“The titration of actual pinkness varies a little, but it’s still a fairly narrow spectrum — from salmon mousse to gravlax, to extend the metaphor. Call it ‘millennial pink”…it’s ironic pink, pink without the sugary prettiness. It’s a non-color that doesn’t commit, whose semi-ugliness is proof of its sophistication.”

— Véronique Hyland, 2016

“When I revisit my original story, the whole phenomenon feels more insidious than I once thought, especially as I consider how the past few years have unfolded. I wonder if this period in fashion history, with its toothless pastels and sweet, ruffled, Regency-style minidresses—the sartorial version of millennial pink—will come to be seen as analogous to the ’80s fashion backlash against strong-shouldered power suits worn with sneakers.

…One of the most confounding things about the pink-tinted economy is the way it’s selling back existing things to us and making them ‘new,’ painting them as essentials of self-actualization and empowerment. An elite women’s club isn’t new. Nor is makeup. Nor is a modest floral garment. Nor is pink. What we have here is a rebranding of the reactionary.”

— Véronique Hyland in Dress Code, 2022

A shimmering, noncommittal pastel: ruby chocolate enveloped in white musk