What is Gen Z yellow and how should you wear it?

Move over, millennial pink

(Getty Images)

Everyone loves a kooky colour trend, and as millennial pink’s gentle rhubarb tones fade into a sartorial slumber, it’s time for a new kid on the block.

Enter Gen Z yellow - the muted lemon-gone-honey hue that’s set to steal millennial pink’s rose-tinted thunder.

Much like its predecessor in its prime, the banana buttercream colour is everywhere, from this season’s runways to your Instagram feed; there’s no escaping the ubiquity of this fresh and zesty springtime shade.

Providing a well-needed injection of positivity onto the colour wheel, Gen Z yellow has been a go-to for style-savvy celebrities in the last few months, with the likes of Gigi Hadid, Blake Lively and Alexa Chung all taking a swipe at the bright bumblebee aesthetic.

As with most colour trends, the jury is out as to what exactly distinguishes a Gen Z yellow from, say, a marigold’s mustard and it's safe to say there are countless versions.

If social media sets the tone (get it?), then variations range from girlish pastels to eye-popping ambers; Gen Z are nothing if not inclusive.

So, where did Gen Z yellow come from? And why does its name align it with those born between the mid 1990s and early 2000s?

Also known as “notice me yellow”, some speculate that the brazen shade is synonymous with today’s young ones because studies show they are bolder, braver and more transgressive than their elders.

Its popularity is possibly unsurprising, given that optimistic daffodil tones have long-been a feature of spring/summer runways.

It was all yellow in September at New York fashion week, where everyone from Self-Portrait and Mansur Gavriel to Carolina Herrera and Prabal Gurung championed the sunny shade’s perennial appeal.

Prabal Gurung's show at New York Fashion Week in September was amass with golden hues (Rex Features)

The question remains: how can you embrace the sprightly trend catalysed by today’s youth without looking like a sorry old egg yolk?

For a floaty feminine aesthetic, take your style cues from Selena Gomez, whose "Fetish" music video was practically dripping in daffodil dresses.

Alternatively, feel free to go completely bananas like Kylie Jenner, who paired yellow-tinted sunglasses with a pale lemon top for a recent sunglasses campaign - she was also holding a banana, just in case you didn't get the memo.

 

I'm not surprised, I sympathize.

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Jul 20, 2017 at 11:39am PDT

However you choose to embrace this newfound trend, one thing remains certain: if you want to be a part of the style set this spring, it's go yellow, or go home.