A complete guide
Your colouring has a season, and once you know it, getting dressed becomes so much easier. This guide walks you through the measurements behind it, then all twelve seasons with the colours that bring each one to life.
Begin here
I like to think of colour analysis as reading the story your skin, hair and eyes are already telling. Munsell gives that story a precise language: every colour, and every person's natural colouring, can be described by three qualities.
Your Munsell reading is your personal result. The seasons simply group readings that sit close together — a reference, never a box.
Is your colouring warm (golden, peachy) or cool (pink, blue-based)? Hue is the direction of colour on the wheel.
Is your overall look light and delicate, or deep and rich? Munsell measures value from near-white to near-black.
Are your features clear and vivid, or soft and blended? Chroma is how pure a colour is, or how much grey sits within it.
The four seasons give us the big picture. Spring is warm and light, Summer is cool and soft, Autumn is warm and rich, and Winter is cool and striking. Each season then divides into three, because very few of us sit neatly in the middle. Your dominant Munsell quality decides your sub-season, which is why a Soft Summer and a Soft Autumn have more in common with each other than either has with a Bright Winter.
The seasons also flow into one another in a full circle. Bright Spring borders Bright Winter, Light Spring borders Light Summer, Soft Summer borders Soft Autumn, and Dark Autumn borders Dark Winter. If you have ever felt torn between two seasons, look at its neighbour first. Each palette is a reference, not a rule: hold a garment near your face in daylight and trust what you see.
Spring is the season of new growth, and Spring colouring has that same fresh energy. Think golden or peachy skin, warm eyes with a sparkle, and hair with a golden, strawberry or copper glow. Springs look their best in clean, warm colours with life in them. Heavy, dusty or icy shades tend to drain them.
Dominant: Value · lightHue · warm
Light first, then warm.
Light Spring is the most delicate of the Springs and sits right on the border with Light Summer. The undertone is warm but gentle, so the palette is fresh and soft without ever becoming muddy. Picture a spring garden in early morning light. Keep contrast low and choose colours that feel airy and cheerful.
Dominant: Hue · warmHue · warm
Warm above all.
True Spring is the warmest of the Springs, with no coolness in the colouring at all. These are the people who glow in sunshine yellow and tomato red. The palette is saturated and golden, so cool greys and blue-based pinks are best left on the rail.
Dominant: Chroma · clearHue · warm
Bright first, then warm.
Bright Spring sits on the border with Bright Winter, which gives it real clarity and a touch of contrast. The eyes are often striking and the skin luminous. This is one of the most vivid palettes of all, so soft, greyed shades will look tired next to the face. Go clear and go confident.
Summer colouring is gentle and elegant. The skin often has a rosy or neutral-pink undertone, the eyes are soft blue, grey, green or cool hazel, and the hair tends towards ash blonde or ash brown. Summers shine in cool colours with a little greyness in them. Strong, saturated or golden colours tend to overpower them.
Dominant: Value · lightHue · cool
Light first, then cool.
Light Summer borders Light Spring, so it has a touch more freshness than the other Summers. Contrast between hair, skin and eyes is low, and the overall impression is soft and airy. Pastels with a cool base, powdery blues and gentle rose tones are the sweet spot.
Dominant: Hue · coolHue · cool
Cool above all.
True Summer is the coolest of the Summers, with no warmth in the colouring. The coolness is soft rather than icy, and the features have a quiet, gentle contrast. Think of a misty seaside morning. Dusty roses, slate blues and soft plums look refined here, while orange and gold fall flat.
Dominant: Chroma · mutedHue · cool
Soft first, then cool.
Soft Summer is the most muted of the Summers and borders Soft Autumn. Everything about the colouring is blended, with nothing jumping out. This is the palette of understated luxury: smoky, greyed and gentle. Bright or high-contrast colours will wear the person rather than the other way around.
Autumn colouring carries the warmth of the harvest. The skin often has a golden, olive or bronze quality, the eyes are hazel, olive, amber or warm brown, and the hair ranges from golden brown to auburn and copper. Autumns come alive in earthy, rich colours. Icy pastels and stark black and white can look harsh against them.
Dominant: Chroma · mutedHue · warm
Soft first, then warm.
Soft Autumn is the most muted of the Autumns and borders Soft Summer. The colouring is blended and gentle, with a soft golden warmth. This palette is all about earthy neutrals with a hint of rose: oyster, camel, moss and terracotta. It is one of the easiest palettes to build a calm, cohesive wardrobe around.
Dominant: Hue · warmHue · warm
Warm above all.
True Autumn is the warmest and richest of the Autumns. The colours look full and deep without being bright, like a forest floor in late afternoon sun. Rust, mustard, copper and olive are natural allies here. Cool pinks and blue-based greys are the ones to avoid.
Dominant: Value · deepHue · warm
Dark first, then warm.
Dark Autumn borders Dark Winter, which brings more depth and contrast than the other Autumns. There is often a beautiful bronzed glow to the skin. The palette is deep and slightly richer in intensity: brick, mahogany, forest and antique gold. These colours give a grounded, polished presence.
Winter colouring is defined by contrast. Often there is dark hair against lighter skin, or eyes that are strikingly clear and bright. The undertone is cool, and the overall effect is crisp and dramatic. Winters wear pure, saturated colours and true black and white beautifully. Soft, dusty or golden shades make them look washed out.
Dominant: Value · deepHue · cool
Dark first, then cool.
Dark Winter is the deepest of the Winters and borders Dark Autumn. Deep hair and eyes sit against a lighter complexion, so the colouring can carry real depth. The palette pairs rich jewel tones such as burgundy, pine and sapphire with a few icy lights for contrast.
Dominant: Hue · coolHue · cool
Cool above all.
True Winter is the coolest of the Winters, with a frosty, blue-based clarity. The look is high-contrast and polished. The palette works in extremes: icy pastels at one end, strong dark brights at the other, with true red, cobalt and fuchsia in between. Warm, earthy colours are the ones to leave behind.
Dominant: Chroma · clearHue · cool
Bright first, then cool.
Bright Winter borders Bright Spring and is the most vivid of all twelve seasons. Features are clear, sparkling and striking, and the skin can take colour at full strength. Electric blue, hot pink and acid green look sensational here. Muted or greyed colours simply disappear.
A palette on a screen is a guide, not a diagnosis. Screens, lighting and even the colour of your walls all change how a shade reads. The most reliable way to find your season is an in-person analysis with fabric drapes in natural light, where we can see exactly how each colour behaves against your skin.
When you know your season, shopping becomes calmer and more intentional. You buy fewer pieces, everything works together, and the clothes you already own start earning their place again.