In the internet age, it’s usually easy to pinpoint the origin of a trend. Much was made of Rihanna’s Guo Pei “omelette gown”, worn to the 2015 Met Gala, and the effect that it had on the popularity of the colour yellow. Since then, trend cycles have quickened in tandem with download speeds, to the extent that someone declaring a particular garment the new omelette gown at breakfast might well have egg on their dress come dinner time. 

But among all the ephemeral mauves, brattish greens and millennial pinks, one colour has quietly come to dominate the fashion-scape. I am referring, of course, to brown. 

Now, like a member of parliament before a debate, I feel I must declare an interest: I am a big fan of brown. Taken out of context those seven words might alarm but one glance at my summer wardrobe should steady your pulse. For in among the tobacco cords and marron moleskins of autumn-winters past are liverish linens and khaki keks. Conversations with my colleagues – a near universally fashion-conscious bunch – reveal a similar predilection for the warm-weather brown. And when anecdotal evidence matches the runways and billboards, a trend’s afoot.  

Brown’s appeal is not difficult to discern. It is, as Fiona Ingham, a colour analyst for the House of Colour (a company that helps people find which hues best suit their style and complexion), describes it, both “comforting and nurturing.” Oliver Spencer, a British menswear designer, heralds brown as “dark, rich and beautiful.” Both agree that the colour is well-suited for times when people seek a more casual approach to formalwear. “You can dress it up or down,” says Spencer. “You can buy the suit and wear the trousers on their own, while the jacket looks great with a pair of jeans.” Spencer’s eponymous label even has a “Brown Edit” page on its website. The featured pieces offer two chocolate fingers up at the old adage “no brown in town,” which was used to warn aspirant rakes against mixing brown leather shoes with a dark suit. “This [rule] still remains in the most formally dressed occupations such as law and finance,” says Ingham. “But now, men in many settings feel they can wear [brown] without recrimination.” “It also translates well in knit and cloth,” says Isabel Ettedgui, owner of Mayfair-based clothing brand Connolly, who adds that the colour “has a certain masculine energy.” 

But what of the other forces driving the brown wave? Is it part of a wider 1970s throwback or are such mass-participation trends not possible in 2025? Some argue that during times of hardship and uncertainty, people cleave to colours that suit their mood. Could our fractious world help explain a newfound fondness for umber? “No,” says Oliver Spencer. “I think that the exact opposite happens – people bring out bright colours to try to lighten things up.” I suppose that there’s no definitive answer to that question, though a look at the runways would suggest that Spencer is, at least, half-right – the Paris 2025 shows saw the return of yellow and sky blue, alongside the now obligatory 50 shades of brown. 

One famous indicator of trending hues is colour specialist Pantone’s Color of the Year. Mocha mousse, an “evocative soft brown” that “nurtures with its suggestion of the delectable quality of cacao, chocolate and coffee” was the company’s choice for 2025. 

Whether or not you subscribe to such views, it’s difficult to deny the prescience and influence of Pantone’s annual award. As well as its very effective PR stunt, the US company produces a book called the Pantone View Colour Planner that contains the pigment and textile standards of 64 zeitgeisty colours in nine distinct palettes. The annual publication, which costs around €800, is said to be a must-have for any budding – or well bloomed – clothier, couturier or modiste. 

But in the age of Instagram and Pinterest, can there still be top-down progenitors of chromatic trends? Are we still living in a world in which Miranda Priestly, Meryl Streep’s character from The Devil Wears Prada, could so haughtily deliver her “cerulean blue” monologue? “I don’t think so,” says Monocle’s fashion director, Natalie Theodosi. “The runway plays a role but trends now move much faster and are determined by social media, music, films, even current affairs. In some ways it has become the reverse, brands and media follow online trends.” Perhaps therein lies the appeal of brown: it is a fundamentally adaptable colour – both neutral and statement, workaday and fashionable, of its time and timeless – making it perfect for our lives in the permanent now.