Former Spanish article in the shade (6)
I believe the answer is:
pastel
'the shade' is the definition.
(I have seen 'Delicate shade ' mean 'pastel' so perhaps 'shade' could also mean 'pastel')
'former spanish article' is the wordplay.
'former' becomes 'past' (similar in meaning).
'spanish article' becomes 'el' (the definite article 'the' in Spanish).
'past'+'el'='PASTEL'
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for pastel that I've seen before include "Crayon - gentle shade of colour" , "Of a colour, subtle" , "Soft shade; crayon" , "Chalky crayon" , "Type of crayon" .)