The Ultra-Rich Color Trend That Is Chocolate Brown’s Close Cousin

If you’ve spent any time scrolling through social media recently, it’s hard to deny that there are some shades that everyone’s into at the moment. Burgundy? It’s blown up. Dove gray? It’s the new neutral. Olive green? It’s basically the embodiment of fall. While I’d consider myself a fan of each of these colors, I’ll confess that I’ve reached the point where they’ve begun to feel oversaturated to me. Maybe it’s a hazard of the occupation. While I understand these shades are still great investments for the season, the idea of showing up in the same color as everyone else sends shivers down my spine. Luckily, there’s one other color trend that hasn’t fully caught on yet that I’m thoroughly convinced will become the next big thing: plum. Given the context of previous color trends, it’s perfectly rational to assume plum will follow in the footsteps of its close cousins, chocolate and merlot.

It’s worth noting that specific lighting can make this dark purple seem similar to the colors we’ve seen dominate the runway, but it’s distinctly different. Far less vibrant than merlot but still not as dark as chocolate brown, the plum color trend is a particularly moody version of purple that has largely been pushed to the side—until now. Across recent collections, we saw this shade surface as decadent variations of eggplant, violet, mulberry, and even dark fig. Unlike lilac and lavender, this shade of purple is compelling to adopt right now because it’s closely related to other winter shades we’ve all come to love while still being cool enough for those of us who want to wear a color that hasn’t been spotted everywhere. Admittedly, my initial desire was to gatekeep this color trend, but I’ve decided to do my duty as an editor and prove why this color is poised to become the next big thing.

Ahead, you’ll find examples of how to style the plum color trend based on its presence in the fall/winter 2024 and spring/summer 2025 collections. Plus, I’ve rounded up some of the best purple pieces for the season at every price point. Consider this your sign: You can still look sophisticated without wearing the same shades as everyone else.