Pastel Shades Trend 2025: How To Style Them Like the Runway
If you’re looking for the perfect style to trial going into the new year, then look no further than pastels. No longer reserved for springtime day dresses or weekend brunches; pastels have been given full runway reinvention. The recent Autumn/Winter 2025 collections and Spring/Summer 2026 previews both suggest that pastel shades now serve as the key moodboard of dressing. Designers are pulling powder pinks, butter yellows, mint greens and robin’s-egg blues into tailoring, outerwear and evening looks, reframing what “pastel” means on the catwalk (and beyond).
Whether you want to adopt the trend for a major event or subtly inject it into your everyday wardrobe to kickstart the new-year new-you, we’ve broken down four distinct runway-inspired looks, each with styling take-aways you can adapt, remix, and make your own.
1. Fuse Soft Pastels with Striking Brights
From Gucci’s Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Collection. Photo Credit: Luca Bruno/AP
There’s something irresistibly chic about taking a gentle pastel shade and pairing it with a bold, high-impact colour. On the Autumn/Winter 2025 runways, pastel pieces were contrasted with vivid accents in a clever styling trick that instantly modernised softer tones. Designers played with pale blues set against electric orange, lilac with deep emerald, and blush pink with fiery scarlet, proving that pastels gain confidence when they sit beside something daring.
How To Style It
I’ve always loved the tension you get when a soft colour meets a show-stopping bright. It feels fashion-forward without trying too hard. Think of a powder-pink blazer made suddenly more dynamic when layered over a punchy red knit, or a baby-blue skirt paired with tangerine heels. The contrast sharpens the pastel rather than overshadowing it, giving the whole outfit a runway-ready energy.
To make the look feel polished rather than chaotic, use the pastel as your base and let the bright hue act like an exclamation mark. A pastel coat with statement-colour gloves, or a muted lilac dress worn with a bold cobalt clutch, creates that unexpected twist editors love. The best part? You can dial the brightness up or down depending on your mood.
2. Commit to Head-to-Toe Pastel
From Chloé’s Spring 2025 “Freedom Collection”. Photo Credit: Estrop/Getty Images
Wearing one pastel shade from top to toe might sound like a bold commitment, but on the runways it was one of the most polished looks to appear. Designers embraced single-hue dressing in sorbet tones of pistachio greens, butter yellows and lilac mist, proving that a monochromatic pastel outfit can look grown-up, expensive and deliberately styled. When the silhouette is clean and the textures subtle, the colour becomes the whole story.
How to style it
Think of this as the pastel equivalent of power dressing. Choose one colour you want to champion (a soft mint trouser suit, a vanilla-yellow pleated dress, or a sky-blue co-ord) and let the entire outfit orbit around it. What makes this runway-inspired rather than overly matchy is the interplay of fabrics: a floaty pastel blouse softened further with a matte wool skirt, or silky trousers paired with a structured jacket in the same shade.
The beauty of this look is that it’s calm but commanding. It’s the kind of outfit that photographs beautifully, moves well, and gives a quiet confidence. And for days you want to look effortlessly aligned without overthinking, monochrome pastels do all the work for you.
3. Make Pastel Outerwear the Statement
From 16 Arlington’s Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection. Photo Credit: Launchmetrics
One of the biggest surprises from the collection was just how prominently pastels appeared in outerwear. Frosty mornings were met with sherbet-yellow trenches, oversized lilac coats and powder-blue shearling jackets – pieces that turned soft colour into a statement rather than an accent. A pastel coat has the power to brighten an entire winter outfit, bringing a sense of lightness to the darker months.
How to style it
Let the coat lead, and start by choosing a pastel outerwear piece with shape. Look for an exaggerated shoulder, a dramatic belt, or a long sweeping line, and anchor the rest of your outfit bin neutrals like midnight navy, charcoal, white, or deep chocolate. The contrast not only sharpens the pastel but gives it a luxury feel reminiscent of the more tailored runway moments.
A butter-yellow coat over black tailoring feels architectural, while a dusty-rose trench over cream knitwear creates that soft, editorial winter palette. And because outerwear dominates the frame in most day-to-day moments (from street style photos to quick coffee runs), this is the easiest way to adopt the pastel trend without rebuilding your whole wardrobe.
4. Play with Texture and Unexpected Pairings
From Ukrainian Fashion Week Spring/Summer 26. Photo Credit: Andriy Sokolov
Pastels for Spring/Summer 26 aren’t just about colour, they’re also about experimentation. Designers explored soft shades through unusual textures: pastel leather, sheer organza layers, crochet in washed-out hues, and sculptural knits that added dimension to even the palest tones. It’s a more inventive, tactile way to wear pastels that feels designed for a modern audience who want softness with edge.
How to style it
Start with one pastel piece that has an interesting texture and let that guide the rest of your outfit. A lavender organza skirt layered over a neutral slip creates movement; pair it with a cropped mint jacket to balance softness with structure. Or choose a pale-yellow knitted vest and build around it with crisp white shirting and a pastel accessory for harmony.
The magic of this styling approach is in the contrasts: pairing a delicate pastel with something unexpected – glossy leather, metallic hardware, chunky boots – prevents the outfit from leaning too saccharine. This is the pastel trend for people who like a bit of attitude in their look.
Conclusion
Pastels in 2025 and heading into 2026, are no longer safe or sleepy. When styled correctly, they can be bold, intentional and reinvented for the modern wardrobe. Pick your approach: collision with bold hues, head-to-toe pastels, statement outerwear, or texture-driven layering – and let your personality pull it through.
By Liv Brewin