(ImaxTree)
Every 12 months, Pantone releases its color of the year—the shade that dictates what color trends you will see dominate in store windows, nail polish lines, home decor, and Pinterest boards. For 2016, the color authority has declared two pastel hues will reign supreme in 2016: rose quartz and serenity. The former is a soft, pale pink, while the latter refers to a pretty, pastel shade of blue. Take a look at the exact colors here:
(Pantone)
So why stray from the tradition of a solo color of the year for 2016? Pantone says it’s actually symbolic of the gender fluidity we’re seeing in fashion and culture right now, explaining the details in a statement on its website: “In many parts of the world, we are experiencing a gender blur as it relates to fashion, which has in turn impacted color trends throughout all other areas of design. This more unilateral approach to color is coinciding with societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity, the consumer’s increased comfort with using color as a form of expression, a generation that has less concern about being typecast or judged, and an open exchange of digital information that has opened our eyes to different approaches to color usage.”