Dressing for your season – Outfits for an Autumn colour palette

Seasonal colour analysis, colour theory, and “dressing for your season” are all the rage right now, with many fashionistas using these tools to improve their style and make shopping easier. But what is seasonal colour analysis exactly?

Seasonal colour analysis uses colour psychology and colour wheel analysis to help fashion-conscious consumers choose clothing that complements their features and skin tones. This practice is based on the colour theory, which serves as a practical guide for analysing how colour works in fashion, design, and art.

Seasonal colour analysis determines the ideal colour palette for a person based on their skin tone, eyes, hair, and lips. Suzanne Caygill, an American colour theorist, popularised the method in the 1980s by combining colour psychology and seasonal palette theory. Caygill’s methodology gained tremendous popularity among colour experts, inspiring psychologist Carole Jackson to create the book Colour Me Beautiful.

We will be referring to a twelve-season colour analysis, which divides the four main seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter) into three sub-seasons each, resulting in a total of twelve seasons.

While some people might be able to immediately recognise themselves in one of the “main” seasons, other folks might lean toward less pronounced and more neutral types: this is where the twelve-season model comes in. Finding your colour season is easier said than done, and we especially love this guide.

To make a very long story as short as possible, the two basic variables that determine your seasonal type are:

1. The undertone of your complexion, hair, and eyes (warm/golden or cool/ashy).
2. How light or deep your general colouration—and specifically your hair—is.

Seasons reflect the four distinct combinations of these two variables.

If your natural hair colour is lighter than medium brown, you are classified as Spring or Summer; if it is darker, you are classified as Winter or Autumn.

If your skin tone and hair have a warm undertone, or you are a natural redhead, you would be labelled as either a Spring or an Autumn; if your complexion has a blue-ish, chilly undertone and your hair is more ashy and has no golden or red highlights, you are either a Summer or a Winter.

If your features are cool-toned, ashy, and dark, you might very well be a Winter. If that’s the case, you’re in the right place! Welcome to Stylight’s shopping guide for the Autumn colour season.

The Autumn palette is warm, rich, earthy, and golden. Autumn features are warm, muted, and dark, giving Autumns a rich but toned-down appearance.

The Autumn season is classified into three sub-seasons: Soft Autumn, True Autumn, and Dark Autumn.

Soft Autumn is the first of the three Autumn sub-seasons. You’re a Soft Autumn if the primary colour aspect of your appearance is muted, and the secondary aspect is warm—meaning warm colours suit you better than cooler ones.

Soft Autumn’s colouring has warm undertones: therefore, gold suits them better than silver.

If you’re a Soft Autumn, your colouring—eyes, skin, and hair—is soft and muted: your features aren’t bright and vibrant but almost blend into each other.

Soft Autumn eyes can be green, light hazel, or light brown, all with a little grey to them. Swirling patterns on the iris are typical of Autumn eyes. Darker ethnicities may have soft, medium-brown eyes.

The skin ranges from fair to tan, and has neutral or neutral-warm undertones. Vibrant colours might make it appear dull, while true black might make it look yellowish.

Soft Autumn hair ranges from strawberry blonde over golden blonde to medium-golden brown. It’s slightly ashy but develops golden highlights in the summer.

The Soft Autumn palette is overall rich, soft, and inviting; it features gentle colours that aren’t either too warm or too dark: olive greens, soft reds, and delicate pinks.

Due to your gentle colouring, dark shades are the worst option for Soft Autumns. When looking for neutrals, sub true black with dark browns, greys, and greens in your palette and true white with yellow-toned off-whites, beiges, and sands.

As a Soft Autumn, you should avoid vibrant colours like intense orange, dark colours like deep purples and blues, and very cool colours like black, white, and blueish greys.

What are the best colour pairings for Soft Autumns? Since your natural appearance blends rather than contrasts, your best colour combinations are those that complement each other.

Monochromatic combinations are the way to go: pair a light shade with a dark one, and you’re done!

Pairing hues with the same value is also a good idea: try a medium brown with a similarly medium red.

Just like Soft Summer, Soft Autumn wears nude makeup looks the best.

Bronzer is your friend, as it brings out a healthy, warm and golden glow in their complexion.

Beige, taupe, khaki, and brown eyeshadows are the most flattering on Soft Autumns.

The best blush and lip shades are warm and gentle peachy pinks or russets.

Generally speaking, avoid too much shimmer in your makeup and go for matte or slightly shimmery products.

Bright Spring boasts a cohort of ultra-stylish celebs you can look to for inspiration. Some of them include:

• Devon Aoki
• Gisele Bündchen
• Angelina Jolie
• Rihanna
• Alexa Chung
• Kate Moss

You’re a True Autumn if the primary colour aspect of your appearance is warm, and the secondary aspect is muted. Your colouring is soft and muted, and your features blend into one another; yet, all your they have a rich, golden undertone. Gold looks great against your skin, but silver makes it look off.

True Autumn eyes are often a mix of brown, green, and medium gold and feature the typical Autumn swirling pattern in the iris. The most common colours are warm green, olive green, dark hazel, amber and golden brown. Deep blue eyes are rare but possible, while darker ethnicities often have warm, dark chocolate eyes.

The skin ranges from fair to dark and has obviously warm undertones. Its most striking characteristic is the bronzy or golden glow it emanates when paired with rich, warm colours.

True Autumn hair comes in a variety of shades: golden blonde, auburn, and light to dark golden brown. It develops highlights when exposed to the sun, which can be golden, caramel, bronze, or rusty.

True Autumn is Autumn at its peak: their colours are rich and warm, like golden wheat fields, warm sun rays and golden sunsets. True Autumn is the “original” Autumn season, and therefore the “standard” colour palette.

The True Autumn palette contains warm greens, golden yellows, orangey reds, and lots of golden browns. The colours are dense, rich, and warm, but still appear soft and muted when compared to a truly bright season (like Spring).

When it comes to neutrals, the best dark neutrals for True Autumn are dark browns and very dark olive greens. On the other hand, the best light neutrals are yellow off-whites, beiges, creams, and ecrus.

As a True Autumn, you should avoid cool, bright, and vibrant colours: true black and white, pastel pink, ice blue, electric blue, and fuchsia.

The best colour combinations for your outfits have an occasional pop of colour here and there.

Monochromatic looks are fine, but pairing neighbouring hues with similar values—like medium orange and medium pink—can look even better.

Another option is pairing a dark neutral with a light, richer accent colour, like medium brown and mustard yellow.

The True Autumn makeup routine is all about achieving a rich, glowing look.

Warm bronzer and dark contour are right in your wheelhouse.

Eye makeup can be both neutral and colourful, just remember to use the shades in your palette.

Blush should be warm and glowing, never pink- or blue-based.

Lastly, lipstick colours are a range of oranges, reds, warm pinks and browns.

True Autumn boasts a cohort of ultra-stylish celebs you can look to for inspiration. Some of them include:

• Julienne Moore
• Beyoncé
• Lindsay Lohan
• Jennifer Lopez
• Keri Russel
• Emma Thompson

You are a Dark Autumn if the primary colour aspect of your appearance is dark, and the secondary aspect is warm—meaning warm colours suit you better than cooler ones.

Regardless of the colouring of your skin, there is always a high contrast between your features: the whites of the eyes and the teeth provide plenty of contrast against the other dark features.

Due to your warm undertones, gold suits you better than silver.

Dark Autumn eyes are typically dark hazel, dark green, warm dark brown and warm black, and can be—though very rarely—a muted dark blue. They can feature the typical Autumn swirling pattern in the iris.

If you’re a Dark Autumn your skin tone can range from light to deep, and always has golden or bronze undertones. It’s neutral or neutral-warm.

Dark Autumn hair is usually, well, dark, from medium golden brown to warm brown-black. It has a rich, warm and deep glow to it and may develop golden or red highlights when in the sun.

The best colours for Dark Autumn are rich and deep, the darkest and most pigmented of the Autumn family. Most of them are yellow-based, making them naturally warm. The range of colours is also quite broad, but the focus lies on golden hues such as mustard yellow, oranges and reds.

When shopping for dark neutrals, look for a warm black with greenish undertones, which will look way more flattering on you than true or cool blacks. As for light neutrals, avoid pure white and instead go for the warmer shades of beige and yellow in your palette.

Avoid pastels and dusty colours—they won’t match your naturally rich colouring—as well as very cool, frosty colours that will clash with your warm appearance.

Dark Autumn’s appearance is highly contrasting, so don’t be afraid to use the same contrast in your outfits. Specifically, Dark Autumn’s contrast is in value rather than hue: this means that pairing light with dark colours is the best way for you to create contrast.

Try pairing a dark neutral with a light accent—or vice versa. Dark brown and a purplish pink, for example, look great together.

To achieve even more striking looks, try using hue contrast: pair colours that sit opposite to each other on the colour wheel, like yellow and blue.

What’s inside the Dark Autumn’s makeup bag?

Bronzer is great for all Autumn sub-seasons, and that includes Dark Autumn. The best bronzers for Dark Autumn are neither too orangey nor too muted. They can be quite deep—especially if your complexion is on the darker side.

Contour is also great for your colouring.

Eye makeup colours are taken from the neutral area of the Dark Autumn palette except for eyeshadow colours. Highlight eyeshadows come from the complementary and accent colour areas on the palette.

Avoid cool pink-based blushes and go for lighter browns and pinkish reds—if your complexion is light—or dark reddish and brownish colours—if your complexion is dark.

For your lips, choose either lighter—pinks and burnt oranges—or darker colours—deep reds and browns— depending on the depth of your colouring.

Dark Winter boasts a cohort of ultra-stylish celebs you can look to for inspiration. Some of them include:

• Angela Bassett
• Halle Berry
• Millie Bobby Brown Bongiovi
• Zendaya
• Simone Ashley
• Julia Roberts