Fall’s Hottest Color is Kind Of Hard to Wear (Unless You Know These Style Rules)

Chartreuse—named for an acidic green French liquor which in turn was named after the Grande Chartreuse monastery where it was originally produced—first popped onto my radar as a potential color trend way back in early 2024. The brilliant hue was a standout on the runways for brands like Lapointe, Collina Strada, Jason Wu and Prada. Even in small pops the potent shades are hard to ignore, but designers have been featuring larger and larger swaths of chartreuse into collections ever since those first few hints in 2024 including Simone Rocha, Emilia Wickstead and Ganni. Now it feels as if the color is everywhere I look.

In much the same way that I couldn’t have predicted the vice grip butter yellow would hold on our shopping habits, I would not have guessed that chartreuse would become nearly as popular as it is now. You may see the trend referred to as Peridot, a gorgeous green gem and the birthstone for anyone born in August, instead of chartreuse as a way to lean into the more expected turn toward gem tones we see every winter. But either way, I’m intrigued by the fact that one hard to wear color trend has evolved so naturally into yet another hard to wear color trend, rather than seeing a rise in something more accessible, like Kelly green or khaki.

But while butter yellow has a tendency to leave most wearers looking washed out and wan, even with a summer tan, chartreuse and peridot do not. The boldness of these two hues brightens the entire outfit, in much the same way as the recent Barbie pink and bright red trends. Here's how to pull off this striking hue:

Feel Free to Start Small

While adding a small dose of butter yellow to an outfit doesn’t have much impact if any—it just ends up blending into whatever richer colors you’ve got going on—even the tiniest pop of chartreuse demands attention, in all the best ways.

Put Your Color Theory Knowledge to Work

You can also use creative color pairings to offset or highlight chartreuse and peridot, whichever you like. Yellows, blues and other shades of green tone down that “in your face” acidity and tend to blend more seamlessly for a tonal effect. On the flip side, pinks and reds serve as an opposing force, whether you opt for more muted shades or equally bright variations.

Pay Attention to Undertones

As is true for every color trend, the real trick to pulling it off is in finding the specific variation you like best. For someone with cool undertones that may mean leaning a bit more toward peridot, lime or another cooler (but still vibrant) green. For folks with warm undertones, the warmth of a true chartreuse can give the effect of a subtle glow from within. And if you’re just feeling totally unsure, skip the full-length silk trousers or cashmere overcoat and opt instead for something small, like some sling-back flats or a shoulder bag. Even a petite brooch will do.

Ready to start adding some hints or giant splashes of chartreuse to your winter wardrobe? Shop some of my favorite picks below. And if you start to feel unsure, just remind yourself this trend is at it’s very core French, which has to mean it’s also chic…right?