Autumn colors: Soft, True and Deep Autumn

Autumn palettes are warm and earthy, like spice jars, moss and turning leaves. The three Autumn seasons share that richness but range from gentle and muted to deep and dramatic.

What the Autumn seasons share

All three Autumn seasons suit colors with a golden, earthy base that look rich rather than icy. Think rust, olive, camel, mustard, teal and warm brown. Cool, blue-based colors such as fuchsia or icy pastels tend to look disconnected from Autumn coloring, as if they belong to someone else.

Autumn coloring often looks warm and grounded, with hair that carries golden, red or chestnut tones. The three Autumns differ in which quality leads: softness, warmth or depth.

The swatches below are examples only. Screen settings shift color, so use them to get a feel for each palette rather than to match exactly.

Soft Autumn

Soft Autumn is led by softness, with warmth second. It neighbors Soft Summer, so it is the most muted Autumn and the closest to neutral. People in this season often have dark blonde to light brown hair with a golden or mousy cast, eyes in soft hazel, green or warm brown, and low contrast.

Neutrals: camel, oatmeal, mushroom, warm taupe, soft brown and cream.

Metals: brushed gold, bronze and rose gold. Matte and antique finishes suit this season well.

Skip: black, bright white, icy colors, neon brights and fuchsia. These are too clear and too cool for soft, warm coloring.

True Autumn

True Autumn, also called Warm Autumn, is led by warmth. It is the most golden and spicy of the Autumns. Hair is often auburn, copper, golden brown or red, and skin tends to look golden, peachy or bronze.

Neutrals: chocolate brown, camel, khaki, olive, cream and warm beige.

Metals: yellow gold, brass, copper and bronze.

Skip: icy pastels, fuchsia, cool grays, stark white and black. Blue-based colors can make warm skin look gray or sallow by comparison.

Deep Autumn

Deep Autumn, also called Dark Autumn, is led by depth, with warmth second. It neighbors Deep Winter, so it is the darkest and richest Autumn and can wear a few cooler deep shades. People in this season often have dark brown hair, deep brown or hazel eyes and medium to high contrast.

Neutrals: dark chocolate, espresso, warm charcoal, deep olive and cream. Black can work here in moderation, especially paired with a warm color near the face.

Metals: antique gold, copper and bronze.

Skip: pastels, icy colors and light dusty shades, which can look washed out against deep coloring.

Telling the three Autumns apart

Hold three greens near your face in daylight: a soft sage, a true olive and a deep forest green.

• If sage looks best and the forest green looks heavy, lean toward Soft Autumn.
• If olive looks best and all three look reasonably warm on you, lean toward True Autumn.
• If forest green looks best and sage makes you look faded, lean toward Deep Autumn.

Deep Autumn and Deep Winter are another common mix-up. Both suit very dark colors. Deep Autumn's darks lean brown and golden, like espresso and mahogany; Deep Winter's lean blue and black, like ink navy and black cherry.

Practical tips for Autumns

• Make brown your black. Chocolate, espresso and olive are the backbone of an Autumn wardrobe.
• Choose cream over white. It sits more easily next to warm skin.
• Use texture. Tweed, suede, corduroy and chunky knits suit the earthy feel of Autumn colors, especially for Soft Autumns.
• Look for warmth in "cool" colors. Autumns can wear blue and purple when they lean warm: teal rather than royal blue, aubergine rather than violet.