Celebrate Valentine's Day in fashion with pink and red, hearts and ...

Often referred to as the day of love, everything about Valentine’s Day is characterised by the vibrant hues of red and pink, which symbolise passion, affection and romance.

Hearts and flowers too, take centre stage on Feb 14, with couples gifting each other heart-shaped balloons and chocolates as well as bouquets of flowers or single stalks.

In recent years, the fashion, jewellery and beauty industries have levelled up their offerings to celebrate this occasion, featuring products in pink and red, adorned with hearts and floral motifs.

As a tribute to Valentine’s Day today, here’s how brands are embracing these colours and symbols to evoke feelings of love.

Passion and warmth

Red roses are seen as the quintessential flower of love, with couples presenting each other single stalks or entire bouquets on Valentine’s Day as a symbol of their affection.

To the ancient Greeks and Romans, red was linked to love and beauty.

The delicate and gracile flowers print was designed with neo-romantic influences from Christian Louboutin's home in the French countryside. Photo: Christian LouboutinIn Greek mythology, the goddess of love Aphrodite is often shown wearing red robes, as was the Roman goddess Venus, who represented love and beauty.

The Roman feast of Lupercalia, a fertility festival celebrated on Feb 15, is what some historians believe is a precursor to Valentine’s Day.

A far cry from modern ideas of romance, the festival involved rituals in which the shedding of blood was believed to ward off infertility, establishing the link between red and fertility.

Today, red is used to depict passion and love, a hue used heavily in Dior’s Le Coeur des papillons capsule collection dreamed up by Maria Grazia Chiuri.

These pieces are adorned with a multitude of intertwining flowers and butterflies, forming a precious heart.

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Pink goes with everything

The romantic hue somehow found its way into the annals of Valentine’s Day history, and is here to stay.

Pink became fashionable in the mid-1700s, when European aristocrats wore faint, powdery variants as a symbol of luxury and class, details cnn.com.

At the time, it was not regarded as a “girls” colour, and was even considered more appropriate for boys as a paler shade of red, which had military undertones.

Around the mid-19th century, pink went from depicting luxury to working class, and in the 1960s, was recognised as a symbol of luxury when public figures such as Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe began donning clothing in this shade.

Perhaps due to it being related to femininity and softness in the 20th century, pink has become a staple during Valentine’s Day, from soft pastel hues to vibrant fuchsia.

Pink heart-shaped accessories, such as earrings, necklaces and hair clips, add a delightful touch of whimsy to any outfit, serving as a subtle yet endearing declaration of love.

Perfume ranks among the most popular gifts lovers present to each other, with products like Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl Blush incorporating pink into its bottle design.

A 2023 campaign featuring supermodel Karlie Kloss in a stunning blush pink dress has been making its rounds yet again, and the fragrance is housed in a bottle of the same hue.

The modern heart shape can be traced back to the a 14th century poem. Photo: Tiffany & Co.From the heart

According to an article in Time magazine, the modern heart shape went viral in the 14th century thanks to the Italian didactic poem Documenti D’amore by Francesco Barberino.

One of the illustrations which featured cupid included the heart motif, and shortly after its publication, the scalloped heart began appearing in other works of visual art.

The article explains how about 150 years later, the tapestry Le don du Coeur (The Gift of the Heart) depicted a man holding a small red heart, an image that became one of the most popular representations of “courtly love,” – these were rules about love that governed behaviour at Europe’s aristocratic court.

Hearts are now inextricable from jewellery and fashion design, with brands like Tiffany & Co, Louis Vuitton and countless others featuring the motif in their Valentine’s Day collections.

Read more: Looking for a new fashion trend to get into? Try the ‘coquette aesthetic’

Beautiful blooms

Flowers, particularly roses, carnations and tulips, play a huge role in Valentine’s Day aesthetics.

Bouquets of vibrant blooms serve as heartfelt expressions of love, while floral patterns on clothing and accessories add a hint of romance to any ensemble.

Many brands incorporate florals into their designs all year round, with some releasing capsule collections to coincide with Valentine’s Day and the month of February, which comes just before spring.

Christian Louboutin’s Blooming capsule collection, a range of beautiful shoes and bags, is inspired by gardens and flowers.

The delicate and gracile flowers print was designed with neo-romantic influences from Louboutin’s home, Chateau de Champgillon, in the French countryside and the Garden of Kerdalo in Brittany.