How Taylor Swift’s New ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Era Turned Orange Into the Hottest Color

IsaiasEntertainment2025-08-238220

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When Taylor Swift goes orange, everyone follows.

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Since the singer unveiled the first cover of her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” on boyfriend Travis Kelce‘s podcast on Aug. 12, companies from different sectors have embraced the color orange within their marketing strategies. All because the album’s vinyl record, as well as the font in the album cover, features what the pop star called a “Portofino Orange Glitter” shade.

Glossier, United Airlines, Tarte and Dunkin’ Donuts are among the multiple brands that have tried to appeal to Swift’s vast and extremely loyal fan base by adding the vibrant hue to their social media posts. And suddenly, orange became the hottest color.

“We have noticed early responses from industries outside of music and fashion, including home decor, marketing, etc., that are highlighting this orange trend sparked by Taylor Swift,” Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, told WWD via email. “This is not surprising as Taylor Swift is a globally respected artist with an iconic presence in our culture.As such, she has great influence not only among her ‘Swifties’ fan base but also across design.”

Known as an exuberant and energizing color, orange isn’t the most popular shade among designers — although that has been changing over the past couple of decades. “While bright orange tones may be overwhelming for many, in our increasingly visually expressive culture, we are seeing a much greater acceptance of colors in this shade range. We started to see this pivot following our selection of Pantone 17-1463 Tangerine Tango, a spirited and magnetic exotic reddish orange to be our Pantone Color of the Year 2012,” Pressman said.

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On Pinterest, searches related to the color orange have seen a “dramatic surge” year-over-year since the album’s announcement, according to Sydney Stanback, the platform’s global trends and insights lead. “Our data shows that theorangewave is especially dominant in the fashion category, with standout spikes in searches fororangeblouses (+582 percent), skirts (+183 percent) and evening dresses (+183 percent). We’re also seeing strong interest inorangesweaters, outfits, jackets and accessories like bags and purses,” Stanback said.

The orange craze is also leading to new beauty trends, with searches for “orangecat-eye nails” jumping 1,146 percent and boldorangeglitter looks going up 8,276 percent on Pinterest. “Each year, we see colors likeorangepop around late summer and into fall, but an event like this brings new energy and creativity, accelerating the trend outside of its usual seasonal window,” Stanback said.

Swift chose the hue, which resembles the Pantone 17-1349 Exuberance, to represent her album for a reason. “It feels like energetically how my life has felt — and this album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during [“The Eras” tour], which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant,” the singer said on Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast.

For her fan base, the choice wasn’t a surprise. “Orange is the one shade on the color wheel she hasn’t centered a previous era on. It’s why many fans, myself included, thought that her 12th album would be orange, process of era elimination,” Sarah Chapelle, author of the “Taylor Swift Style” book, told WWD. “I think there is a degree of rebellion in exuberant joy. It can feel hard to find in today’s climate, but I think centering an album on unapologetic happiness and living a life that is emotional and large is something that a lot of people, young women especially, can feel inspired by.”

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The orange trend can also be explained by the shade’s “sociable and approachable” feeling, Pressman explained. The color can inspire connection, something people might be craving for. “At a time when people are looking to escape and just have fun, these friendly, eye-catching hues are like candy for the soul, creating small moments of cheer that bring people closer, create conversation, and make room for laughter and delight,” Pressman said. “Additionally, these orange tones encourage individuals to express a more rebellious and carefree attitude that challenges conventions.”