May 23, 2025
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Butter is everywhere. Butter-stuffed dates are said to taste like cookie butter, and butter yellow is the colour of the season.
Just last week, I saw TQE’s co-founder wearing a buttery yellow cashmere shirt, our senior director for growth sporting buttery yellow nails, and our senior performance marketing manager wearing a yellow phone case. Are you interested in joining their ranks? Timothee Chaumet, Sydney Sweeney and Sabrina Carpenter. We’re in this together.
Pantone surprised Drew Barrymore by giving her her colour – Drew Barrymore yellow – to celebrate her 50th birthday. The statement provides a glimpse into the universal love of this colour. “The Pantone Color Institute…was charged with selecting a shade that would capture Drew’s career and lasting impact.” The softly glowing golden yellow was chosen to represent her creative spirit, infectious optimism and uplifting personality. It is as warm and vibrant a colour as Drew herself.
I asked SET Active’s founder, Lindsey Carter, for her opinion. She had just released the brand’s Coastal Countryside collection, which included a buttery yellow colourway. She explains:
This colour strikes the perfect balance between making a bold statement and still feeling extremely wearable. It is sunny and optimistic but not overpowering. Neutrals and muted colors have been popular for years. This trend toward butter-yellow feels like an extension of this. It’s sophisticated but with a little more joy.
Something is refreshing when everything is a little loud, whether it be online, on the news or even in your wardrobe. A colour that feels effortless can make a world of difference. Agreeable. It’s warm, soft, quiet, and optimistic. Sometimes, that’s enough.
This trend has been around for a while (no, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen butter yellow). Harling Ross Anton, who used to be featured on the now-defunct Man Repeller website, coined her “sticks of butter” aesthetic in 2018. She described her winter wardrobe with soft, buttery shades. The shade was warm, sophisticated, and a great way to wear it all year round.
A recent New York Times report noted that neutral clothing is becoming more popular in St. Moritz, one of Switzerland’s top alpine resorts. Alessandro Sartori explains in the article that to be “fashionably superrich,” you need to wear the neutral colors of baby food or tea cookies, as well as screen savers like latte, butterscotch, and oatmeal.
Why? Andre de Farias, entrepreneur and winter resident of St. Moritz, says: “It is a mature luxury that does not seek external validation.”
In the last few years, we have seen “quiet luxe” and “mob wife aesthetics” imitate the wealthy. Butter Yellow is our next version of aspirational, elite dressing.
It doesn’t matter how you present it. Butter yellow has a certain appeal. It’s chic and cosy without being too over the top. It’s selling fast. Carter’s words of wisdom:
I won’t go into the specific numbers, but without going too far, this colour was sold out in just a few hours after launch. This is a great validation for a new colour, one that we have never done before.
It’s hard to argue against a soft, flattering colour that brightens your mood and outfit in a world where everything is unpredictable. It doesn’t matter if you apply a full stick of butter or just a small pat.
Want to see the latest trend? Our fashion editor, Andrea Bossi, advises:
When you love a colour trend and can see yourself wearing it for a long time, then investing in pieces in that colour is worth the investment. Trending colours can be timeless, while others are sour reminders of the old. Butter yellow is a neutral colour, so it will have a lot of staying power.
Our editors were asked to share a glimpse into their shopping baskets as a starting point…
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