Color analysis quiz › The Summer Color Palette
The Summer Color Palette: Light, True and Soft Summer
Summer is one family with three voices: Light, True and Soft. All three lean cool and stay gentle in contrast, but each is built around a different leading trait, so the colors that flatter one Summer can dull another.
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Light Summer
#AFCBEA
#C3B5E3
#E8A9BB
#A7D8C9
#B3B9E6
#8EB8E5
#F08DA4
#F4EDA5
True Summer
#C2185B
#7F8FD6
#6E85A3
#E58BB0
#7E4A7A
#3F7C7A
#4D9CA5
#6A8FD8
Soft Summer
#C08A98
#9CAF88
#6B7F99
#A2798F
#5E8C8A
#9D8BA7
#5C7AA0
#B0637F
What All Three Summers Share
Every Summer palette is cool-leaning, medium to low in contrast, and softly blended rather than sharp. Coloring tends to read as ash rather than gold: blond that is beige or ash, brown that is cool, eyes in the grey-blue, soft green or muted hazel range, and skin with pink or neutral undertones. This is why Summers usually look better in silver than in gold, and why heavy black near the face tends to look heavier on them than it does on Winters.
The three subtypes sort by which trait leads. Light Summer leads on lightness, True Summer leads on coolness, and Soft Summer leads on mutedness. That order matters more than any single color on a list.
Light Summer
Light Summer is dominated by lightness with a cool lean. Hair is often ash blond or light ash brown, eyes light blue, grey or soft green, and skin pink or neutral. The palette is pale, airy and gently blended: powder blue #AFCBEA, lavender #C3B5E3, soft rose #E8A9BB, seafoam #A7D8C9, light periwinkle #B3B9E6, sky #8EB8E5, watermelon pink #F08DA4 and light lemon #F4EDA5. Neutrals are soft white #F6F5F2, light grey #C8CBD0, grey-blue #7D8EA6 and soft navy #3E4E6E.
True Summer
True (Cool) Summer is led by coolness, at medium depth and gentle contrast. Skin is often pink or rosy, hair ash brown or ash blond, eyes grey-blue or cool green. The colors are deeper and cooler than Light Summer's but still softened: raspberry #C2185B, periwinkle #7F8FD6, blue-grey #6E85A3, cool pink #E58BB0, plum #7E4A7A, spruce #3F7C7A, soft teal #4D9CA5 and cornflower #6A8FD8. Neutrals are soft white #F4F4F2, cool grey #9EA4AD, rose-brown #8A6A6A and soft navy #33415C.
Soft Summer
Soft Summer is led by low chroma with a cool lean. Features blend together: mousy or ash-brown hair, grey-green or grey-blue eyes, neutral-cool skin. Colors look as if a grey veil has been laid over them: dusty rose #C08A98, sage #9CAF88, slate blue #6B7F99, mauve #A2798F, soft teal #5E8C8A, heather #9D8BA7, denim #5C7AA0 and raspberry mist #B0637F. Neutrals are oyster #E6E0D8, pewter #8E8F91, taupe #8B7F77 and charcoal blue #3F4A59.
Mirror Tests at a Window
Test in daylight from a window, with no makeup and no filters. Lighting matters: a warm bulb or a phone filter can turn a true Summer rosy and a Soft Summer warm.
- Silver versus gold: all three Summers usually prefer silver. If gold looks acceptable but silver looks cleaner, you are likely in the family. If gold looks clearly better, check the Spring and Autumn families.
- Soft white versus pure white: hold soft white #F4F4F2 and pure white #FFFFFF beside your face. Summers usually look calmer in soft white; pure white can cast shadows or look stark. A Soft Summer will notice this most.
- Grey versus black: compare cool grey #9EA4AD with black #111111. If black drains color from your face and grey restores it, you are reading Summer rather than Winter.
To separate the subtypes, add one more test. Compare light grey #C8CBD0 (light and airy) with pewter #8E8F91 (muted and mid-depth). If the pale, light option wins, lean Light Summer. If the muted, blended option wins, lean Soft Summer. If neither is decisive and coolness is the obvious story, lean True Summer.
Swap Table: Replace the Defaults
Most wardrobes are built around black, pure white, orange and camel. Each Summer swaps those for its own neutrals. Cite the hex when you shop.
| Usual default | Light Summer | True Summer | Soft Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black #111111 | Soft navy #3E4E6E or grey-blue #7D8EA6 | Soft navy #33415C or cool grey #9EA4AD | Charcoal blue #3F4A59 or pewter #8E8F91 |
| Pure white #FFFFFF | Soft white #F6F5F2 | Soft white #F4F4F2 | Oyster #E6E0D8 |
| Orange #F57C00 | Watermelon pink #F08DA4 | Raspberry #C2185B | Dusty rose #C08A98 |
| Camel #C19A6B | Light grey #C8CBD0 | Rose-brown #8A6A6A | Taupe #8B7F77 |
Outfit Pairings Using the Hex Colors
Light Summer
- Powder blue #AFCBEA knit with soft white #F6F5F2 trousers and grey-blue #7D8EA6 shoes.
- Seafoam #A7D8C9 top over light grey #C8CBD0 skirt, with lavender #C3B5E3 as a small accent.
- Soft navy #3E4E6E as the darkest layer, keeping sky #8EB8E5 and light lemon #F4EDA5 close to the face.
True Summer
- Soft navy #33415C suit with a cool pink #E58BB0 blouse and soft white #F4F4F2 shirt collar.
- Cornflower #6A8FD8 dress with rose-brown #8A6A6A belt and cool grey #9EA4AD bag.
- Spruce #3F7C7A jacket over periwinkle #7F8FD6, grounded by soft navy #33415C trousers.
Soft Summer
- Slate blue #6B7F99 with oyster #E6E0D8 and taupe #8B7F77 for a tonal, textured outfit.
- Sage #9CAF88 shirt with charcoal blue #3F4A59 trousers and heather #9D8BA7 scarf.
- Denim #5C7AA0 jeans with dusty rose #C08A98 knit and pewter #8E8F91 accessories.
Textural mixing — linen, brushed cotton, soft wool — does more for a Summer outfit than sharp contrast does.
Colors to Avoid
- Light Summer: black #111111, orange #F57C00, rust #A0451B and mustard #C99A0F. These overwhelm light, cool features.
- True Summer: orange #F57C00, camel #C19A6B, golden yellow #FFC233 and black #111111. Warm, golden or heavy shades fight coolness.
- Soft Summer: black #111111, bright orange #FF6F00, pure white #FFFFFF and neon pink #FF2D95. High chroma and starkness defeat mutedness.
Bridge Colors: Where Each Summer Borders Another Season
The site model scores undertone, value and chroma on a -1 to 1 scale. Adjacent seasons usually differ on one axis only, which is why some colors cross the border.
Soft Summer and Soft Autumn
Soft Summer scores -0.3 undertone, 0 value and -0.85 chroma; Soft Autumn scores 0.3, -0.1 and -0.85. Chroma is identical, so mutedness is shared, and the bridge colors are the ones both palettes contain: soft teal — #5E8C8A for Summer, #5F8F87 for Autumn — and muted gold-leaning neutrals that a Soft Summer can wear away from the face. The difference is the undertone axis: a Soft Summer can borrow a warm muted color at the edge of the palette, but keeping it lower and blending it with oyster #E6E0D8 or pewter #8E8F91 restores the cool lean.
Light Summer and Light Spring
Light Summer scores -0.4 undertone, 0.8 value and -0.2 chroma; Light Spring scores 0.4, 0.8 and 0.2. Value is identical, so lightness and low contrast are shared. The bridge colors are the pale, light shades both can handle: periwinkle (#B3B9E6 Summer, #A8B4F0 Spring) and soft aqua tones. The difference is undertone, with chroma a secondary gap. A Light Summer borrowing from Light Spring should choose the cooler version of a light color and pair it with soft white #F6F5F2 rather than ivory #FFF8E7.
Finding Your Place in the Family
A quiz scores your answers on undertone, value and chroma and maps you to one of 12 seasons; the selfie photo check runs in the browser, measures skin, hair and eye color at movable points and ranks the 12 seasons. The Pro report costs $9.99 once. Whichever route you take, confirm the result in daylight from a window, with no makeup and no filters, holding the test colors beside your face.
Related guides
12-season color analysis · Undertone test · Hair color for cool undertones · Soft Autumn makeup · All 12 palettes
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Questions
How do I tell a Light Summer from a True Summer?
Compare pale versus cool. Light Summer leads on lightness, so very light shades such as powder blue #AFCBEA and soft white #F6F5F2 look natural, while deep cool shades feel heavy. True Summer leads on coolness and handles mid-depth cool colors such as raspberry #C2185B and plum #7E4A7A well.
Can a Soft Summer wear autumn colors?
Some muted ones, because Soft Summer shares low chroma with Soft Autumn. Soft teal (#5E8C8A and #5F8F87) suits both. Keep warmer borrowings away from the face or pair them with oyster #E6E0D8, taupe #8B7F77 or pewter #8E8F91 to preserve the cool lean.
What should a Summer wear instead of black?
Use the palette's own darks. Light Summer can use soft navy #3E4E6E or grey-blue #7D8EA6, True Summer soft navy #33415C or cool grey #9EA4AD, and Soft Summer charcoal blue #3F4A59 or pewter #8E8F91.
Why does lighting change my result?
Color is reflected light, so the source changes what you see. Test in daylight from a window, with no makeup and no filters; warm indoor bulbs can make a cool Summer look warmer, and filters can shift skin and hair readings.
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