“Wow, you really want to see,” my husband gestured towards my side of the closet. There, a growing collection of cream tops hanging in a row. Further down, muted sky blues and cotton candy pink replaced the burnt oranges, deep greens, blacks, and Stark whites that once filled my wardrobe. And he is right – I’m watching. Something that pops my eyes and avoids my skin tone. My closet now reflects the journey I have been on over the past few months. Discover my season through color analysis.
How color analysis changes the way you wear clothes
Not the most noble journey, I admit. But in my continued efforts to reduce decision fatigue, I was tired when I tried to dress from the messy, stuffed closet. I wanted to feel like I was in my clothes. A silhouette that reflects my style, comfortable and easy to move fabrics, and colors that enhance my natural features. I went down the first two. But the colour?
Like many, I have heard the old phrase “I’m autumn” thanks to Carol Jackson’s bestselling 1980s book Color Me Beautiful. But, just like with hot rollers, I thought it was outdated. However, I noticed when colour analysis and “achieving colour” colour analysis pop up completely in my feed with stunning photos of people who just exchange green tops for green. (Side note: I also ordered a set of hot rollers this week, but that’s a different day.)
It is worth noting that the original conversation about color analysis was rather outdated, written primarily for white women. Thankfully, modern stylists who curate your style on YouTube and Instagram make this practice more comprehensive and provide valuable resources for women of color.
So let’s tackle a big question. How do I know the season?
For me, the answer was not easy. I took an online quiz and uploaded the photos to the AI app, but I was still not sure. It helps many professional color analysts decide on your season (and may eventually go that route), but for now I’m taking a DIY approach. That means following some Instagram accounts, I save some colors that I think are in the season (probably summer,?), and test them to see how I feel.
Four color seasons of color analysis
Before diving into the seasons and their meanings, establish one thing. All of this is fun. You can (and should) wear colors that will make you feel good. As much as we like to categorize ourselves (we can’t resist a good quiz), the truth is, we are subtle. If the system feels boxed, consider breaking the box with slips allowing this.
That being said, we all know the feeling of putting on functional colours. Your skin looks more radiant, your eyes pop and those nasty dark circles seem to be disappearing. Knowing your best colors makes shopping easier and eliminate guesswork when you wear clothes. That’s because your ideal shade reflects the natural undertones of your hair, eyes and skin. The right colours enhance your natural beauty, but the wrong colours will appear to wash away or tire you out.
Of the four colour seasons, there are two comprehensive types.
Warm season: Spring and Autumn (flattening yellow-based tones) Cool season: Summer and Winter (flattening blue-based tones)
Don’t know where it’s going to fall? There are three key factors that will help you decide on a season.
What season is you?
If you are trying to find a season at home, three components can help you determine where you are standing.
1. Discover your undertone
Look at the veins in natural light.
If they look blue or purple, you probably have a cool undertone. If they look green, you probably have a warm undertone.
Need additional help? The Neutone app is a great (and free!) tool for analyzing undertones.
2. Think about your contrast
Contrast (or value) refers to the difference between the brightness and darkness between the skin, eyes and hair.
High contrast (for example, fair skin with jet black hair and cool tone eyes) is often associated with winter and spring. Low contrast (for example, warm brown eyes and medium to dark skin of hair) is more common in summer and autumn.
Understanding your contrast will help you choose the colors that will create a balance. High contrast individuals often shine in bold and contrasting shades, while low contrast individuals tend to see best in soft, timbre palettes.
3. Look at Chroma: Soft and Transparent Colors
Depending on the season, the natural features harmonize with soft mute colors and clear, bold shades.
Soft season (summer, fall): Softer and more sound color combinations. Summers (cool undertones) look best in muted pastels, but the autumn (warm undertones) shines in rich, rustic hues. Clear Season (Winter, Spring): Has bolder and more vibrant natural features. Winter (cool undertones) shines with gemstone tones like royal blue and emerald green, while Springs (warm undertones) emits bright, fresh hues like orange and sunny yellow.
Analysis of each season
There are no true “rules” in color analysis, but again, you can wear any color you like, but there is a general guide for each season of color. We’ll only cover four major seasons here, but the color analysts have further destroyed them by identifying 12 subtypes for a more thorough evaluation.
spring
The springs have a high contrast with warm undertones. They often have light, warm hair, skin and medium skin. The springs shine with a vibrant and warm colour combination.
Celebrities for the spring season include Jessica Chastain, Emma Stone, Rihanna, Blake Lively, Kate Hudson and Brittany Snow.
Vein Examination: Start by examining the color of the veins in your wrist. Springs usually have veins that appear bluer or greener. If the vein tilts towards the green, this suggests a warm undertone.
Eye and Hair Color: Springs usually have warm eyes like hazel, light blue, green, or warm brown, and their natural hair colors range from bright to medium warm shades, including strawberry blonde, golden blonde, and light to medium brown.
How the colour feels: Pay attention to how you feel when wearing different colours. Springs usually look the best with soft, warm and vibrant colors like coral, peach, sunny yellow and mint green. If these colors make your complexion look more radioactive and healthy, then you might be in spring.
Jewelry Metal: Springs are often seen in warm metals such as gold, brass, and copper. If you find that gold jewelry complements skin tones more than silver, it is another sign that you might be in spring.
summer
Summers usually have a lower contrast between features. They often have light or ash blonde hair, bright skin, and eyes with cool tones. Summer looks stunning with soft pastel colours and muted shades that blend with gentle contrast.
Celebrities for the summer season include Emily Brandt, Allison Williams, Barbara Palvin, Leona Lewis, Catriona Barff, Emilia Clark and Miranda Kerr.
Vein examination: Summer usually has bluish or purple veins. If your veins look bluer than green, this suggests you have a cool undertone for the summer season.
Eye and Hair Color: Summer often has light and cool eyes (blue, green, or gray) and light gray or blonde hair.
How the colour feels: Pay attention to how you feel when wearing a particular colour. Summer usually looks best in soft, muted, cool colors. If pastel shades and cool tones of colors like lavender, soft pink, powder blue make your complexion look more vibrant and healthy, you’re probably going to be in the summer.
Jewelry Metal: Summer usually looks good in silver or white gold due to cool undertones. If silver jewelry enhances skin tones than gold, it’s another clue that you might be in summer.
autumn
Fall also has a lower contrast, but warm undertones. They often have warm hair colours, warm tone eyes, medium to dark skin. Autumn thrives with a combination of rich, rustic colours like deep rust and olive green.
Fall season celebrities include Jennifer Lopez, Keira Knightley, Doja Cat, Elizabeth Olsen, Jessica Alba, Sofia Richie and Beyoncé.
Vein examination: If the veins appear greener, it suggests that there is a warm undertone for the fall season.
Eye and Hair Color: In autumn, natural eyes and hair color have warm and rustic tones. This can include shades such as deep brown, auburn, red, or warm blonde. If your natural eyes and hair colour falls into these warm and rustic categories, it is another sign of autumn.
How the colour feels: Pay attention to how you feel when wearing a particular colour. Fall usually looks best with warm, rustic and rich colors, such as dark orange, warm brown, olive green, and mustard yellow. If these colors make your complexion look more vibrant and healthy, you will probably be in autumn.
Jewelry Metal: Fall tends to look better with warm metals like gold and bronze due to warm undertones. If gold jewelry enhances skin tones over silver, that’s another clue that you might be in autumn.
winter
Winter usually has a high contrast between functions. They have dark hair, beautiful skin, and often bright or deep eye colours. These individuals look impressive in their bold, contrasting colour combinations, like pure white and black.
Celebrities for the winter season include Zooey Deschanel, Janelle Monáe, Alexis Bledel, Lucy Liu, Lupita Nyong’o, Viola Davis and Selena Gomez.
Vein examination: Winter usually has bluish or purplish veins, indicating a cool undertone. If your veins look bluer than green, this suggests that you have a cool undertone for the winter season.
Eye and Hair Color: In winter, you often have cool eyes, such as hair colors with cool tones such as deep blue, gray, green, jet black, deep brown, and ash blonde. If your natural eyes and hair colour matches these cool tones, it is a strong sign that you are winter.
How the colour feels: Pay attention to how you feel when wearing a particular colour. Winter usually looks best in bold and contrasting colors, including deep gem tones, pure white, and of course classic little black dresses. If these colors make your complexion look more vibrant and healthy, you will probably be in winter.
Jewelry Metal: Try silver and gold gems. In winter, it often looks good in silver or white gold due to cool undertones. If silver jewelry improves skin tones over gold, it’s another clue that you might be in winter.
Final Thoughts
Now it’s time to play. If you think you’ve been in a certain season, start experimenting. Wear those colors and replace your jewelry to see how it looks against your skin tone. In my experience, color analysis is as much about intuition as it is about theory.
I didn’t expect to reach for a calm purple set, but I’m here.
After all, color analysis is a guide, not a rulebook. Whether it matches your season perfectly or not, embraces what you feel confident and beautiful. Because your best colours will make you shine.
This post was last updated on March 22, 2025 to include new insights.
