This is the second article in a four-part series exploring the different "types" of each color season. We have explored the Spring seasons, now let's talk about Summers. During Summer, the hot sun changes the landscape from bright vibrant colors to faded, blended and muted shades.
These subdued colors reminiscent of the colors at dusk are represented in the Summer color seasons used in seasonal color analysis.
What?s seasonal color analysis? It?s the process of matching the coloring of your skin, hair and eyes to a set of colors, called a color season, that harmonizes with you.
Once you determine your color season, you know with confidence the colors that flatter you.
Today let?s explore the Summer color seasons which are cool, light and soft.
Are You a Summer?
Summers have a cool or neutral to slightly cool skin tone with hints of pink, blue or purple. Your hair color does not have to be light and can range from platinum blonde to cool dark brown. Your eyes can be different colors, but usually have a soft and blended eye pattern.
All Summers do not look alike since they have different dominant color traits of cool, light or soft.
True Summer, the original Summer season, along with Cool Summer, Light Summer and Soft Summer are the 4 Summer season types in the 16-season method of seasonal color analysis.
Each of the Summer types has a unique color palette with variations of the classic Summer colors to fit the dominant trait in their coloring.
???????????????????????The Four Summer Color Seasons
True Summer
True Summer is the main Summer season. True Summer has traits that are cool, light and muted. Each color dimension is balanced with no dominant dimension to your coloring.
The True Summer color palette is blue based, cool, and soft. The colors are mid-range, being neither too light nor too dark. There are no warm colors in this color palette. The Summer colors are mixed with grey to tone and soften them, giving them a gentleness.
Neutrals include soft white, rose beige, all shades of grey, taupe, rose brown, blue grey and muted navy. Accent colors include pale lemon, soft pinks, rose, blue reds, burgundy, soft blues, cool greens, plum, and dusty purples.
Not sure which Summer season is best for you, then try the True Summer colors which should be flattering.
Cool Summer
Cool Summer is the coolest and brightest Summer season. It?s Summer mixed with the vibrancy and depth of Winter.
A Cool Summer?s dominant trait is coolness. A Cool Summer has cool hair, skin and eyes. You may look brighter and have a higher contrast than other Summers.
Many dark-haired Summers think they are Winters because they look brighter or darker than a True Summer. However, Summers have a softness to their appearance compared to Winters.
The Cool Summer color palette is blue based, cool, moderately bright to slightly toned, and medium to dark. It?s a brighter and darker variation of the True Summer colors.
The colors go darker, but they are still slightly greyed just not as subdued as the True Summer colors.
Neutrals include shades of grey, pewter, charcoal, dark taupe, cool brown and navy. Accent colors include all pinks, berry, rose, blue red, burgundy, purples, plum, blue greens, blues and soft greens.
Light Summer
Light Summer is the lightest Summer season. It?s Summer blended with Spring which adds brightness and a touch of warmth with a neutral to slightly cool undertone. Light Summer is the closest to Spring and called Cool Spring in some color systems.
A Light Summer?s dominant trait is light. Your features look lighter and more neutral than a True Summer, but you will look softer and cooler than a Spring.
The Light Summer color palette is neutral to moderately cool, clear to slightly toned, and light to medium. It?s a lighter and clearer version of the True Summer colors.
The clarity of the colors make them seem more like Spring colors than Summer, but they are cool toned. The most greyed colors of True Summer are replaced with clearer tints that range from pastels to mid-value. Since dark colors look heavy on Light Summers, the dark colors are replaced with medium values.
Neutrals include soft white, sand, light cool tans, light taupe, light grey and clear navy. Accent colors include pinks, coral, watermelon red, medium blues, aqua, turquoise, blue greens, periwinkle, lavender, and violet.
Soft Summer
Soft Summer is the warmest Summer season. It?s Summer combined with the warmth and richness of Autumn with a neutral to slightly cool undertone.
A Soft Summer?s dominant trait is softness. A Soft Summer will look soft and muted. You look warmer than a typical Summer often with a mix of cool and warm features, but you will look cooler than an Autumn.
The Soft Summer color palette is neutral to moderately cool, toned, and medium to dark. It?s a warmer and darker version of the True Summer colors.
Although the colors are still cool they fall at the warm end of the spectrum, with the coolest shades of True Summer replaced with more neutral hues.
Neutrals include taupe, neutral and cool browns, Cool greys, charcoal, and muted navy. Accent colors include dusty pinks and rose, soft reds, burgundy, muted greens, teals, cool blues, and greyed purples.
Deep Summer
Deep Summer is an additional variation used by some color systems. This Summer type is a cool and darker variation of the Soft Summer colors. It?s Summer mixed with the depth of Winter and Autumn with a neutral to cool undertone.
A Deep Summer?s dominant traits are deep and soft. Since I have had several online clients that fit this Summer variation, here?s a general description.
???????????????????You look darker than a True or Soft Summer, but you look softer than a Winter. You will find that the typical Summer colors are too light, the Winter colors are too bright and the Deep colors are too dark on you. Colors that are cool, soft and deep are the most flattering.
Deep Summer color palettes are made upon request for clients. If you think you?re a Deep Summer, email me for a seasonal color fan.
Comparing the Summer Seasons
The Summer seasons are all cool and soft, but they look different.
Looking at the Summer examples and their respective color palettes you can see the difference in the four main Summer seasons and how the colors fit them.
Human coloring is so diverse. Don?t worry if one of your features differs from the general descriptions, as you may still fit the color season.
Are you a Summer? If so, the Summer colors are cool, muted and beautiful just like you!
If you?re not sure if you?re a Summer, book a Virtual Color Analysis or download my Color Analysis Guide to learn more about the 16 seasons to color analyze yourself.
Add Color to Your Wardrobe
Knowing your best colors is a great start, but without a color palette you?ll make mistakes.
But you don?t have to!
You need a color palette to get your colors right. I have Seasonal Color Palettes made of laminated fabric swatches with 45 beautiful seasonal colors for all the Summer seasons. They?re compact, durable and perfect for shopping and editing your wardrobe. My clients love them, and I know you will too.
And I have Digital Color Palettes available for the 16 color seasons.
Because I want everyone to discover their best colors, I have more posts about Autumns, Winters and color analysis to help you.
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