Butter yellow dominated last summer’s color palette, as seen in Timothée Chalamet’s Givenchy Oscars look and Sabrina Carpenter’s Governors Ball mini dress. But the butter is quickly melting.
Northwestern students predicted a summer palette of bold tones, but light blue shone through as the next color of summer.
“Imagine summer, and you see the ocean and the sun,” Weinberg sophomore Emily O’Connor said. “I picked blue for this year because (of) the ocean. Last year’s color was the sun.”
After New York Fashion Week in September, Pantone released an array of “divergent” colors for its summer 2026 predictions. Among them were Alexandrite, a “quietly glamourous teal,” and Marina, a “calming maritime blue,” synonymous with many students’ opinions. British Vogue released six summer color predictions, two of which are turquoise and sky blue.
But, there is no color consensus yet. Communication first-year Nate Kelly predicted the summer color trend would be orange.
“I’m feeling a brighter color,” he said. “We’ve had a gray year here, it’s been a long winter.”
Other students mentioned hot pinks and vibrant greens as standout options. McCormick sophomore Simran Bansal said she thinks turquoise is a contender for the color of summer styles.
“I feel like the butter yellow started a lot in the media and online, but I haven’t really seen a specific color come up yet,” she said.
Communication junior Felix Gaddie agreed that light blue is in vogue, but that gray might also have its moment this summer.
Gaddie said the color of the summer connects to the cultural “mood,” such as hot pink for the Barbie movie in 2023 and chartreuse for “Brat Summer” in 2024.
For Communication first-year Maddy Peterson, bright or pastel colors will be in.
Peterson said brands inspire the color of the summer. She pointed to pinks and oranges in Starbucks’ new Tropical Butterfly Lemonade Refresher and the skincare brand Good Molecules, whose products are packaged in colors like yellow and green.
“Most retailers and designers don’t want to buck a trend,” Marla Paul, a former Women’s Wear Daily editor and owner of a small business, said. “(Once) a color is declared, you see it everywhere.”
Brands last year rode the yellow train, including Glossier’s banana pudding Balm Dotcom lip balm collab with Magnolia Bakery, and Bose’s butter yellow speaker, released in mid-2025.
Paul, who used to document fashionable Chicagoans on her Instagram account @rebellewithmarla, thinks the color of the summer is brown, though she hopes students lean into more vibrant colors, she said.
Just because a color is trending doesn’t mean people will buy it. Many students said they might consider the color but don’t need it to define their wardrobes for the summer.
“I don’t think you should necessarily buy something because it’s on trend. I think you should know what looks good on you, know what makes you feel good and buy that.” Paul said. “If you see a color and fall in love with it, I think go for it.”
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