definitely add femininity and softness to an autumn palette. On the runways, soft pink was often combined with green in a pattern, like in the dress below.
Dora carnation print tea dress
Ilse heart fair isle jumper
Bleecker stretch cord dungarees, in pink
Fiery reds
Red makes a statement, and few looks would be bolder than a head-to-toe red look, like with the dress below. A more subtle take would involve mixing red with the other colours on this list, for example with the two jumpers below.
Sierra square neck tiered cotton midaxi dress, in red
Nomads printed scarf, in berry
Henry woodland fair isle jumper
Komodo Hana jumper – GOTS organic cotton, in chilli red
Bright oranges
I’m not usually a fan of orange, but these shades are growing on me. Orange looks great with its complementary colour blue. So throw on the jumper below and some jeans, and your outfit will no doubt brighten yours and others’ day!
Komodo dawn balloon GOTS organic cotton crewneck, in orange
Saturated yellows
Spicy Mustard and especially Samoan Sun are a bolder take on the usual autumnal mustard yellow. If you want to stand out, you could wear them as a monochrome or colour-blocked outfit. Or for a more subtle look, mix them blues (from baby blue to indigo).
Piper bee button cardigan, in mustard
Dawn OβPorter X Joanie Bellini cat print shift dress
Warm whites and beiges
These warm whites are a bit more “cuddly” if that makes sense haha than the typical white-white. They’ll help even a neutral outfit seem cosier.
Arizona desert moon slogan tee
Nomads long sleeve top, in ivory
Mina leopard print button-through dress
Soft browns
These brown colours are great for buying staples in, as they’re unlikely to look dated any time soon. The runways featured blazers and trenchcoats in these colours for example. Because of their warmth, these colours would complement blues.
R-Kind trainer, in pluto putty
Quilted borg jacket, in tan
Nomads straight leg trouser, in mink
Caramel and coffee-inspired browns
These colours aren’t very surprising in autumn, but I love their food-inspired names. I like the idea of these balanced with blues or greens to avoid the outfit being “too warm” (but that might just be a pet peeve of mine!).
Nomads cord dungarees, in espresso
Barbara tiger print button-through dress
Deep, dark blues
I love these very dark blues: they’re dark enough to be very neutral, but are a bit softer than black. They would pair well with pretty much any other colour and are unlikely to ever look “dated”, so if you’re going to buy some new pieces, these colours would be a good bet!
Barb ditsy floral print tea dress
Nocturne night owl fair isle jumper
Babs celestial star & moon print midi dress
Cool greys
Grey is always a good option as far as I’m concerned! On the runways, greys were paired with other neutrals or a pop of colour.
Neve We are the weirdos slogan tee
Nomads striped dungarees, in natural
Bronte readers club sweatshirt, in grey
Geo Groove is in the Heart slogan tee
If you noticed that greens were missing from this list of colours to wear in autumn 2022 – you’d be right! I love the green colours so much that I’ll be doing a whole other post all about wearing green in the autumn – stay tuned!
This blog post was all about the colours to wear in autumn 2022. I’d love to know what you think: are you dopamine dressing or are you sticking with neutrals? Which colours were a bit of a revelation for you? Tell me in the comments!
