Winter knitwear collections have abandoned their usual dark tones in favor of soft pastel shades. Brands now emphasize lighter hues such as lilac, butter yellow, and pale pink to brighten cold-weather garments without relying on bold designs. A pastel knit can reinvent everyday outfits, pairing with jeans, trousers, or a woolen skirt, by simply introducing color, offering brands an easy way to update their knitwear lines while keeping the same shapes.
Pricing shows how widely this trend has taken hold. At the high end, Prada’s alabaster pink wool and cashmere crew-neck sweater costs £1,680, while SS&C’s brushed cashmere version is £570. Loulou de Saison’s Anton cashmere sweater is £390. On the high street, & Other Stories sells a V-neck jumper in pastel shades for £47, and M&S offers a pale blue crew-neck drop-sleeve jumper for £26. Khaite’s pastel yellow cashmere sweater reaches $1,280, but Zara’s brushed wool and cashmere piece in the same shade is just $199. The trend treats soft yellow as a new neutral, flexible like gray or beige but with added warmth.
At SS&C’s Copenhagen presentation, fine-knit V-neck sweaters were layered over pastel-toned polos or worn cropped at the waist like skirts. Milan’s pale pink trend remained strong, with Valentino incorporating lavender and soft pink into a lace evening gown. Butter yellow, which became popular last winter, continues to appear across lightweight knits and heavy woollens. The trend even extends into spring/summer 2027, where dusty pink, pale yellow, and powder blue were combined with textured fabrics, including a pastel yellow cable-knit A-line mini dress paired with a matching cardigan.
Celebrity endorsements have helped make pastel knitwear mainstream, though its presence outside red carpets is more noticeable. Emma Stone wore a creamy pale yellow Khaite sweater during a Good Morning America appearance, while Sabrina Carpenter styled an oversized butter yellow cable-knit sweater as a minidress, accessorizing with a yellow Chanel bag. Gigi Hadid’s own label has promoted butter yellow cardigans, and her Guest in Residence collection features coastal blues, soft red, cream, and pastel tones. The trend suggests pastels are now a permanent fixture, not just a seasonal accent, for both celebrity-backed brands and mid-range labels.
The shift responds to practical needs in regions like India, where winters are brief and transitional. Lightweight knits in softer colors align better with local demand than heavy, dark wool. Indian brands such as Meko Studio, Peoli, and Oh KU, known for handknit and artisan methods, have also adopted pastel shades. For these labels and mass-market brands, the trend begins as a color choice, testing variations on existing knit styles like crew necks and cardigans before introducing new designs.
Leave a Reply