Style

Gen Z Yellow

February 27, 2019

Forget millennial pink, are you wearing ‘Gen Z Yellow’?

The Lively shade of sunny lemon, pastel, melted butter and beyond is declared the colour of 2019 – and Kim, Meghan and Amal are all fans.

Ever since Pantone dubbed “Rose Quartz” color of the year back in 2016, it’s been *the* hue of a social media-minded generation of millennials. Invading every facet of their lives, from beauty products and home goods (yes, millennial pink trash cans exist) to technology (at this point, who doesn’t have a pink iPhone case?).

But we’re here to make a strong case for the arrival of what iconic fashion blog Man Repeller dubbed Gen-Z yellow — the bright, cheery colour that’s about to be THE next big hue.

Yup. You’re about to see Gen Z Yellow EVERYWHERE.

The colour has been hailed as the shade of generation Z – referring to those born in the late nineties and early noughties, and the eye-catching choice is said to stem from the Gen Z desire to ‘be BOLD and unique’.

Bright, vivacious and unapologetic.

Yellow started popping up on celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Blake Lively, Kendall Jenner and even Mrs. Clooney herself, who went viral when she wore a yellow midi dress by Stella McCartney to the royal wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex last year.

On the spring/summer 2019 runways, we saw the happy shade at Oscar de la Renta, Brandon Maxwell, Pyer Moss and Carolina Herrera.

And if that wasn’t enough to put the bright hue on your radar, yellow was a MAJOR player in the Fall 2019 collections as well. Featured in particularly punchy doses at Fendi, Max Mara, Moncler, Gucci, Rachel Zoe, Emilia Wickstead, JW Anderson and Roksanada — you know, just to name A FEW.

Apparently, it’s biology.

There’s a scientific explanation for why we’re so compelled by the sunny shade.

Yellow is the most visible colour in the colour spectrum, which makes it the first colour the human eye notices.

That’s why yellow is often a sign of danger in nature, warning other animals not to mess around with bees or poisonous snakes. It’s also why, in our urban human world, yellow is often used to indicate caution — a warning, a hazard, a yellow light.

But when it comes to fashion, yellow is all about FUN.

Although the trend skews bright and canary-colored, you can experiment with different variations (mustard, pastel, neon, for example) and tailor the shade to suit your personality.

A beautiful bold colour to enjoy a bit of zany and lift your spirit.

If you’re still not convinced — or simply think the color is WAAAAAY too lively for you — read on for a couple of SMART notes on how to wear Gen Z yellow.

How to wear Gen Z yellow

1. Start by incorporating accessories into your wardrobe

If you’re wary of bright hues, start small.

You can wear the shade in the form of shoes, sunglasses, or a bag to give your ensemble a pop of color.

Rock sunny sneakers like Bella Hadid, yellow sunnies like Kylie Jenner or wear a yellow shoulder bag like Emma Stone wore on the set of La La Land (the same movie in which she also wore that scene-stealing yellow dress).

Accessories will warm yourself up to the color before wearing a full-on yellow outfit.

2. Ease into the hue by wearing prints and patterns.

Prints and accents are a great way to break up color.

Although outfits with prints and patterns are still vibrant, the brightness of the yellows is much more subdued mixed within the pattern and featuring white and other hues to tone it down.

3. Wear one statement yellow piece, and work neutrals into the rest of your outfit to contrast the brightness.

Another way to wear the trend is to pick one yellow item, whether it’s a skirt, top, dress, or shorts, and then balance it out with neutral colors.

This means that yellow can be the focus of your outfit without being too overpowering.

Beyoncé chose a black J.W. Anderson sweatshirt and clear PVC Gianvito Rossi shoes to put emphasis on a bright yellow wrap skirt. Hailey Baldwin wore beige sock booties and black sunglasses with a sunny slip dress. While Kourtney Kardashian opted for a simple black hat and white sneakers with her cheery outfit.

4. Go. All. Out.

Ready to dive wholeheartedly into the trend?

Yellow-on-yellow ensembles pack a punch and guarantee that you’ll be spotted from a mile away.

Gigi Hadid wore a sequin yellow Prabal Gurung dress with equally yellow accessories and looked fabulous. Rihanna actually glowed in a yellow top and skirt combo by Oscar de la Renta in a look that had the fashion pack in awe.

Wearing a yellow-on-yellow look is all about coordinating your outfit to a T and not being afraid of BOLD silhouettes and combinations.

5. ROCK the trends

3 of the biggest fashion trends of 2019 all in ONE outfit?!

Bold strategy to say the least.

OK we’ll admit, Gen Z yellow + animal print + statement sneakers make for a pretty zany outfit combination, but that’s the thing with yellow. The happy hue just has a way of working its magic on numerous unconventional combos.

For this month’s street style look, we styled Smartgirl Alicia in:

a beautiful yellow Country Road dress and teamed the look with
super cool Adidas Falcon statement sneakers,
a funky greenery Zara jacket and
a bang-on-trend Steve Madden leopard print clutch.

The styling might seem a bit unconventional, but animal print works notoriously well with yellow and white sneakers will go with practically anything. Adding an unusual green print jacket?

Well, that was just being cheeky 😉