Little Miss Sunshine

There was one hue on Pantone's list of top 10 shades for the year that many seemed to gloss over - primrose yellow.

It's yellow fever on the red carpet - a colour that many feel is not so easy to wear, wins the fashion accolades at the most recent edition of the Golden Globes.
Lots has been written about greenery, kale, and island paradise blue being the colours of 2017. But there was one hue on Pantone's list of top 10 shades for the year that many seemed to gloss over - primrose yellow. With Gucci, Dries Van Noten, Emilio Pucci and Salvatore Ferragamo going strong on this bright hue, it was odd that yellow had not been getting the attention it deserved from the fashion media. Well, that seems all set to change thanks to the 74th edition of the Golden Globes, which took place earlier this month. With the award season now upon us, fashion's eyes are firmly on the red carpet. Up next are the Screen Actor Guild awards at the end of the month; hot on its very glamorous heels are the British Academy of Film and Televison Arts awards and of course it ends with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (better known as the Oscars). And if the Golden Globes tell us anything - it seems that yellow is the colour to wear on the red carpet.
It is not a colour that is easy to wear, and it's one that I avoid wearing. Through most of my twenties I always believed yellow made me look sallow. That was until I saw Renee Zellweger at the 2001 Oscars in a vintage canary yellow dress; it marked the moment she arrived in the world of fashion. She won her first Oscar two years later but she walked away with the fashion Oscar that year; the draped style chiffon dress showed off her figure and the colour just lit up her face. Of course, being a primary colour, yellow makes a bold statement and when you wear yellow on a red carpet you just stand out. So not surprisingly, some of the best looks of the award seasons have been in yellow. Who can forget Alicia Vikander last year at the Oscars in the Princess-inspired pale yellow Louis Vuitton, or Michelle Williams in saffron at the Oscars in 2006 in a Grecian-inspired Vera Wang? That dress made such an impact that whenever Michelle steps on to the red carpet that is the look she has to live up too. And then there is Nicole Kidman's chinoiserie-inspired Christian Dior couture at the Oscars in 1997 - that yellow dress made a statement for the fashion house as much as the woman wearing it. At that time, John Galliano was new to Dior and the fact that the then Mrs Tom Cruise had selected a design by Dior's new creative director gave instant validation to the appointment. When it comes to the Golden Globes, one of the most impactful dresses was the yellow Giambattista Valli worn by Jennifer Lopez just last year. With its cape-style shoulders and thigh-high slit, it merged the best of old Hollywood glamour with modern ease. Lopez off set her yellow dress with 240 carats of Harry Winston diamonds, to ensure she truly dazzled.
But at the Globes this year it was not about that one yellow dress. It was the colour of choice for Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Natalie Portman, Emily Ratajkowski and best supporting actress Golden Globe Winner, Viola Davis. And a special mention needs to go to Deepika Padukone, who attended the Golden Globes after party in a Goddess style yellow Ralph Lauren and proved she is going to be the next Indian to watch out for on the international red carpet. Each dress proved the versatility of this colour - and how it really is the colour to wear for a special evening out.
The very pregnant Natalie Portman has always been the epitome of elegance, and in her next release she plays a woman who has gone down in history as one of the most graceful women of the 20th century - Jackie Kennedy. And the yellow Prada dress with its three-quarter sleeves and boat style neckline almost seemed like a nod to Jackie. It was a dress you can imagine the former First Lady wearing at a gala in the White House. Then there was Viola Davis in a custom-made Michael Kors one-shoulder dress - she won the Golden Globe and looked every bit a winner. The 51-year-old proved that you can truly be fabulous at every age. The third yellow dress that confirmed that it is a colour that can do no wrong, was worn by Reese Witherspoon. Her strapless Versace gown was all about vintage glamour, a style that Reese favours on the red carpet. This is not the first time Reese has worn the colour on the red carpet; she wore a cocktail-style dress in the same hue 10 years ago at the very same event. It seems Reese has realised that yellow can really be a winner on the red carpet. And confirms that it is time to say hello to yellow.

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