Pantone’s 2024 Color of the Year has already been embraced by Philly’s tastemakers

This year, Peach Fuzz isn’t your teenage son’s mustache struggling to grow in. It’s Pantone Color Institute’s 2024 Color of the Year.

The world’s foremost color authority, Pantone, gauges how color impacts our choices in clothing, makeup, and housewares. Pantone also assesses the way color makes us feel. According to Pantone, Peach Fuzz — best described as soft orange bathed in white — is a hue whose all-embracing spirit enriches our mind, body, and soul. It’s a gentle color that inspires compassion, tickles our passions, and promotes wellness.

“A cozy peach hue nestled between pink and orange, Peach Fuzz brings belonging,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of The Pantone Color Institute. “It inspires recalibration, and an opportunity for nurturing, conjuring an air of calm and offering us a space to be, feel, heal, and to flourish.”

Peach Fuzz, Pantone’s 25th color of the year, replaces fiery Viva Magenta, Pantone’s 2023 color. Magenta was strong and filled with possibility, like a bold red lip. Pantone said this red would inspire us to pull the trigger on changes we mulled over making during the pandemic. Peach, although much cooler, is also a warm hue. It’s softly encouraging, steely, and modern. Think warm hug, instead of swift kick.

It’s the color Crayola changed from flesh to peach in 1962. (Although peach was still considered “flesh tone” until Crayola introduced its Colors of World Skin Tone Crayons in 2020. It was the only color in which Band-Aids were available until 2020.)

Yun Fuentes, owner of Old City’s Latin American dining room Bolo, used salmon and peach hues throughout the restaurant’s motif and menu. Fuentes wanted to follow the new modern industrial trend and make his food — drinks like Old Cuban and whole red snapper fish — and furniture inviting.

“We wanted to transport people to the Caribbean,” said Fuentes. “We wanted you to walk in and feel warmth, even when it’s 33 degrees outside.”

Louie, Louie, the West Philly brasserie chosen as most beautiful bar in Pennsylvania by Architectural Digest in 2018, is doused in peach as part of its homage to 1970s pastels, specifically the work of psychedelic artist Peter Max.

“It’s soothing,” said Sydney Grims, director of business development at Fearless Restaurants. “It’s happy. It promotes relaxation and feelings of joy and peace.”

Historically, Pantone’s choice is a harbinger of what colors we should add to our spring wardrobes or paint accent walls. The Carlstadt, New Jersey-based company bases its choices on collections designers showed in New York, Paris, and London. Still, except for sheer blouses, Peach Fuzz is not an easy color to wear. One shouldn’t attempt to dress in head-to-toe Peach Fuzz or risk looking washed out. However, that doesn’t mean fashion designers won’t make Golden Globe and Oscar gowns in peachy tulles and satins.

It is, however, a great accent hue for accessories and shoes. Darrell Alston, owner of Philly-based sneaker company Bungee Oblecení, said he uses peach to make men’s and women’s sneakers pop.

“I like anything that grabs attention,” Alston said. “We’ve been seeing powder pink and blue in fashion for a while on men like Kanye and Pharrell. This is the next level.”

Marcia Williams, owner of Conshohocken’s Embellish Beauty, released a collection of nude lips and glosses this year boasting peaches and browns. “Gold, peach, and rose hues can be worn so many ways,” Williams said. “It’s such a fresh look.”