How to rock living coral: Pantone’s hue of 2019 gets a thumbs up from designers

A few days ago, Pantone revealed living coral, a medley of orange and blush hues with a sliver of sherbet, as its tone of 2019. Earlier this week, supermodel Gigi Hadid was spotted rocking the hue on the streets of New York City. In India, Sara Ali Khan, Sonam K Ahuja and Sonakshi Sinha have sported it on many occasions. While Mrs Ahuja went tone-on-tone at the airport, Miss Sinha picked a gown in the same shade. Designer Nikhil Thampi, who is known for his well-cut pantsuits, suggests a trouser suit in this tone. “It will make for a bold yet classy statement. One can also choose to pair a coral top with off-white trousers to get the right balance. 

If you don’t want to experiment with this tint in your outfits, you can also add a pop of it through various elements like a bag or a footwear to your neutral ensembles,” says Nikhil. 

For a recent outing, Sara had layered her salwar kameez with a coral-hued dupatta, which enhanced her skin tone further. Designer Gabriella Demetriades opines that corals look good with a tan, though personally, she likes to mix it with the classic white-and-denim combo. She states, “You can’t go wrong with that palette. If you aren’t used to doing colour, maybe you can add it as an accessory.” 

I love a silk coral maxi for a brunch event while for a night out, you can pair a mini dress with some chunky gold accessories,” says Gabriella.

[(Clockwise) Spring Summer 19 looks from Acne Studios, Sies Marjan, Altuzarra, Brandon Maxwell and Fendi]

A synonym for optimism

Living coral is a warm colour filled with a lot of positivity and optimism. “It’s a happy and flattering shade that goes well with the Indian skin tone perfectly,” says designer Swapna Anumolu of label Mishru.

A popular festive hue

Coral is a very popular colour seen on Indian festive wear. It won’t be wrong to call it a staple that has been quite a popular choice with Indian occasion wear. It’s the perfect balance for those who want the radiance and traditional touch of a red without going as loud and the softness of a peach, but not its blandness.

Designer Ohaila Khan says, “It goes quite well with olive and fairer tone complexions while it can make someone of darker tone appear a shade darker. The warmth in the colour tends to marry in well with metallic gold and rose embellishments. The best option for those not confident to pull off a fresh bright coral is to opt for a more muted and dustier hue of this tone, which is one of our favourite colours for the upcoming season.”

Complements most skin tones 

Vibrant, yet mellow —  the bright hue lends itself to playful expression and experimentation in men’s wear. Designer Paresh Lamba says, “Deep dark skin tones will make this peachy blush shade pop. You can pull it off at a Sunday brunch or at a poolside party. It’s a colour that, according to me, should preferably be worn during the day, and avoided at night. Wear a nice living coral coloured linen shirt and pair it with white shorts. It will be the perfect outfit for a poolside party or pair the same linen shirt with blue denim, which will be your brunch look.”

Designer Rhea Pillai Rastogi suggests georgette dresses with ruffles in this tone. “You can add pop to an all-black outfit by pairing it with any solid element of coral from a lip colour to a belt to clinch that little black dress,” says Rhea.

Use it in small proportions

Since the hue is statement-making, an accent of it works, too, on a diverse array of ensembles. Designer Arpita Mehta suggests, “The best way to pull this colour off is to use it in smaller proportions. It can be in the form of a lip colour, eye shadow, cropped ganji or even coral sneakers. There is a trick to make it work well, but if gone wrong, it can look atrocious.”