Deep skin
On deep skin, True Winter colors tend to read rich and clear, like a true red or a royal blue. Deep skin can be cool, and an icy shade works best when it looks clear and blue-based, not milky.
- True red
- Royal blue
Winter, the cool one
TrueWinter.
Think cool, crisp and high in contrast.
- True red
#D01B35At the window - Royal blue
#2A4FC0On a video call - Navy
#17284FIn the closet
01 Is this you
Is this you?
- DepthMedium to deep
- ClarityClear
- TemperatureCool
Temperature leads. The cool lean stands out first, so temperature names this season, and clarity and depth confirm the side.
Clear, cool colors tend to read cleanest.
02 Your colors
Your colors.
Tap a color to copy its HEX.
Neutrals
Accents
Statements
Handle with care
Best white
Pure white
#FFFFFFA softer black
Navy
#17284FDenim
Dark indigo, black denim
03 Wear it
Wear it.
Keep clear, cool color closest to your face.
Try royal blue, icy pink or true red.
Pure white, charcoal, navy and black are your neutrals.
Black works well near your face when you want a sharp frame.
Let your pieces sit far apart in lightness.
Try one clear color against a deep neutral.
04 Neighbors
Or a neighbor?
Bright Winter
True Winter
Bright Winter
Both lean cool. Bright Winter is sharper, where True Winter is clear but a little less vivid.
The swap test. Hold a clean blue-red under your chin by a window, then a sharper, more vivid one at the same depth. If the vivid one keeps your face first, Bright Winter is closer.
Deep Winter
True Winter
Deep Winter
Both lean cool. True Winter sits at medium to deep, where Deep Winter is deeper.
The swap test. Use this swap only if the gray strip left you close to the line. Hold true red and royal blue under your chin by a window, then black and dark wine.
05 Your skin
Same season, your skin.
Olive skin
Olive tends to sit between warm and cool, so a cool pink can turn it gray. Compare a true red with an orange-leaning red by a window and ask whether your skin looks grayer or more yellow-green.
- Olive
- True red
- Orange
Medium to tan skin
A tan can shift your depth reading, so run the strip again in another season. Royal blue and true red are easy first swaps to hold against a warm coral.
- Royal blue
- True red
Fair skin
Redness in your cheeks can look like a cool undertone when it is only blood flow, so test with a rested face. Pure white against cream, by a window, is a quick first swap.
- Pure white
07 Questions
Questions about True Winter.
Two apps gave me two seasons.
Photos carry their own light, and a consultant's room has another. The two answers are often next door: Bright Winter and Deep Winter.
Can fair skin be True Winter?
Redness in your cheeks can look like a cool undertone when it is only blood flow, so test with a rested face. Pure white against cream, by a window, is a quick first swap.
Do I have to give up black?
No. Black sits in your neutrals with pure white and charcoal.
Is True Winter the same as Cool Winter?
Some systems use other names for the same idea, and Cool Winter is a common one for what I call True Winter. The twelve season names are a convention, so they drift from one source to the next.
Can True Winter wear black and white?
Yes. Black, pure white, navy and charcoal tend to keep the strong light to deep contrast of this season, and black can work well near your face.
Can True Winter wear pastels?
Icy ones, in small amounts. Icy pink and icy blue sit close to the edge of what this season holds, so a scarf or a thin layer reads sharp, and a whole top can read pale.
Carry True Winter with you.
A closet in clear, cool colors with outfit formulas, the words for a colorist, and a page for your skin tone.
or just the palette on your phone
Not sure it is yours? Take the free test.
