Green’s Triumph
Why green is the color of now
By Zack Zens, Fashion Staff Writer
Green has reemerged as the cornerstone of a new palette of colors seeking to reinvent sophistication and panache. Darker shades of green have debuted prominently in the collections of several designers from AMI Paris to Bottega Venetta and their signature color "Bottega Green."
Not only are designers obsessed with green, but celebrities are too, with the likes of Rihanna sporting a striking moss green Marina Moscone overcoat (Sanchez, 2021), to Adele's stunning emerald gown in British Vogue’s November 2021 issue (Aguire, 2021). TikTok users have even been feverishly inundated with mood boards declaring a wholehearted adoration for mint green, forest green and other prominent variations of the shade.
Green feels appropriate, almost, for a hectic year that is still grappling with a global pandemic, yet also meekly peeking its head out of the end of the COVID tunnel; what's more, green is often synonymous with rebirth, rejuvenation, abundance and love (Smith, 2000). In a world reeling from uncertainty and instability, green, it seems, has grown its way back to the forefront of fashion, serving as a mollifying and even hopeful statement standing against the chaos.
The menagerie of modern predicaments facing the planet are daunting—be it climate change or human rights, and there is a sort of stoic mightiness to a green that stands candidly in the face of these issues both literally and figuratively. On the sides of buses, the terraces of buildings and the words of billboards, green rears its docile face with the same consistent message: the Earth needs conservation and innovation to stay the effects of Climate Change before it is too late.
Green, given omnipresence and greater visibility can, in a sort of poetic act of proprietary, remain the stalwart symbol for a brighter, cleaner future; thus, incorporating it with the same sagacity and constancy associated with navy, arguably dark green's go-with-everything twin, the intrinsic color pallets which govern fashion can shift too, embracing fashion’s role in a greener, less wasteful future.
An oversized forest green knit or emerald trouser paired with white or bone contrast items will easily form a punchy and charmingly distinct outfit. The truth is, color is a blessing, and incorporating green is an excellent first step in introducing a full range of unique colors into a wardrobe.
Darker shades of green are most optimal for the muted and subtly warm autumnal color pallet gracing the pages of lookbooks. This, however, is not to say that the much-discussed and fawned over sage green has lost its footing; rather, fall's color palette better suits the robust visual power emanating from forest green, and sage green is far better suited for the stark and iridescent color pallets of the winter season, fast approaching now.
Indeed, green, having resumed its change-making role, remains a tool for both personal expression and social change. Looking forward to the close of this year, there is little question that green will continue to pepper magazines and celebrity wardrobes, trickling down to the consumer and landing itself snugly in closets far and wide; thus, as the grass continues to brown, and the last yellowed leaves finally fall, green clothes, signs, art and much more carry on nature's vibrancy, emboldened by the human obsession of color and desire to connect more richly with the natural world.
Sources:
Aguire, A. (2021, November). Adele on the Other Side. Vogue.
Sanchez, C. (2021, November 5). Rihanna Goes Green in a Coat Dress and Savage x Fenty Gloves in New York City. Harper's Bazaar.
Smith, K. (2000, June). Color Symbolism & Meaning of Green. Sensational Color.