Five colour trends for A/W23

Our Most Wanted Colour Expert finalists are sharing the scoop on the top colour trends for A/W23

We’d love to say it’s creeping up, but A/W23 is speeding towards us! With Pumpkin Spice Lattes back on the menu, it’s the ideal time to check in with our Most Wanted Colour Expert finalists for their top trend predictions to close out the year.

Unique and personalised

Colourist, educator, and YUV ambassador Grace Dalgleish predicts that we’re dialling down the perfected salon finish. “Colouring that seems almost DIY, feels washed out and lived-in will be more popular,” says Grace. “We’re talking about taking those vibrant shades and giving them a cool, understated, and matte twist.” A/W23 is going to be a season of low-maintenance, effortless looks. “Forget about flawlessness. Instead, embrace a touch of imperfection – think unconventional colour placement and layering tones that wouldn’t typically be paired up.”

Billie Eilish is currently rocking a bold, red root glow and Grace is a fan of the grunge. “Her red glow roots clash perfectly. I’m personally a fan of the contrasting and grungy vibe it brings. It’s all about embracing the unique and rebellious side, celebrating being true to oneself.”

Reds are hot, hot, hot

While Grace is currently loving seeing ruby red shades, with a touch of warmth from subtle orange and pink undertones, fellow finalist Harriet Stokes has set her sights on copper. “With copper always being a hot trend for A/W, some clients want the fun without the full commitment,” says the global artist for L’Oréal Professionnel Paris. “I like to mix up bespoke toners for clients. I personally love mixing cool and warm shades together for this to create a more subtle, muted warm result, think .2 (violet) and .34 (gold copper).”

And she is also quite sure that bright blonde isn’t going anywhere…

Beautiful blondes

“I don’t think the bright blonde requests will be slowing down,” she states. “My secret to keeping blondes bright is using clear in my bespoke formulas so I can work with the raw undercoat to keep the brightness. The clear will prevent my toner dropping too quickly while still allowing the tone to slowly work its magic.”

Goldwell Color Collective creator and one half of Jack & the Wolfe, Lydia Wolfe, seconds this message. “Expect to see ivory – a clean and neutral Nordic blonde with a hint of gold that is bright yet sophisticated,” she shares. For those skin tones that are complimented by cooler colours, Lydia predicts a soft and icy baby blue tint, dubbed ‘icicle’ will be the tone of choice. “It also looks incredible on darker skin tones. Perhaps instead of the usual going darker for A/W, this year clients will stay light and play around with toners!”

Welcome to the dark side…

A/W is synonymous with darker hues and warmer tones and head of colour at Russell Eaton Hair, Daniel Couch, has called it that we can expect to see just that! “For me A/W is all about warmth. ‘HD Brunette’ is going to see your brunette palette infused with shades of opal and amethyst for a high gloss result,” he says. “Bold colour placement creates a striking multifaceted result, perfect to warm up your brunette palette.” Another trend bubbling under is ‘textured cedar. Daniel describes this as “a fusion of rich tobacco tones intertwined with rich cedar accents”.

Fellow finalist Jordanna Cobella is also embracing her darker side as we approach the end of the year. As creative director at Cobella Salons and colour and trends ambassador for Wella Professionals, she is an expert in spotting the trends set to cause a storm on social media. “Brunettes are having a moment this A/W23, with the addition of a rose hue to create a ‘potter clay brown,’” she says.

“Another shade we can expect to see surfacing is ‘crunette’ – copper meets brunette – on a light base. I prefer to call this ‘vintage copper Blonde,’” she adds. “If your clients have dark hair or want to go darker, dark browns (and even black!) are also going to be big this A/W23. I see these as ‘midnight black’ or ‘charcoal black’, which is all about infusing the dark browns with cool tones to matte any warmth and inject richness to the overall colour.”