Pantone’s Top 8 Fall Color Trend Predictions—Ya Know, Other than Burgundy

Last year, Pantone left this dainty shade of pink off its trend list, but I’m very glad to see it make the cut for 2025. There were ballerina-inspired shades all throughout the fall/winter ’24 shows—Miu Miu had an abundance of pink bows, Dries van Noten showed pink cocoon coats and Simone Rocha, Jil Sander and JW Anderson all showcased Gwyneth Paltrow-inspired pink gowns you can bet we’ll be seeing on red carpets very soon—and it’s such an easy color to wear that I expect it will become a major trend in the coming months. Hot tip: If you’re pale, opting for slightly richer tones will prevent you from looking washed out and will still fit beautifully within the trend. You can also try pairing it with a richer shade, like burgundy or Poppy Red for a very chic contrast.

Slightly more purple than reddish burgundy, this deep jewel tone is perfect for anyone looking to break away from the usual suite of cold weather neutrals. My personal favorite cabernet-colored pieces come in fabrics with textures that are just as rich, like cashmere and faux-leather. And while you can’t go wrong pairing Mauve Wine with other dark neutrals (charcoal gray, forest green and black), treating it as a neutral in-and-of-itself is a far more fun option. Try adding in a small touch of vibrant red or pale icy blue to creates gorgeous contrast that’s sure to garner you oodles of compliments.

Taylor Swift may have chosen a much brighter orange (dare I call it Traffic Cone?) to represent her new Showgirl era, but for the high fashion set it’s a more muted Desert Sun that seems to be dominating our closets. This warm, toasty hue evokes images of a sun-soaked desert, freshly baked pumpkin pie or New England forest at peek leaf-pepping season. It’s also much easier to wear than more vibrant oranges and looks fantastic with neutrals like brown, khaki green or charcoal gray. If you want to pair your Desert Sun items with brighter hues, look to other autumn classics like shades of red or yellow.

Green is going to be huge this fall, in a variety of shades, but this Salted Lime will definitely be a top choice, partly because it’s just so flattering and versatile. It sits somewhere between granny smith apple and Kelly green—cheery but not too bright. This is a color you can invest in and wear for years to come, regardless of trends. If your fall budget is tight, I advise leaning more timeless pieces (jackets, trousers, sweaters, crossbody bags), but if you have some room to play, a Salted Lime maxi dress is a super-fun and flattering pick to add to your wardrobe.

Say hello to fall’s version of butter yellow! Lemon Grass scratches that same itch of a delicate yellow hue, but is much more acidic with just a hint of green undertones. It’s also cooler than its buttery predecessor, so will look best paired with other cool tones. To make your Lemon Grass pieces the star of the show, try mixing them with brighter whites, icy grays or classic black for neutrals, or dark cherry, bottle green or Primrose Pink for a bit more vibrancy.

Red, in all its shades and forms, has been a huge trend for multiple seasons now, and you can (and should) absolutely recycle whatever reds you invested in last fall again this year. But if you’re looking to pick up something new, why not opt for something in Pantone’s top pick of Poppy Red? It’s almost like a slightly sun-washed Cherry Tomato—not quite so in your face with its brightness, but certainly not as muted as red velvet cake or chili flakes. My preferred way to style a stand-out color like this is in smaller pops, like a shoulder bag, ballet flats, cat-eye sunglasses, a cropped jacket. But if you find yourself drawn toward larger swaths, like a coat or midi dress, I think it’s still a very safe (and fun!) investment to make that will work well for multiple seasons to come.

I’m calling it now: in the very near future navy blue will replace brown as the neutral of the moment. For fall 2025, however, we’re still just dipping a toe into darker shades of blue, starting with Crown Blue. It’s lighter than your typical navy, with undertones of gray that give it a naturally faded vibe. It’s a comforting shade, like a well-worn hand-me-down sweater, that goes with almost every other color you could imagine. The only hue I’d be wary of pairing with Crown Blue is orange as it can read a bit too “go Mets!” (no offense to my fellow New Yorkers). Otherwise feel free to play around with varying pinks, greens, reds, purples and any neutral you like.

Much like with red, any shade of brown will look trendy and cool this season, so you can 100 percent still rock all the chocolate, caramel and camel wardrobe staples you picked up last year or the year before. If you haven’t tried a darker hue, I highly recommend testing out Pantone’s French Roast. It has an earthy vibe that really shines best when paired with other earthy hues, like forest green, ochre or terracotta.