6 Outdated Colors and Their Fall Replacements

Some people get the Sunday scaries; I get the seasonal scaries—a sense of overwhelm at the start of a new season because it means I have to turn over my closet and tackle a fresh batch of trends. The leap from summer to fall is particularly intimidating: flip-flops to knee-high boots, tank tops to cashmere cardigans. Even as someone easily rattled by change—and still unpacking the back-to-school shopping anxiety of my childhood—Fall 2025’s delectable color trends are making me excited about all the newness.

I write this on a sweaty 87-degree August day during yet another New York City heat wave. I’m desperate for a cool breeze and, as a result, a chance to wrap myself in warmer, cozier colors. As much as I’ve enjoyed butter yellow as a neo-neutral and zippy blood orange brightening my summer wardrobe, the idea of a chocolate brown chunky sweater or pumpkin-spiced trousers is what I really want. Summer’s vibrant color trends were fun — but now it’s time to embrace fall’s rich and decadent palette.

Consider this a straightforward guide on which colors to swap for the summer-to-fall transition in 2025, curated by a fashion editor who studies runways for a living and is slowly, surely, overcoming her resistance to change. Here are six summer shades to retire and welcome their new replacements.

Swap Butter Yellow for Mustard

(Image credit: Heidi Jones for Marie Claire)

Butter yellow has served me well, but fall 2025 is the time to give your warmer-toned counterpart, mustard yellow, a fighting chance in the fashion scene. The odds are already in its favor, especially since the mustard yellow trend received an endorsement from Marie Claire’s editor-in-chief, Nikki Ogunnaike, in her Self Checkout newsletter. I plan to try the peppery yellow shade as a barn jacket or low-stakes T-shirt.

Swap Cherry Red for Rich Maroon

(Image credit: Tyler Joe for Marie Claire)

I fully committed to the cherry red trend and bought ballet flats and a new Coach bag to play with the juicy color pop. Those items won’t be entirely benched in my fall fashion rotation, but they will lose some playing time now that I’ve researched the maroon color trend that dominated the Fall 2025 runways. Specifically, I’m eyeing a barn red argyle cardigan and a striped rugby shirt, as the season also sees a resurgence of collegiate preppy style.

Swap Black for Chocolate Brown

(Image credit: Tyler Joe for Marie Claire)

Black is a fundamental part of my wardrobe, and it will never be removed, now or in the future. That said, I’m also immune to the allure of luxurious cocoa brown, a color as delicious and hard to resist as my favorite sugar rush. Currently, my virtual shopping carts include chocolate-colored Adidas sneakers and a sweater vest to pair with wide-leg trousers for a casual-meets-preppy combination.

Swap Blood Orange for Pumpkin

(Image credit: Cris Fragkou for Marie Claire)

Pumpkin orange, trending for fall, is as expected as florals for spring. But with spiced orange frilly midi skirts that flawlessly execute 2025’s boho fashion revival, and fashion girl-favorite Staud putting its unique spin on the color trend, pumpkin feels fresher than ever. I plan to start the new season by swapping out my leather sandals for a pair of orange-tinted riding boots, a silhouette that also happens to be a top fall 2025 shoe trend.

Swap Lilac for Royal Purple

(Image credit: Tyler Joe for Marie Claire)

Choose a shade of purple; it has been a popular color trend recently, from digital lavender to vibrant lilac pastels in spring. But now, without a doubt, royal purple is taking center stage this fall. This shade is naturally associated with wealth and nobility, so any outfit you pick, whether a simple sweater dress or an east-west bag, will radiate rich-girl energy.

Swap Olive for Grass Green

(Image credit: Tyler Joe for Marie Claire)

Like purple, green has recently enjoyed its time in fashion’s spotlight. First, there was the boldness of Charli XCX’s brat green, then spring brought us the softer mint, which later evolved into summer’s most discreet color trend, olive green. Now, the rise of verdant green is making waves, seen on the Fall 2025 runways at Prada, Gucci, and Saint Laurent. My budget doesn’t quite allow for a designer splurge right now, so I’m considering J.Crew’s cashmere collection as my entry into the grass green trend.