Have you ever worn something that had everyone telling you excitedly, “That’s your color!” They were probably right. There’s a real science to discovering “your color,” and the best part is that you’re not just limited to one. Once you find the perfect season and palette to suit you, you’ll have a built-in guide that will help you shop. If your goal for the new year is to work on a capsule wardrobe, first finding out your color season is a great place to start. Your season’s color palette can help you select the best color scheme for your features – including your best base colors and accent colors. Read on to learn more, and find customized color charts to create your perfect capsule wardrobe color palette.
Finding Your Season
Finding out your color “season” can be a helpful tool when selecting pieces that naturally complement your features. Your “season” depends on a number of factors, including the undertones of your natural hair color, skin tone, and eyes, as well as the contrast of your features. Professional services use specific techniques to calculate your season based on these factors, and then assign you your “best” colors on the color wheel. Many services use a draping technique to determine your colors – this is when they lay different color fabrics down over your shoulders to see how the color harmonizes with your features.
The Pros and the Cons
There are many positives to determining your individual color swatches. They can help guide your purchases, and help you feel satisfied with your wardrobe. However, it can also put you in a bit of a box. It’s something to keep in mind if you end up finding out what season you are – you don’t have to get rid of clothes that you already own that are outside of your color spectrum! These color palettes are meant to be a guide, and not hard and fast rules that you have to set for yourself. You’ll feel like your best self when you find pieces that fit your own personal preference.
Terms to Know
Before we really dig into individual color palettes, it may be helpful to know a few terms that are commonly used in seasonal color analysis:
- Value – how much black or white is added to a color
- Chroma – how much gray is added to a color
- Hue – how “warm” or “cold” a color is
- Value – how much white or black is added to a color
- Tint – when white is added to a color
- Shade – when black is added to a color
- Chroma – measuring the brightness or dullness of a color
Alright, that wraps up our color theory vocabulary lesson – time to dive in!
Spring
If you’re a spring, you most likely have a clear, warm undertone – meaning that you might have light hair, skin color, and eyes for your ethnicity. Your cheeks take on a peachy hue when you blush, and your hair probably has golden or red undertones. You might have green, blue, turquoise, light brown or hazel eyes.
Celebrity Examples for Reference: Solange Knowles, Emmy Rossum, Emma Stone, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, Jamie Chung, Kerry Washington, Jennifer Hudson
Color Palette #1 for Spring
There are many different ways to use the color swatches gained from a color analysis – whether it’s done by a professional, or by yourself in your own home. However, the best way might be to use it to build a foundational capsule wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe provides the building blocks for your style, and are often pieces that you want to be able to style in a wide variety of ways. You also want to feel confident wearing them, and know that they’ll always be pieces that you can always rely on!
This first spring color palette balances four neutral shades with four accent colors. White, beige, ivory and gray with warm undertones will serve as your main colors. These are all fashion neutrals, which are ideal for a minimalistic capsule wardrobe. Next, add in your accent colors – a shade of red-orange, bright blue and pale yellow. These warm tones will complement the warm tones of your skin color.
Color Palette #2 for Spring
Here’s another option for a spring color palette. This particular palette offers a more muted selection based on additional neutrals – so if you aren’t one to gravitate toward wearing a lot of color, this might be a better choice for you.
A warm-toned shade of camel and brown, cream, peachy pink, navy, gray and ivory are all great choices to complement your warm features.
Need ideas of which color to pair with what? Try combinations like navy and camel, gray and blue, peach and cream, ivory and brown.
Summer
A summer palette most likely has cool undertones in their skin color, hair and eyes. They also have low contrast between their features. Their hair most likely has ashy undertones, and their eye color is on the cool side – slate or gray-blue, cool green, etc.
Celebrity Examples for Reference: Emily Blunt, Barbara Palvin, Claire Foy, Anna Kendrick, Allison Williams, Caitriona Balfe
Color Palette #1 for Summer
The best neutrals for summer include cool shades of navy, light brown, gray, beige, ivory and soft white. Ideal accent shades are lavender or lilac, kelly green, raspberry, and teal.
Think about the contrast of your own features if you’re a summer – it will help you pair pieces together, as well as find new pieces in your color palette. Summers are low contrast, so you should look for colors and combinations that are more muted. For example, avoid a bright, stark white. Instead, choose a soft white or ivory.
Choose looks based on this concept as well. Pair taupe with light brown, or gray with navy. These pieces aren’t too different from each other in terms of saturation and brightness. High-contrast pieces might overwhelm your features. In other words, those outfits will wear you instead of the other way around!
Color Palette #2 for Summer
Here are a few more color palette ideas for all of my summers out there. Different seasons, of course, have different palettes, but even within one season, there can be variations – you may have heard the term “soft summer” versus “true summer”. (This is where a professional could really help, although there are some color palette generators out there online that you can try!)
If you love neutrals, this palette may be more up your alley than the last one. The big, bold color featured in this palette is a cool red. Consider a muted version of red as well – something like a rose, cherry, or cranberry might be most flattering.
A color palette like this could be a great help in crafting a minimalist wardrobe. If you are selective in the colors and combinations you choose, you’re going to be more thoughtful about what pieces you’re bringing home – a great way to slow overconsumption and mindless spending.
Need more ideas about how to intentionally shop for a capsule wardrobe? We have free resources for you here.
Autumn
A fall or autumn is another season with low contrast. However, in comparison to summer, an autumn has a warm skin undertone, hair, and eye color. Their hair may have golden or red tones, and might be darker than some of the other seasons.
Celebrity Examples for Reference: Drew Barrymore, Julianne Moore, Shailene Woodley, Diane Lane, Ana de Armas, Beyoncé, Connie Britton, Zendaya
Color Palette #1 for Autumn
You can easily adapt your favorite colors to fit the different seasons. For example, if you love a moody shade of dark green, try a pine or alpine – they’re the warmer counterparts to evergreen and forest green.
The same thing goes for red – if you love a bright shade of red for special occasions, try a lip or sweater in a coral, rust or brick. These warm tones will help to complement the warm, rich tones of your features. If you’re undecided about whether a piece of clothing is warm or cool, ask yourself – does this lean more toward red, or blue in its undertones?
Accentuate the moody shades with gold accessories. A metallic like gold with only richen the saturated hues in your palette.
Color Palette #2 for Autumn
This next palette is quintessential fall – and I’m talking about the time of year, not necessarily your season! You can spot a lot of the colors you’ve probably been seeing everywhere for the past month or two. A warm burgundy, rich shades of chocolate and camel, olive greens, and shades of beige are the perfect way to celebrate your season’s namesake.
Be careful when you’re looking online at pieces that are labeled a certain shade like “burgundy.” Depending on the individual piece, the color could vary widely in terms of how the shade actually appears in person. Burgundy can lean cooler (with more purple undertones) or warm (with more red-orange undertones). These small nuances can make a big difference if you’re looking for pieces that fit within your palette.
Winter
Last but certainly not least, we have winter. Winters have cool undertones, and a high contrast between their hair, skin and eyes. Their eye color can range from super light blue eyes to very dark brown ones. Winters are most commonly associated with jewel tones.
Celebrity Examples for Reference: Selena Gomez, Brooke Shields, Kendall Jenner, Janelle Monáe, Alexandra Daddario, Padma Lakshmi, Lauren Graham
Color Palette #1 for Winter
Bold, saturated colors and vibrant jewel tones are a game changer for winters. These high-contrast colors will complement high-contrast features for a beautiful look. Consider bright colors such as navy, cobalt blue, emerald green, bright whites and ivory, and shades of cool-toned grays. These are all easy colors to mix and match with each other as well.
Go the extra mile and try putting together pieces that are very different in contrast. For example, you can’t go wrong with a timeless and chic black-and-white look, especially for holiday outfits!
Color Palette #2 for Winter
If you have a hard time figuring out whether a color is cool or not, try looking at a color gradient, or color wheel. This might be a helpful tool (that you can easily search for online) to help you visualize where that specific shade is located. For example, a shade of burgundy that leans toward purple rather than red will complement your cool skin undertones.
Seasonal capsules can be a great way to introduce new colors into your existing wardrobe. Maybe you’ve never considered a deep shade of purple or red before, but you’ve just found out you’re a winter. Or maybe you want to try an all-white look for a chic cold-weather outfit. This is a great opportunity to try something new, and have fun with a new color palette!
The Next Step in Creating Your Capsule Wardrobe Color Palette
Let’s say you’ve seen a color expert or self-determined your season online. Maybe you were expecting your season, or maybe you weren’t – either way, don’t panic and immediately give your entire wardrobe a complete overhaul! Take a look at what you have, and really think about what pieces you feel great wearing. If it’s something that’s not in your season and doesn’t make you feel like a million dollars, that’s just extra motivation to sell or donate it to make room for a new piece.
Your personal style goals don’t have to be met overnight – that’s not realistic for everyday life! Great style is a journey, and you can rest easy knowing that while finding out your color palette is a valuable tool, it’s just that – a tool. Your unique personal style doesn’t have to be defined by your season, but it can certainly be complemented by it! It’s a great resource, and can help move you forward if you’re feeling stuck in your daily life when it comes to getting dressed. Give it a try, and we’ll be cheering you on!
Speaking of a style refresh, we have more ideas for you here: 15 Style Tips to Make Old Outfits Feel New Again
Very informative. Thank you.
You’re welcome!