It’s the pale hue of whipped lemon curd, cornbread, and a wheel of parm cracked down the center. It’s the brilliance of the irises Monet painted at Giverny and the background to Van Gogh’s thick-stemmed, bright-petaled sunflowers. It’s butter yellow! This subtle-but-luscious tint of yellow is becoming one of the most well-loved colors of the spring and summer seasons — and for good reason. To me, it’s a visual distillation of happy summertime feelings: the warmth of an impossibly sunny day, the scent of distant spices wafting from the oven, birds frolicking in the hedges. It’s also a color that reminds me of my mother. 

I have a photograph of my mother when she must have been in her mid-30s. A half-smile plays mildly on her lips as she gazes toward the camera. Her hair is short, blonde, and curly, and she’s wearing this stunning, long-sleeved butter-yellow dress that drapes her so effortlessly. She’s as beautiful as ever, as radiant as ever. Some colors simply lift people up, make them brighter, more confident versions of themselves — and butter yellow is one of those colors. (I mean, who can forget the iconic low-back satin gown Andie Anderson wears in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days? It’s been almost 22 years since that movie came out, and I still think about that moment.) 

Even more so now that butter yellow is trending. The color defined many of the spring-summer 2025 season’s most memorable showcases — including Bottega Veneta, Loewe, Alaïa, Miu Miu, Tod’s, Chanel, and Paloma Wool, to name a few. French fashion designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, in particular, is a staunch lover of the sunny shade. For his summery ready-to-wear collection, he paraded several swishy and voluminous looks in butter yellow, energizing a collection of mostly blacks and whites. And when the brand was dreaming up the colorscape for its brand-new Los Angeles flagship store, of course it picked butter yellow. 

Not too long ago, I wrote a story about Jacquemus’s new store, taking readers inside the boutique and the adjacent pop-up market the brand set up to celebrate its opening week. What I also all-to-briefly mentioned was: Lots of lucky guests received vouchers to win flower bouquets and banana ice cream. Even luckier ones won the sought-after La Bateau Timberlands and the Rond Carré clutch — I was amongst the second group. I was more than taken aback by my sudden good fortune; before this, I’d never won anything. But there it was, ushered on a crisp-white plater: my dream clutch in yellow-and-white striped jacquard. A huge grin plastered itself across my face. The last time I was this happy was at my wedding.

With summer around the corner, I was already on the prowl for some new butter-yellow pieces — so this was the perfect excuse to treat myself to a Jacquemus dress in the same shade. La Robe Cubo crepe minidress, which I’d been eyeing for quite some time, was heavily discounted on Florentine retailer LuisaViaRoma’s site at the time. I scooped it up immediately. I knew I wasn’t going to over-style the dress, mainly because I wanted to keep the clutch as the star of the outfit. I did, however, want to add another layer of texture. The bag features wooden circle and square closure endings, so I thought perhaps something with a fuzzy finish would serve as an interesting textural counterpoint.

That’s when I pulled out my MSGM knee-high faux-fur boots, which contrasted nicely with the dress’s impeccable, clean lines and kept me warm during a rainy day in Los Angeles. Jacquemus’s Les Creoles Chiquito Noeud earrings (miniature renditions of the brand’s famous bag in jewelry form) and a pair of black sunnies finished off the look. And that was it! If you’re looking to recreate this fit, here’s where to shop every item (minus some sold-out or unavailable items, like the furry boots and the asymmetrical earrings, which I’ve replaced with worthy alternatives).