“What the heck is a seasonal color analysis and why should I care?” – what you’re probably thinking. Before I started to care about my style, I just wore and bought whatever struck my fancy. I ended up with a rainbow of a closet, but I only reached for things in certain colors.

I like pink and bright yellow, just not on me. I like red, but only particularly shades. It isn’t just preference, because my house is full of bright colors. It’s what looks good on and complements my skintone and hair.

Seasonal Color Analysis takes the coloring and undertones of three things into account:

• Your Eyes

• Your Hair

• Your Skintone

Then, depending on how light or dark each of those things are, it puts you into a “season”: Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter. The colors in your season will complement your features best, and you probably already reach for some of these colors!

Seasons are used because we already associate certain colors with each season, like white snow in the winter, rich red leaves in the fall, kelly green grass in the summer, or pastel pink flowers in the spring. Each season is then broken down into a subtype like cool or soft or deep, which just tells you how vivid or muted the colors are in this season you should wear. You are probably safe wearing any color in your season, but if you want the most flattering option, try to stick to your subtype.

Of course, you can always experiment outside of your season, as well! For example, my season does not have black or gray in, but I find if I wear blacks that don’t have blue undertones and warmer grays, that it is flattering. Finding your season is just a starting point to help you figure out the color palette you may want for your wardrobe.

If you take nothing else from this, you will want to determine if your skin, hair, and eyes have a neutral, warm, or cool undertone. Then, choose colors for your clothing that have the same undertone.

Winter Season Color Palette

Cool Winter

If you are a Cool Winter, you most likely have the following characteristics:

• Hair: Ashy blonde, Ashy light or dark brown, or Black with blue undertones

• Skin: Olive or Cool Blue undertones

• Eyes: Light brown, blue, or gray

Cool seasons (Summer or Winter) do not depend on contrast or lack of contrast between skin/hair/and eye color, rather it is the overall undertone of these three things. Cool seasons will have a cool or bluish undertone to their hair, skin, and eyes. Pastel or light colored shades are not flattering on cool season types, rather a medium tone of the colors in your season are most appropriate to contrast and complement your undertones. Don’t be afraid to experiment with slightly darker shades than what is in your palette, but avoid warm toned shades.

Celebrities that are a Cool Winter are: Liv Tyler, Lauren Graham, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristin Davis

Clear Winter

If you are a Clear Winter, you most likely have the following characteristics:

• Hair: Medium to dark brown or black

• Skin: Olive or Cool Blue Undertones

• Eyes: Bright green or blue

Clear seasons (Spring or Winter) have a higher contrast between their skintone and hair and eye colors. For example, fair skin with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. However, blondes can also be a “Clear” season type, if their hair is a particularly bright blond that is not platinum or ashy. The color palettes for clear season types are the clearest and least muted one way or the other. Meaning, that the colors are what we could consider a true red or true blue, like the crayon box you had as a child with a small variation of shades and only the brightest shades of each color.

Celebrities that are a Clear Winter are: Courteney Cox, Zooey Deschanel, Alexis Bledel, Angelina Jolie

Deep Winter

If you are a Deep Winter, you most likely have the following characteristics:

• Hair: Medium to dark brown or black

• Skin: Olive or Cool Blue Undertones

• Eyes: Dark Brown or Black

Deep seasons (Autumn or Winter) have varying skintones, but their eyes and hair color are similarly dark. The most flattering shades in the winter color palette are the deepest shades for the season.

Celebrities that are a Deep Winter are: Priyanka Chopra, Lupita Nyong’o, Lucy Liu, Anne Hathaway

Spring Season Color Palette

Light SPring

If you are a Light Spring, you most likely have the following characteristics:

• Hair: Golden Blonde, Strawberry Blonde, or Golden Brown

• Skin: Fair skin with pink or peachy undertones

• Eyes: Blue, Green, Hazel, or Light Brown

Light seasons (Spring or Summer) have light hair and a light skintone for your ethnicity. Your eyes will also be light or bright colors like blue, green, or light brown. The color palettes for light season types are muted but not dark. Light colors differ from muted colors in that they are diluted with white and appear more pastel than muted colors that appear to be darker than their original color. The light colors complement your light overall coloring, instead of overwhelming it with harsh or dark colors.

Celebrities that are a Light Spring are: Taylor Swift, Amanda Seyfried, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johannson

Clear spring

If you are a Clear Spring, you most likely have the following characteristics:

• Hair: Golden light to dark brown

• Skin: Skin has a pink undertone and ranges from more ivory than milky white to golden brown

• Eyes: Green, Blue, Light Brown

Clear seasons (Spring or Winter) have a higher contrast between their skintone and hair and eye colors. For example, fair skin with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. However, blondes can also be a “Clear” season type, if their hair is a particularly bright blond that is not platinum or ashy. The color palettes for clear season types are the clearest and least muted one way or the other. Meaning, that the colors are what we could consider a true red or true blue, like the crayon box you had as a child with a small variation of shades and only the brightest shades of each color.

Celebrities that are a Clear Spring are: Emma Stone, Cara Delevingne, Tyra Banks, Beyonce

warm spring

If you are a Warm Spring, you most likely have the following characteristics:

• Hair: Strawberry blonde to copper auburn and light to dark golden brown

• Skin: Warm beige, slightly bronzed, may have freckles

• Eyes: Green, Blue, Hazel, or Light Brown

Warm seasons (Spring or Autumn) have hair and skin colors with a deeper coloring and warm, golden undertones. Your eyes may be similarly dark, but have a golden spark to the green, brown, or hazel. The color palettes for warm season types are muted but not dark or pastel, and they will have a warm tone. Both warm seasons share neutral brown bases, but the spring palette has the warmest tones of bright spring colors.

Celebrities that are a Warm Spring are: Amy Adams, Mandy Moore, Cameron Diaz, Marcia Cross

summer Season Color Palette

Light summer

If you are a Light Summer, you most likely have the following characteristics:

• Hair: Lightly colored hair such as light to medium ashy blonde or strawberry blonde

• Skin: Skin has a neutral undertone that is neither warm or cool, but may have a slight pink tinge.

• Eyes: Blue or Green

Light seasons (Spring or Summer) have light hair and a light skintone for your ethnicity and may have a pink tinge. Your eyes will also be light or bright colors like blue, green, or light brown. The color palettes for light season types are muted but not dark. Light colors differ from muted colors in that they are diluted with white and appear more pastel than muted colors that appear to be darker than their original color. The light colors complement your light overall coloring, instead of overwhelming it with harsh or dark colors.

Celebrities that are a Light Summer are: Meryl Streep, Amy Poehler, Cate Blanchett, Naomi Watts

Soft summer

If you are a Soft Summer, you most likely have the following characteristics:

• Hair: Medium to Dark Ashy Brown

• Skin: Medium beige to dark brown with neutral undertones

• Eyes: Gray, Blue, Hazel

Soft seasons (Summer or Autumn) have little contrast between their hair and skintone. You will most likely have neutral undertones, neither warm or cool, but you may lean one way or the other on occasion or depending on what you are wearing. You are truly a chameleon! The most flattering colors in your color palette or soft, but not washed out.

Celebrities that are a Soft Summer are: Ellen Pompeo, Leona Lewis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Katie Holmes

Cool Summer

If you are a Cool Summer, you most likely have the following characteristics:

• Hair: Medium to dark Ashy Brown

• Skin: Skin has a cool undertone and ranges from medium beige to dark brown

• Eyes: Blue or Gray

Cool seasons (Summer or Winter) do not depend on contrast or lack of contrast between skin/hair/and eye color, rather it is the overall undertone of these three things. Cool seasons will have a cool or bluish undertone to their hair, skin, and eyes. Pastel or light colored shades are not flattering on cool season types, rather a medium tone of the colors in your season are most appropriate to contrast and complement your undertones. Don’t be afraid to experiment with slightly darker shades than what is in your palette, but avoid warm toned shades.

Celebrities that are a Cool Summer are: Kate Middleton, Tina Fey, Zendaya Coleman

autumn Season Color Palette

Soft Autumn

If you are a Soft Autumn, you most likely have the following characteristics:

• Hair: Blonde to Medium Brown or Red Hair with a Golden Shine

• Skin: Ivory, Olive, or Medium Brown with warm undertones

• Eyes: Green, Hazel, or Light Brown

Soft seasons (Summer or Autumn) have little contrast between their hair and skintone. You will most likely have neutral undertones, neither warm or cool, but you may lean one way or the other on occasion or depending on what you are wearing. You are truly a chameleon! The most flattering colors in your color palette or soft, but not washed out.

Celebrities that are a Soft Autumn are: Jada Pinkett Smith, Celine Dion, Melissa McCarthy, Drew Barrymore, Mariah Carey

Warm Autumn

If you are a Warm Autumn, you most likely have the following characteristics:

• Hair: Medium to Dark Golden Brown or Warm Auburn

• Skin: Ivory, Olive, or Medium Brown with warm undertones

• Eyes: Green, Hazel, or Light Brown

Warm seasons (Spring or Autumn) have hair and skin colors with a deeper coloring and warm, golden undertones. Your eyes may be similarly dark, but have a golden spark to the green, brown, or hazel. The color palettes for warm season types are muted but not dark or pastel, and they will have a warm tone. Both warm seasons share neutral brown bases, but the autumn palette has the medium tones we associate with Autumn like maroon red or dusty green.

Celebrities that are a Warm Autumn are: Julianne Moore, Debra Messing, Jenna Fischer, Julia Roberts

Deep Autumn

If you are a Deep Autumn, you most likely have the following characteristics:

• Hair: Medium to Dark Brown with Golden Shine

• Skin: Ivory, Olive, or Medium to Dark Brown with warm undertones

• Eyes: Dark Blue, Deep Green, Hazel, Dark Brown, Brown-Black

Deep seasons (Autumn or Winter) have varying skintones, but their eyes and hair color are similarly dark. The most flattering shades in the winter color palette are the deepest shades for the season.

Celebrities that are a Deep Autumn are: Mindy Kaling, Oprah, Keira Knightley, Sandra Bullock

Figured out your Season?

If you know your season, now you’re ready to build a color palette for your capsule wardrobe! Easy peasy, if you do it right. I wrote this post on the process and revealed my one trick to having the perfect color palette.