Find out what colours suit you best with this seasonal guide!
Our clothes and the colours we choose are all important vehicles of self-expression. We wear red to feel confident, pastels to feel summery, black to feel powerful – every colour has emotions and reactions attached to it. Colour psychology even associates certain colours with certain traits – yellow for youthfulness, white for purity, blue for loyalty.
We can pick our clothes based on feelings – certain colours may speak to us at certain times. If a colour makes you feel good, go for it! But did you know that colour theory believes that there are certain colours and tones that are actually proven to best suit you palette?
None of this is to say these are the only colours you should wear ever, but there is a formula to figuring out what exactly are the best colours on you.
Have you ever noticed there are certain colours that make you look a little….bleh? Tired? Washed out? While others really make you pop? Those colours are good indicators of what your colour ‘type’ might be.
If a colour is noticeably flattering on you, it’s probably part of your innate colour palette, whereas if it actively is unflattering, you’re probably clashing with your natural palette.
For example, if you have a naturally cool undertones, warm colours, like olive green can clash with your palette, making you look drained, rather than something a little more vibrant, like a royal blue, that will make your cool tones pop.
The Concept Wardrobe has made a handy guide to your colour ‘profile’, which has a corresponding seasonal colour profile, to make it easier to understand. The four different seasons – winter, spring, summer and autumn represent contrasts in hue, brightness and vibrancy and everyone is a different combination of each.
Spring:
Type 1. Bright Spring = Bright + Warm
Eyes: Intense bright and clear. They often pop against the skin or hair colour. Blue, green and pale brown with warm undertones.
Hair: Medium golden blonde to dark golden blonde, copper or auburn to brown-black with red undertones
Skintone: neutral or has neutral-warm
Skin will have a bright appearance – but not necessarily pale. Your eyes too, have an intense clarity, and are warm, not cool. Celebs like Emma Stone and Carey Mulligan share your colour profile.
Your colours are: cerise pink, cobalt blue, sea green and butter yellow
Type 2: True Spring = Warm + Bright
Eyes: Contrast with the skin but not as clear as bright spring but are still warm. Warm blue, warm green and light hazel
Hair: Warm, golden tones from medium golden blonde to strawberry blonde and coppery red to light golden brown
Skin: warm golden undertones
Warm and sunny, there is no cool undertones to this. Their fresh look requires bright intense colours to enhance their glow. Cameron Diaz, Jessica Chastain share your colouring.
Your colours: Deep pink, lime green, turquoise, coral pink
Type 3: Light Spring = Light + Warm
Eyes: Eyes are pale and clear. Light blue, green, hazel, and light brown.
Hair: Medium golden blonde to strawberry blonde to light copper and light golden brown.
Skin: Fair to medium neutral
Blends a little with Summer colours and is softer than the other springs. Tones are more muted neutral, and eyes are paler. They are able to also pull off a bright palette. All their features are light so there is little contrast between them. Amanda Seyfried and Scarlett Johansson are good examples of this type.
Your colours are: Pastel yellow, sky blue, sea green, peach
Summer
Type 4: Light Summer = Light + Cool
Eyes: Pale eyes; light grey, light blue, light azure, or a light green tone
Hair: Hair may have been very light when you were small and now have darkened. Icy light to medium ash blonde or light ash brown
Skin: neutral or neutral-cool with beige or pinkish undertones
This is the brightest and lightest summer look and features very little contrast again.A delicate look, it all has an ashy grey and blue undertone. Rachel McAdams and Saoirse Ronan fit this criteria.
Your colours are: Magenta, mint green, pale pink, lilac
Type 5: True Summer = Cool + Muted
Eyes: Eyes are usually blue but can range from grey or green to a light grey hazel.
Hair: Dark blonde, over light and medium brown to dark brown,
Skin: Skin is always cool, with blue or beige undertones and possibly a pink tinge
This is an overall cool look. Muted features do not hold warmth. Their features gently contrast, but not in the dramatic way that winter tones do. True Summer’s look is lighter and softer and gentler tones work well. Emily Blunt and Zendaya both have cooler muted tones.
Your colours are: emerald green, royal blue, mulberry purple, pale pink
Type 6: Soft Summer = Muted + Cool
Eyes: Soft Summer eyes can be soft greys, blue, green, or green-hazel
Hair: Hair can range from neutral-cool with ashy undertones to dark ash blonde
Skin: Skin is either neutral, olive, or neutral-cool toned
Most toned down of all the summer looks This is a washed out palette with cool undertones. Skin, hair and eyes blend together due to the lack of contrast. There’s lots of grey and olive in your tones. Jennifer Aniston, Rihanna and Ellen Pompeo all share this look.
Your colours are: Soft yellow, heather purple, ocean blue, blush pink
Autumn
Type 7: Soft Autumn = Muted + Warm
Eyes: Eyes can be muted with tones of green, light hazel, or light brown that tends to have a bit of grey to them
Hair: Strawberry blonde over golden blonde to medium golden brown
Skin: Tones are neutral, olive, or neutral-warm with a high content of walnut and honey tones
Tones range from neutral to warm in this palette with soft colouring giving gentle and blended features. This is a muted look without brightness and softer colours are required to emphasis delicate features. Drew Barrymore, Eva Longoria and Mindy Kaling all work this look.
Your colours are: Cobalt blue, olive green, pastel yellow, soft mauve
Type 8: True Autumn = Warm and Muted
Eyes: Rich and warm colours, mostly blend of brown, green, and gold.
Hair: Golden brown hair that gives off warmth. from golden blonde to medium golden brown, and auburn
Skin: The skin has warm golden undertones
Rich and deep as opposed to the colder tones we have seen, these muted and earthy colours complement and blend with all the traditional autumnal colours. Jennifer Lopez, Eva Mendes and Zoe Saldana are all able to pull off these deep rich colours.
Your colours are: Cerulean blue, dark salmon, deep burgundy, warm and muted yellow
Type 9: Dark Autumn = Dark + Warm
Eyes: Eyes range from dark hazel to dark green to a deep brown.
Hair: Hair has yellow undertones and generally is a medium to dark golden brown, deep chestnut, deep auburn, or black-brown
Skin: Skin is either neutral or neutral-warm
These deep dark colours mean you have a mainly warm undertone. There is high contrast between your eyes and skin and warm and rich tones saturate your appearance. Meghan Markle, Emily Ratajkowski and Gabrielle Union are all good examples of dark autumn.
Your colours are: Ruby red, apricot orange, steel blue, army green
Winter
Type 10: Dark Winter = Dark + Cool
Eyes: Dark brown and black, very dark olive and dark hazel are all trademark eye colours
Hair: Hair is deep and dark, in medium browns or dark brown to deep blacks
Skin: Olive, neutral, or neutral-cool
The key feature here is contrast. Neutral skin tones with dark hair and dark eyes makes for a striking look. Their eyes often look large in their face because they are so dark, making them a prominent and striking feature Their tones can handle a range of colours. Dark winters include Anne Hathaway, Gemma Chan and America Ferrera.
Your colours are: Emerald green, navy blue, dusty rose, ruby red
Type 11: True Winter = Cool + Bright
Eyes: A variety of cold colours – grey, blue, blue-violet, icy hazel or dark grey
Hair: Hair is typically inky dark, with a range from dark ash brown to black. They contain blue, dark grey, and black-blue pigments, making them cool tones
Skin: Clear blue undertones and an icy look
This is the ice queen look. Brilliant and contrasting, blue undertones permeate the whole look. Bright and clear skin contrasts with deep dark hair giving a crisp overall look with striking features. Krysten Ritter, Michelle Dockery, Zhang Ziyi all rock this look.
Your colours are: Fuchsia pink, azure blue, seafoam green, periwinkle
Type 12: Bright Winter = Bright + Cool
Eyes: Eye colours range from bright blue to bright, pale hazel as we blend into spring colours
Hair: Hair contrasts with lighter skin and eyes and ranges from medium brown to black and has either blue or ashy undertones
Skin: Skin is either neutral or neutral-cool
The most contrasting features because of its close proximity to the spring palette while retaining winter’s coolness, it can pull off lots of deep and contrasting colours. Eyes are generally vivid and colourful in the face and have a distinct look. Katy Perry, Zooey Deschanel and Lily Collins all work this palette.
Lime green, cherry red, royal blue, bubblegum pink
