The 5 Winter 2021 Color Trends That Are Anything But Dreary

We know fall is an exciting time for fashion, but we promise that winter can be almost as good. Just let us prove it to you. While it can be tricky to navigate the chilly days and the sun sets earlier than we'd like it to, we're looking towards the positive of it all. The new season calls for thicker knits, fun outerwear, cozy accessories, and a plethora of trends trickling in that don't work as well for other seasons. We've given you the digital download on the main themes you'll be seeing this season (straight from the runways), but we also searched through social media and the market to figure out the colors we're seeing stick out the most. Oftentimes, many of the fall hues we know and love are taken with us into the winter, but a few new themes pop up around ready for the holidays and the New Year.

Since we are at the beginning of the dreary time of the year, you might as well supplement the lack of sunlight with some color. If you're looking for a place to start, try the options below. You'll happen to find a lot of the five below color on the market right now. We'd know, as we've already looked and shopped out A+ picks for you to choose from.

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Aritzia; @monikh @champagnemani @aniyahmorinia @amaka.hamelijnck )

Call this one obvious, but the surge of creams, whites, and beige always take me for surprise. This season, I'm not only spotting the neutral shades on your classic cable knits, but also on party dresses, trendy handbags, and more.

Shop the Color:

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(Image credit: The Style Stalker, Courtesy of Reformation; Mango; Net-a-Porter; @marwaatik)

It's not a secret that the colder weather and holiday season brings jewel tones onto the sartorial world's radar, but emerald green is certainly having a moment right now. We called out that Kelly green was the color of the year, so it only makes sense that its more muted version is rising in popularity for the winter.

Shop the Color:

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Zara; Mango; @camillecharriere @nnennaechem)

Holiday parties are among us, and that calls for all the glitz and glam. While we saw more metallic sheens donned in fall, it's all about thick shimmers, crystals, and sparkles as we head deeper into December.

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(Image credit: @moxeb @slipintostyle @maria_bernad @shopbop)

Many have noticed that red was a common theme seen on the F/W 2021 runways, but canary yellow and cobalt blue were also in company. It looks like designers are resorting back to their elementary school art lessons, because the trifecta is growing on the fashion scene. 

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(Image credit: Courtesy of & Other Stories; Frankie Shop; The Style Stalker)

If you're looking for a color to brighten up the winter days, this is the one that will do the job. Muted tones like rust or clay are a safe option, but we think you should take the risk with a bright orange if you're on the fence about it. You only live once, so why not?

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Associate Fashion Editor
Yusra Siddiqui is an editor who resides in New Jersey but bounces between the suburbs and NYC. (She's a Jersey girl at heart.) After interning at Who What Wear in 2019, she found her way to the team after graduating from LIM College in 2022 with a fashion media degree. She's also spent time writing and working for publications such as Fashionista, Coveteur, and Nylon, but she always knew that Who What Wear was where she was meant to be. When she's on the job, she's perusing runway shows, analyzing the latest thing fellow Gen Zers are up to on the internet, and sharing what she can about the modest-fashion market. You can also catch her dabbling in entertainment, talking about the costume choices of the latest Netflix series or diving deeper into how the plotline affects the viewers in a myriad of ways. Lastly, she likes to create content for Who What Wear's TikTok. Her personal time is spent doing similar but also different things—deep diving into almost every new TV show (Bridgerton, Gilmore Girls, and Stranger Things are favorites), planning her next local getaway (whenever that may be), and reading the latest Emily Henry or Sally Rooney novel in one sitting.