Palettes, families and how to read them
The 12 color season palettes
The twelve seasons come from three questions: is the undertone warm or cool, how deep is the coloring, and how clear or muted is it. Each combination has a palette, and each palette page lists twelve colors with hex values.
Three questions, twelve answers
- Undertone
- Warm, cool or neutral. The first split, and the one a photo most often gets wrong.
- Depth
- Light, medium or deep, from the hair and skin together.
- Clarity
- Clear or muted, set by the contrast between hair, skin and eyes.
Spring family
Spring color season palettes
Spring color analysis looks for warmth and clarity with light to medium depth. Peach, coral and golden yellow lead.
Summer family
Summer color season palettes
Summer color analysis looks for a cool base and a soft finish, with light to medium depth. Powder blue, rose and sage lead.
Autumn family
Autumn color season palettes
Autumn color analysis, or fall color analysis, looks for warmth and a muted finish, with medium to deep depth. Rust, olive and camel lead.
Winter family
Winter color season palettes
Winter color analysis looks for a cool base and a clear finish, with medium to deep depth. True red, navy and emerald lead.
Questions
About the seasons
What are the 12 color seasons?
Three in each family. Spring: light, warm and bright. Summer: light, cool and soft. Autumn: soft, warm and deep. Winter: deep, cool and bright. Each has a palette page with twelve colors.
Is 12 better than 16 seasons?
They are different levels of detail. Twelve is enough to choose colors with and simple enough to remember. A 16 season system splits each family further, which helps professionals and can overwhelm a first reading.
Which color season is most common?
Autumn and summer palettes are the most common in a US sample, but the spread depends on the population. There is no season that is better than another.
Can my color season change?
Not with a tan or a hair color, though both change what a photo shows. If you dye your hair very differently, the contrast and depth of your coloring can read differently, and the palette that suits you may move.
How accurate is the free color tool?
It is a good starting point. The photo sample is affected by camera color, which is why seven quiz answers carry the other half of the reading. Use the palette page to check against clothes you already own.