I Asked a Color Expert Why Lime Green Is Having a Moment

The way I see it, fashion trends are not always to be taken at face value. Sure, some of us might choose to operate on that assumption—you want to know what’s popular, what looks good on you, and then be on your merry way—and more power to you. But there’s value in digging a little deeper to understand why certain styles become ubiquitous at any given time, why celebrities lean on a certain silhouette, or what a specific It item can say about those who wear it. The latest subject of fascination, at least for this editor, is a look that’s hard to miss: lime green.

According to  Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, fashion’s love of the bright, citrus color has been building over the past few seasons to where it is today, spotted on influencers as well as on celebrities like Ashley Graham and Tracee Ellis Ross.

“Even the slow adopters have taken to it because they now realize it is one of those colors that makes you feel refreshed and reinvigorated,” Eiseman says, “and in a world that sometimes can weigh you down, lime is an instant picker-upper!”

Not unlike biting into a wedge of lime, the color itself is bright and fresh, carrying a bit of a shock as well. “In our Pantone Color Institute word-association studies, we see that people now react to these happy yellow-greens as reviving, youthful, artsy, and bold, a color that makes an impactful statement about who you are,” Eiseman explains about the somewhat polarizing hue, “and women are so ready for that!”

Seeing as some of the recent adopters of the trend include those with daring and creative personal style, Eiseman’s assessment seems totally on point. If that’s not incentive enough to dip your own toe into the color, there are other benefits that come from embracing it, says Pantone’s expert. “Lime green is believed to be a color that will bring your rewards for your labors and a stress reliever. So wear it, decorate with it, and, for sure, eat it!”

Below, take a look at more of the most recent lime-green outfit ideas and then shop pieces to participate in the trend.

Next, these are the exact search terms Who What Wear editors use to hunt down vintage gems.