colormatch

The cool winter colour palette

Winter in the middle, cold and clear, with nothing borrowed at either edge.

Cool winter — true winter in most systems — sits at the centre of the season. Coldness decides here, at every depth the palette offers: emerald, sapphire, magenta and deep violet at one end, icy pink and icy blue at the other, with nothing golden anywhere between them.

That middle position is why this palette is winter’s own ten shades and nothing else. Deep winter gives up some coldness in exchange for depth and bright winter gives some up in exchange for brightness, so both hold shades from a neighbour. Cool winter gives up none, which makes it the clearest example of winter rather than a softened one.

Also known as true winter, pure winter.

Cool winter colours to wear

The winter palette at its most typical. Nothing is borrowed from a neighbouring season, which is what makes this the clearest example of the season rather than a diluted one.

  • Emerald#0F7A55
  • Sapphire#15487D
  • Deep Violet#4A2A7A
  • Royal Blue#1F4FA3
  • Magenta#A51A6D
  • Pine Green#14483C
  • Fuchsia#C2247D
  • Icy Pink#F0CDD8
  • True Red#C5102C
  • Icy Blue#CFE0EF

Cool winter neutrals

The quiet shades to build around. These are shared with the parent season, because neutrals shift far less between subtypes than the colours do.

  • Pure White#FFFFFF
  • Black#000000
  • Charcoal#33363B
  • Cool Navy#1C2A45

Shades to be careful with

Muted, golden and earthy colours tend to flatten a cool, high-contrast colouring and can make the skin look sallow.

  • Mustard#C8971F
  • Terracotta#A9552C
  • Olive Green#6B6B2F
  • Warm Beige#CDB08A
  • Salmon#E58B7B

Signs this is you

  • Cool colours suit you at both extremes, the icy pastels and the deep shades.
  • Pure white and true black both look right next to your face.
  • Silver and platinum suit you, and gold looks yellow against your skin.
  • Warm neutrals such as camel and warm beige make you look tired.

The one it gets confused with

Bright winter is the neighbour, and both are cold and strong. The borrowed warmth separates them: hold apple green at the jaw in daylight, a bright with yellow in it. A bright winter carries it as one more strong colour; on a cool winter the same shade turns the skin sallow, however bright it is.

Get your free colour report

Wearing it

  1. Use the icy shades as your pale colour

    Icy pink and icy blue take the place beige holds in other wardrobes: the light shade that goes under everything. They are the part of this palette most people never think to buy, and they suit you better than any warm pale colour.

  2. One clear colour with one neutral

    True red with charcoal, emerald with pure white, magenta with cool navy. This colouring reads as considered when the colour stands alone, and as busy when three strong shades compete.

Questions about cool winter

Is cool winter the same as true winter?

Yes. Cool winter, true winter and pure winter are the same subtype under three names. Each describes the centre of the season, where coldness is the strongest quality and nothing is borrowed from autumn or spring.

Why are there no autumn or spring shades in this palette?

Because cool winter leans neither way. Borrowing only happens in the direction of the lean, and this subtype stands in the middle, so all ten shades belong to winter itself. That makes the palette the purest winter of the three, not a smaller one.

Is grey a good neutral for me?

Charcoal is, and it is one of this palette’s four neutrals. A mid grey with any warmth in it is less useful, because it neither matches the clarity of your colours nor gives your face the contrast that black and pure white do. When in doubt, go darker with grey rather than lighter.

Where this sits