Butter yellow has been the dominant shade of yellow for the past few years, but if pastels aren't your thing, you don't need to stress trying to make Easter egg buttercup fit into your wardrobe. Its older sibling, bold, vivid yellow, is on the rise—and it couldn't be better timed to the hottest days of summer.
Butter yellow may still be a go-to for our nails and our summer wardrobes, but some of our fave celebs have recently stepped out in brighter hues from the yellow color spectrum, making a compelling case for swapping pale yellow for something a bit more vibrant. (Or in certain cases, a lot more vibrant.)
One of the first celebs to step out in standout yellow was Gigi Hadid, who wore a show-stopping daffodil dress in fall 2025. Her high-necked satin gown was the prettiest shade of eye-catching yellow, which looked great against her dark blonde hair and the navy blue step-and-repeat backdrop. It also felt particularly unexpected in a fall setting, standing out in a crowd of LBDs or jewel tones.
Chanel has really embraced bright yellow with the advent of Matthieu Blazy as creative director; the house historically loves a pastel, but Blazy showed canary yellow suits and separates that later popped up on Chanel fans and ambassadors like Dua Lipa and Gracie Abrams. Louis Vuitton, too, put its stamp on the shade, with house ambassador Zendaya looking cute in a pair of lemon-hued satin shorts. Guys are all in on yellow as well, with Heated Rivalry star Connor Storie looking chic in a '70s-inspired yellow shirt and beige suit at Saint Laurent.
Musicians love a bold tone, especially onstage, and both GloRilla and Zara Larsson have worn golden and canary-colored tones on the red carpet, with GloRilla in a goldenrod two-piece set at the American Music Awards and Larsson, who loves a neon moment, in glimmering chartreuse-and-gold at the Grammys.
Most recently, we spotted yellow on Love Island alum Olandria Carthen, who threw it back to the 2000s in her low cut canary yellow halter gown at the 2026 BET Awards, and Manon, who wore a similar vibrantly colored two-piece set at a Jacquemus show in Corsica.
See? You are so not limited to pale, pastel butter yellow this season! There's definitely a hue for you, from the brightest canary a la Carthen and Hadid to a yellow-and-leopard mashup like Lipa's Chanel suit. This summer, we're feeling a yellow that is anything but mellow.
