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SomeBODY once told me that some trends were just objectively hideous and that, unlike items that were simply not ‘of the moment’, they eluded the trend cycle entirely.
But if the past year has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. Or better yet, to cease expectations entirely, particularly when it comes to fashion. With crocs, socks and chunky hair highlights becoming the new norm, is it any wonder we’re now finding ourselves drawn to traditionally ~ugly~ colours? Case in point: Shrek green.
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A shade that some may have likened to unripened limes (others, fictitious ogres) chartreuse is the kind of colour that sparks debate. Not just about its place in fashion, but what it exactly refers to. We like to view it as a spectrum of yellow/greens that verges on being an eyesore...but not quite.
What’s so distinctly 2021 about this colour trend is that it’s not like others we’re used to. Sunshine yellow, millennial pink — these hues reflect optimism and joy. Not to say that Shrek green is for the miserable, but it’s a more grounded shade — humble and unassuming, yet zingy and eccentric enough to feel like a bold choice. That’s not to say that it doesn’t have some high fashion clout. In fact, iterations of the shade have been present in the collections of Valentino, Saint Laurent, Mansur Gavriel, Bottega Veneta and Jacquemus.
With the world of fashion as saturated as it is, is it any wonder we're looking to out-of-the-box shapes and shades? Of course, there's an irony somewhere in that, but we're certainly not mad about the trend. After all, after playing around with my wardrobe, I found that this shade kind of goes with everything. Every shade of denim I own — that is 12 pairs, not including the ones sitting in my mum's garage — seemed to complement the Shrek green top I recently thrifted. Then I turned up the heat by throwing in some prints into the mix and, again, it just... worked.
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Perhaps it was my own delusion, working hard to convince myself that it was a worthy purchase, but one quick Google search later, and it seems I'm not the only one seeking out these swampy tones. From the higher end of the spectrum to high street brands and even resale sites, the hue was unmistakably present — further proof that it’s Shrek’s world and we’re just living in it.
Here are just some of the pieces I'm now eyeing off to really pledge myself to this trend.
