colormatch

The soft summer colour palette

Summer at its quietest, with three of autumn’s deep shades let in.

Soft summer, or muted summer, is the corner of summer that sits closest to autumn. It stays cool, but muting is what decides here: sage green, mauve, soft plum and seafoam all read as if a little grey has been stirred through them, and a clear, saturated colour looks loud on this colouring rather than cheerful.

Because it borders autumn, three deep shades belong here that the rest of summer does not have — warm aubergine, deep teal and forest green. They give this palette an anchor for a coat or a trouser, which is something no other summer subtype is offered.

Also known as muted summer.

Soft summer colours to wear

Seven shades from the summer palette, chosen for the quality this subtype is named for, and three borrowed from autumn — the season it leans towards.

  • Sage Green#8FA392
  • Mauve#9B7F96
  • Seafoam#8AB8AD
  • Powder Blue#8FB3D1
  • Soft Plum#7A5A73
  • Slate Blue#6F8FB5
  • Dusty Pink#C98F9C
  • Warm Aubergine#5A3540
  • Deep Teal#255F60
  • Forest Green#3B5C3B

Soft summer 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.

  • Soft White#F1F1EE
  • Cool Grey#9AA0A6
  • Taupe#9B8F87
  • Navy#2F4260

Shades to be careful with

Strong warm and very bright colours tend to overpower a soft, cool colouring and can pull attention away from the face.

  • Orange#E2601B
  • Tomato Red#D63426
  • Mustard#C8971F
  • Camel#B98B4F
  • Pure Black#000000

Signs this is you

  • Muted colours look right on you, and clear ones look like they are shouting.
  • Your colouring is medium overall, with no strong break between hair and skin.
  • Grey suits you, which is unusual, and it does not drain your face.
  • Very bright and very dark shades both feel like too much next to you.

The one it gets confused with

Soft autumn is the neighbour, and the two are muted to almost the same degree, so softness will not separate them. Temperature will: hold sage green beside olive green in daylight. If sage settles on your face and olive lays a yellow cast over it, you are a soft summer; a soft autumn gets the opposite result.

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Wearing it

  1. Let the deep shades carry the weight

    Warm aubergine, deep teal and forest green are the darkest colours you have, and they work as the coat, the trouser or the jacket. Putting the quiet summer shades above them gives an outfit shape without any hard contrast.

  2. Choose fabric that softens the colour

    Wool, heathered knits and washed cotton hold muted shades better than anything with a sheen. The same colour in a shiny fabric reads clearer than it is, which is the one direction this palette does not want to go.

Questions about soft summer

Do I need to know my subtype to use the free report?

No. The free report tells you that you are a summer, and that alone rules out most of what goes wrong in a shop. Soft only adds how much grey your colouring wants in a colour, which matters once you are already choosing between two cool blues rather than between blue and rust.

Is soft summer the same as muted summer?

Yes, they are two names for one subtype. Muted is the older word and soft the more common one now, and both describe summer pulled towards autumn. If an analyst has called you a muted summer, this is your palette.

Is muted the same as boring?

No, though it can look that way on a rail. Muted shades are quiet next to each other but do their work next to a face, which is where you will be wearing them. A soft plum or a deep teal reads as rich on this colouring in a way that a clear purple or turquoise does not.

Where this sits