My shopping list is reeling from an Elle Woods hangover at the moment. While looking for the right hot pink pantsuit, I'm eyeing a fuchsia blouse from Malie and a bubblegum pink co-ord set from Donnée Par Dieu. H&M's enormous cerise shirt is on its way (the accompanying pants are sold out), and my Zara cart is a grazing plate of everything in the highlighter shade.
Welcome to 2021, where no woman worth her taffy trousers will wait until Wednesday to wear the different versions of this saccharine hue. Consider it peak pleasure dressing. We're ready for a change after more than a year of bland and pared-down loungewear. We're ready to channel our inner Villanelle, floating around the apartment in fluffy Molly Goddard skirts and colour blocking pinks to scribble postcards at a European café on the street. Pink is the colour of not only the season but the entire year, from dazzling to Barbie and bubble gum. The post-lockdown pink is no longer gentle or millennial. We've ditched the modest pink and rosé in favour of more daring tones. We like strong and punchy over pale. We want all eyes on us. Need proof? According to the global search portal, Lyst searches for "bright pink" have been gradually increasing this year, climbing by more than 80% since early February.
The atmosphere is Camp Lady Gaga-at-the-Met-Gala (coincidentally the fashion icon wore an electric pink Brandon Maxwell gown with a cascading trail for the event in question back in 2019). Statement pinks—preferably worn from head to toe—are in the front row and forefront equally, whether on the red carpet, runway, political campaign, or a good ol' errand run. Jacquemus has devoted an entire Christmas capsule collection to the hue. The atmosphere is Camp Lady Gaga-at-the-Met-Gala (coincidentally the fashion icon wore an electric pink Brandon Maxwell gown with a cascading trail for the event in question back in 2019). Statement pinks—preferably worn from head to toe—are in the front row and forefront equally, whether on the red carpet, runway, political campaign, or a good ol' errand run. Jacquemus has devoted an entire Christmas capsule collection to the hue.
Deep pink was a prominent part of Bodice’s finale show, otherwise partial to a monochrome palette, at the FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week this year. Alicia Keys wore a custom Valentino in the colour for the Billboard Music Awards, all of Dua Lipa’s four outfits at the Grammys this year were sparkly pink, and Colman Domingo wore a jolly pink Versace pantsuit to the Oscars. Sonam Kapoor Ahuja chose a luxe Persian pink sweatsuit from Ralph & Russo as she logged into their virtual fashion show, the very colour and style saw on Tara Sutaria for a casual outing. Pink and its various avatars are one that American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t shy away from either. It was also the colour workwear brand Argent championed for their #AmbitionSuitsYou campaign to encourage American women to vote during the elections last year, which saw the likes of Mandy Moore, Kerry Washington, Amy Schumer and Sophia Bush among others in hot pink pantsuits.
Pink's modern makeover has helped it to overcome its stifling identification with the girly-girl stereotype. It is no longer a cliché to show the stereotypical blonde as a parody of herself. Pink now implies business, but not in a stuffy or serious way. It's uplifting. Fun. The mood is improving. It's your permission to let go of your sartorial inhibitions and live a little. It is the colour of a lady who is unafraid of her femininity. She doesn't feel the need to justify or compensate for it. It's almost as if you're daring her to put her in a box so she can prove you incorrect. Audrey Hepburn may have first declared ‘I believe in pink’, but in 2021, we’re all card-carrying members of the club. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.