Soft Summer
Soft, cool and muted. Soft Summers have gentle, blended coloring with a cool lean. Grayed, smoky colors — dusty rose, slate, soft teal — harmonize with you, while bright white, black and neon shades look harsh and draw attention away from your face.
- Temperature: Cool-neutral
- Depth: Medium
- Clarity: Very soft
Not sure you're a Soft Summer?
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Take the free testThe Soft Summer color palette
These are the shades that harmonize with soft summer coloring. Wear them closest to your face — tops, scarves, collars — where they have the biggest effect.
- Dusty rose
#C08C98 - Cocoa rose
#9A7475 - Soft raspberry
#A95C78 - Mauve
#A68A9E - Soft plum
#7F5F7A - Lavender gray
#A8A1BD - Blue-gray
#8A9BB0 - Slate blue
#6E82A0 - Denim
#5B7493 - Soft teal
#5F8A8B - Soft jade
#6E9C8E - Gray-green
#8FA39A
Best neutrals
Build your wardrobe basics — coats, pants, bags — from these instead of generic black and white.
- Soft white
#EFEDE8 - Gray-taupe
#8E8783 - Rose-taupe
#A89088 - Charcoal blue
#4A5260
Colors to avoid
These shades tend to clash with soft summer coloring near the face. You can still wear them away from your face, such as in shoes or pants.
- Black
#111111 - Pure white
#FFFFFF - Bright red
#E3122B - Orange
#F58025
Soft Summer makeup and lipstick
- Dusty rose
#B67A86 - Mauve berry
#9C5B72 - Soft plum
#8A5A74
- Tonal outfits in grayed colors look expensive on you.
- Swap black eyeliner for taupe or charcoal.
- Brushed, not shiny, metals.
Jewelry: gold or silver?
- Brushed silver
- Pewter
- Soft rose gold
Hair color
- ✓ Dark ash blonde
- ✓ Soft ash brown
- ✓ Subtle cool lowlights
- ✗ Bright copper
- ✗ Blue-black
- ✗ Brassy blonde
Similar seasons
If some of these colors don't feel right, you may sit between Soft Summer and a neighboring season.