On Thursday, Pantone announced its 2025 color of the year: Mocha Mousse. Far softer than the “ Brat” green that dominated 2024, the shade is a nougaty brown that reminded Styles staff members of everything from luxury knitwear to swamp water.

Mocha Mousse is a departure from the much bolder Colors of the Year that Pantone has selected lately. For the last four years, the title has gone to bright, vivid hues including Peach Fuzz (2024) and Viva Magenta (2023). According to the New York Times, Pantone hasn't chosen a shade of brown as its hero color in over two decades.

When Pantone recently announced Mocha Mousse as Color of the Year 2025, I made a beeline for its website (pantone.com), where I was greeted by a photo of a footed glass cup filled with chocolate mousse looking very luscious and precisely the same color as Dione Lucas's famous chocolate mousse.