A few seasons ago, if you’d asked me to name the summer colours that mattered the most, purple wouldn’t have even crossed my mind. And yet, here we are in 2026, with this long-forgotten shade emerging as one of the most compelling trends of the season.
Rippling through the spring/summer 2026 runways, designers leaned into punchy, saturated purples with renewed conviction. Now, as the season unfurls, the unsuspecting shade is already filtering into the wardrobes of some of the most stylish dressers.
Ahead of the rest, I spotted Amal Clooney out this week, taking the burgeoning colour trend out for a spin. Wearing a two-tiered Balenciaga minidress fresh from the runway, she tempered the boldness of the hue with gleaming gold heels and a coordinating clutch.
A refreshing departure from the predictable white cotton dresses and trusty black staples that have long dominated summer wardrobes, this energetic, uplifting and rich-with-personality purple is poised to bring a new mood to warm-weather dressing.
If you’re ready to embrace it before everyone else, scroll on for my edit of the chicest purple dresses, from Zara to Prada.
Shop Purple Dresses:
Be quick! This won’t stay in stock for long.
