When at the end of last year Taylor Swift released her tenth studio album, Midnights, a concept album about nocturnal contemplation, no one would have thought that the single Lavender Haze was almost a premonition of what fashion and interior design predicted for this autumnal rentrée. Pantone and various trend prediction agencies such as WGSN would speak more of the confirmation of a color trend that has prevailed due to its connotations of serenity and placidity: powdery mauve.
It has been a long time since the fluctuations from one color to another in the world of design have softened and we no longer see those abrupt jumps typical of the most ephemeral fashion, as was clearly evident with the greens, from the mint of 2019 to the quetzal of the last year. “Now we check it again with the range of reddish and lilac colors, going from Via Magenta or Rose Violet to this season's powdery mauve, Wedgwood Lilac. Elegance prevails, even more so after such a street boom as Barbiecore. "The slow elegance on the catwalk takes the reins again in favor of a slower design," explains Clare Smith, color strategist at WGSN.
From Loewe, with an intense but darkened purple to the lavender of Dries Van Noten or the ready-to-wear proposals of Soeur, Twinset, Emergenildo Zegna. We also see it in our country, with Cortana and Lola Casademunt, with garments that range between different ranges of this shade, but always with a touch of sobriety rather than overwhelming daring. From Mexico, Carlos Pineda adds glamor with dresses with various ruffles.
“Mauve in its most earthy tone is an intrinsically beautiful color, associated for decades with spirituality and mysticism. It was a revelation when it began to appear in Renaissance paintings and, centuries later, in the arts movement.
“It looks perfect as a monochrome or combined with greens, muted oranges, blacks or with a gold counterpoint,” he adds. This is what we see in the Mary Jane shoes signed by La Veste, under the leadership of Blanca Miró and Maria de la Orden, in collaboration with the French brand Carel; in the bustiers by Llamazares and Delgado; and in Suot Studio jewelry.
It is curious, if not more so, that a color so associated with the world of botany, so currently booming in the fight against climate change, has needed digitalization tools to reach the general public. With the growing popularity of the metaverse and technological advances in design, Very Peri was born and, today, colors that one associates with French Provence or the English countryside are nourished by digital influence.
“The hues that have dominated New York Fashion Week 2023/2024 go beyond what we believe possible to catapult us into this new era, taking us to a place where the borders of time, place and identity are no longer fixed. Thus we can talk about digital lilac to encompass the different tones that are dominating the trends right now and that, at no time, shy away from the naturalness that is so necessary if we seek to convey bonanza and rest,” remarks Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. .
Such is Gen Z's passion for lavender that a quick search on TikTok for How to style lavender results in hundreds of videos with thousands of views. From there to image consulting, with the hashtag
“As we have seen in recent years, decoration is not left out of the trends that are imposed in fashion weeks, and even less so when the Pantone of the season are so ideal for creating harmonious spaces that exude comfort,” says interior designer Nerea Martín, with a studio in Madrid. Added to all this is the revaluation of historical furniture that gives that touch of distinction to the home.
“We have seen how the demand has increased for armchairs and armchairs by masters of design and architecture such as Antonio Citterio, Gerrit Rietveld, Verner Panton, Zaha Hadid, Philippe Stark or the Bouroullec brothers in upholstery or finishes in lilac tones. Cassina and Vitra have kept alive this distinctive furniture that combines perfectly with the vibrant sobriety of mauve,” reveals Daniele De Santi, from the exquisite Sag ’80 store in Milan.
Other historical names in Italian interior design, such as Missoni or Lisa Corti, continue to see how their pillows and other household items with purple sparkles are among those preferred by their public. Added to all this are firms such as the Scandinavian one. There are accessories such as lamps, chandeliers and even iPhone cases, the Barcelona-based Octaevo with fruit baskets and, obviously, the big furniture brands, such as Roche Bobois, Henko Living, Maisons du Monde and noo.ma with proposals for both the living room and bedroom.
“Dusty mauve has made a strong comeback in interior design. It has that retro touch, but not at all kitsch, being, at the same time, a very contemporary color, which adapts to the most minimalist shapes and which combines perfectly with neutral tones such as pearl gray, white earthenware surfaces, the brass details and the floors in bleached oak wood. It is, without a doubt, a fleshy tone that provides emotion but, as it is not temperamental, helps create spaces that invite relaxation, reading and daydreaming,” Yolanda Aranda, interior designer, teacher and communication specialist, reveals to us.
The poet Carl Sandburg already said it: “Poetry is a mystical and sensual mathematics of fire, fireplaces, waffles, thoughts, people and violet sunsets.”
