Winter Color Palette
The winter color palette is the cool, clear, high-contrast side of seasonal color analysis. The winter color season splits into three: Deep Winter, True Winter and Bright Winter. All three lean cool, and each is led by a different trait: depth, coolness or brightness.
Find out which season you areThe three Winter seasons
Cool undertones and vivid, high contrast color. Winters shine in shades with an icy edge: true red, sapphire, emerald, black and white.
- All 36 colors, light to dark
Deep Winter
Dark Winter Deep first, cool second: dark, cool colors like navy, plum and blackberry. See the Deep Winter palette - All 35 colors, light to dark
True Winter
Cool Winter Cool first, bright second: the coolest Winter, true reds, sapphire blues and emerald greens. See the True Winter palette - All 36 colors, light to dark
Bright Winter
Clear Winter Bright first, cool second: near-neon reds, hot pinks and jewel blues, for very high contrast. See the Bright Winter palette
Winter color palette for clothes
The capsule wardrobe of each Winter, by color
Winter is the only family whose palettes list Jet Black and Bright White as neutrals. Every Winter capsule includes a black coat or blazer, a crisp white shirt and black leather boots.
From there the seasons split. Deep Winter adds a deep navy knit, a deep berry top and a plum dress. True Winter adds navy trousers, a true-red knit and an emerald blouse. Bright Winter adds a hot pink top, a turquoise blouse and a royal purple dress.
Prints should be bold and high in contrast: black-and-white graphics, crisp geometrics and abstract designs. All three Winters avoid naturalistic florals and watercolor effects.
Winter skin tone and complexion
Undertone and contrast of each Winter, next to its neutrals
- Deep Winter
- Undertone
- cool-neutral
- Contrast
- high
- True Winter
- Undertone
- cool
- Contrast
- high
- Bright Winter
- Undertone
- cool-neutral
- Contrast
- very high
Winter skin has a cool or cool-neutral undertone, and silver tends to read better than gold. All three Winters run from fair to deep, so the family is about undertone and contrast, not about how light or dark the skin is.
The complexion reads clear: clear rather than ruddy in Deep Winter, clear with cool blue undertones in True Winter, and clear with a translucent, glassy quality in Bright Winter.
Contrast is high to very high. Hair runs medium brown to black, and the iris is sharply defined against the white of the eye.
Winter colors to wear
Signature colors of each Winter
- Deep Winter Blue Depths · Plum Caspia · Acai · Corsair · Toreador
- True Winter Dazzling Blue · Marine Green · Ibis Rose · Everglade · Blue Iris
- Bright Winter Rose Red · French Blue · Limelight · Royal Purple · Ceramic
Each Winter season has five signature colors, shown here next to the colors at least two Winters avoid.
Festival Fuchsia is in all three Winter palettes. Warm, muted colors are the ones to skip.
Colors to skip
Gold or silver for Winters
The metals of each Winter, next to its neutrals
- Deep Winter
- Metals
- silver · pewter · platinum · dark gold if not too yellow · ruby, sapphire, emerald and saturated violet stones
- True Winter
- Metals
- silver · platinum · white gold · high shine · diamonds, rubies and sapphires
- Bright Winter
- Metals
- silver · platinum · white gold · light gold · high shine rather than matte · sapphires
Silver and platinum are on all three Winter lists. True and Bright Winter add white gold in a high-shine finish. Gold is an accent at most: Deep Winter can wear a dark gold that is not too yellow, and Bright Winter a light gold, but bright yellow gold usually looks too warm.
Winter vs summer color analysis
Signature colors side by side
- True Winter Dazzling Blue · Marine Green · Ibis Rose · Everglade · Blue Iris
- True Summer Sea Green · Aster Purple · Storm Blue · Wild Rose · Marlin
Winter and Summer both have a cool, blue-based undertone. Winter is bright and clear with high contrast, while Summer is soft and muted with low contrast.
Jet Black is a core neutral in all three Winter palettes but sits on the avoid list of all three Summers. Summers use charcoal or navy for the same job.
The two families never meet on the color wheel. Winter borders Autumn through Deep Winter and Spring through Bright Winter.
Winter makeup, hair color and more
Lip shades and hair colors from each Winter guide
Each Winter season has its own guides to makeup shades, hair colors, nail colors, outfits and celebrity examples. Men use the same seasonal palettes, mostly through suiting neutrals, shirts and ties.
Winter color analysis: am I a winter?
Look for three signs together: high contrast between hair, skin and eyes, silver looking cleaner than gold, and black with crisp white looking sharp rather than harsh.
Then narrow it down. Very dark coloring points to Deep Winter, the coolest coloring to True Winter, and near-neon colors that still look wearable point to Bright Winter.
The free color test weighs hue, value, chroma and contrast and names your closest season when your answers point clearly to one.
Winter color palette questions
How do you tell if you're a winter?
A cool or cool-neutral undertone combined with high contrast between hair, skin and eyes is the core signal. Which Winter you are depends on the trait that leads: depth, coolness or brightness.
Should Winters wear gold or silver?
Silver. It suits all three Winter seasons, along with platinum, while gold works only as a small accent.
Can Winters wear pastels?
Only icy, cool pastels such as icy pink or pale blue. Warm pastels like peach tend to wash Winter coloring out, and True Winters usually look better in saturated color than in pastel.
Is black good for a winter?
Yes. Jet Black is a core neutral in all three Winter palettes, and Deep and True Winter carry pure black well thanks to their high natural contrast. Bright Winter often pairs black and white with one bright accent.
Which Winter are you?
Put it into practice: 16 questions in about 4 minutes, free, no photos, no sign-up.