Today, Pantone announced their annual ‘Color of The Year’ and—perhaps sensing our collective need for a dose of sunny optimism—they picked a delightful citrus shade called ‘Illuminating Yellow.’ Actually, to be more precise, they picked two colors for only the second time in 22 years—the aforementioned yellow and a more demure shade called ‘Ultimate Grey.’ “No one color could get across the meaning of the moment,” Pantone Color Institute’s vice-president Laurie Pressman told The New York Times. “We all realized we cannot do this alone. We all have a deeper understanding of how we need each other and emotional support and hope.”

Because we’re eternal optimists, we’re going to politely ignore Pantone’s grey suggestion and focus on the much-more-wearable shade of egg-yolk yellow. Given that Pantone scours the worlds of fashion, art, design, and interiors to forecast their defining annual colors, it should come as no surprise that yellow was a recurring runway favorite at the spring summer 2021 shows in September. Altuzarra and Dolce & Gabbana showed bold yellow day dresses; Celine, cropped yellow tweed blazers; Dries Van Noten and Balenciaga both created statement-making yellow accessories. A soft, lemony yellow palette showed up at Emilia Wickstead, Chloé, Givenchy, Erdem and Gucci.

Plus, if you’re attuned to the sartorial comings and goings of Scandinavian street style starlets, you’ll know that yellow is, in fact, surprisingly wearable. Pernille Teisbaek, Jeanette Madsen and Emili Sindlev have long been injecting bursts of joy-making color into the beige-and-navy dominated world of Paris Fashion Week. Maybe it’s high time that we start heeding their advice. With that in mind, we’ve curated six timeless street style ensembles, to showcase the many versatile ways you can style yellow pieces into your own wardrobe. In the eternal words of Julie Garland: come on, let’s get happy.

The trick: Men’s tailoring (and slick accessories)

As seen on: Pernille Teisbaek

The trick: A statement blazer with classic denim

As seen on: Blanca Miró Scrimieri

The trick: Tuck a voluminous blouse into sensible leather trousers

As seen on: Jeanette Madsen

The trick: Glam up a bohemian cotton dress with velvet accessories

As seen on: Bettina Looney

The trick: Add a pop of citrus with a statement handbag (preferably by Loewe)

As seen on: Emili Sindlev

The trick: Treat yellow like a neutral, and layer it with head-to-toe black

As seen on: Chloé Harrouche