Pastel (color)#In fashion

{{short description|Family of pale colors}}

{{About|the color family|the art medium|Pastel}}

{{Use American English|date=March 2021}}{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}

{{infobox

|title = Pastel

|image = 220px

|caption = Pastel sticks in a variety of colors

|header1 = Common connotations

|data2 = Soothing}}

Pastels or pastel colors belong to a pale family of colors, which, when described in the HSV color space, have high value and low or medium saturation.{{cite book |last=Gilbert |first=Beverly Ash |url=https://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9781600613180 |title=Beaded Colorways: Freeform Beadweaving Projects and Palettes |publisher=North Light Books |year=2009 |isbn=9781600613180 |location=Cincinnati, OH |page=13 |access-date=July 27, 2013}}{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DSHSqWQXm3oC&pg=PA85 |title=The Electronics Handbook |editor1-first=Jerry C. |editor1-last=Whitaker |first=Jerry C. |last=Whitaker |chapter=Principles of Light, Vision, and Photometry |publisher=CRC Press |location=Boca Raton, Fla. |year=1996 |isbn=9780849383458 |page=85 |access-date=July 27, 2013}} They are named after the artistic medium made from pigment and solid binding agents, similar to crayons. Pastel sticks historically had lower saturation than paints of the same pigment, hence the name of this color family.

The colors of this family are usually described as soothing,{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G1X14oqxClQC&pg=PA27 |title=House Beautiful Color: Bright Ideas for Every Room |publisher=Sterling Publishing Company |location=New York |editor=House Beautiful Magazine |first=Sally |last=Clark |year=2003 |page=27 |isbn=9781588162519 |oclc=61439232 |access-date=July 22, 2013}} calming,{{Cite web |date=May 21, 2024 |title=The Most Grown-Up Pastel Color Palettes Designers Love For Rooms You Want to Relax in. |url=https://go-gale-com.oregonstate.idm.oclc.org/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&u=s8405248&id=GALE%7CA795413203&v=2.1&it=r |url-status=live |access-date=May 17, 2025}} and nostalgic.{{Cite web |last=Sahoo |first=Shristi |date=October 25, 2023 |title=The Timeless Charm and Psychological Impact of Pastel Colours |url=https://www.rockandart.org/pastel-power-appeal-color-palettes/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 17, 2025}} They tend to lean towards ideas of simplicity and help to contrast against the bolder and brighter colors that trend in our world. They are integrated into interior design in many places, such as healthcare to help soothe anxiety, or in classrooms to help the mind focus. Pastel colors work to oppose the brighter, bolder colors that tend to be common in many other places.

Pink, mauve,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O1o6IklIZ5cC&pg=PA154|title=English Vocabulary in Use (Advanced)|last=McCarthy

|first=Michael|author2=Felicity O'Dell|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2002|isbn=9780521653978|location=Cambridge, UK|page=154|oclc=49550686|access-date=July 27, 2013}} and baby blue{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHXWE1HVdTIC&q=baby+blue+is+pastel+color |title=Clothing: Fashion, Fabrics, Construction |last=Weber |first=Jeanette |date=1990 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Education |isbn=9780026401616}} are commonly used pastel colors, as are mint green, peach, periwinkle, lilac, and lavender.There are no official listing of colors' hex codes, but there are still [https://web.archive.org/web/20081004182626/http://colors.bravo9.com:80/nbs-iscc-p-plochere-color-system/list/all/ websites] with given color names and hex codes that can be used to find pastel colors. There are also color charts that can be used to physically identify pastel colors.