Top Trend : Shocking Pink

Pantone’s color of the year for 2018 may be Ultra Violet, yet this season designers were in the mood for a more daring, in-your-face shade designed for lasting impact. Looking at the Resort 2018 runways, it’s pretty clear boldness was key, and it was brought exclusively by the use of one color: shocking pink.

Valentino, Fendi, Altuzarra

Let’s face it, pink is largely associated with everything girly and princess-like, still shocking pink seems more about elevating a grown woman’s wardrobe. It is particularly true this season, yet it has been the case long before today. Remember “Funny Face” and the iconic scene where Editor-in-Chief of Quality Magazine Maggie Prescott urges her fashion editors to “think in pink” in a glorious musical number. “Banish the black, burn the blue, and bury the beige”, she says. It seems David Koma, Valentino and Fendi have definitely listened to her advice. Their classic silhouettes, whether a body conscious dress, a velvet gown or a peacoat, all thrive from the strength provided by the color pink.

Gucci, Molly Goddart, Peter Dundas

Of course, some designers did stand by a more fairytale-fed aesthetic. Molly Goddard’s addition to this trend was actually no surprise as she’s grown to become the reference in ethereal tulle gowns. Similarly, Peter Dundas presented an asymmetrical cocktail dress with a floor-length train, while Gucci’s Alessandro Michele went all in with a pink satin extravaganza. Any way you slice it, pink appears to be the only color that manages to stand on its own, never in need of additional shades to make it pop.

Few designers dared to challenge the shocking pink prerogative by incorporating black to their silhouettes. While at Mugler David Koma created depth with a vinyl turtleneck worn under a tailored jacket with sharp shoulders, Joseph Altuzarra redefined proportions with a lace apron paired with a loose pantsuit. And just like that, Resort 2018 might end up being the season that will allow pink to shine brighter than ever – and expand far beyond that millennial pink everyone has been talking about. Would it even be crazy to say shocking pink is the new black?

It’s up to you to decide…

Maxime Der Nahabedian

Initially trained to become a specialized translator from English and German to French, Maxime has been writing for fashion and lifestyle publications for about three years. First as a Managing Editor for the quarterly fashion & art magazine Crash where he worked on ten issues, then most recently for the French online media Saywho.fr. His topics of choice go from fashion shows and exhibitions reviews to interviews with various cultural figures (Beth Ditto, Lilly Collins, Aitor Throup).