Welcome to a video and blog post about choosing the greens that look best with your natural colours. The first four images focus on the greens for the 4 main groups or Seasons, each divided into its 3 subgroups. In the final two images, we’ll apply the palettes to specific Season comparisons that can be used to choose any colour.
Colour systems organize colours into groups that work together because they have 3 settings in common across the entire group: how warm or cool, how soft to bright, and how light or dark.
What’s special about creating our best appearance is that we have our own colours that also have 3 settings. A colour analysis tells us our 3 settings, matches it with a group or Season with the same settings, and gives us a palette of our best colours. I use a system called Sci\ART, with 12 groups.
Palettes have a colour selection to shop with. Because it repeats our natural colours, we could think of the palette as a pixelated image of our face. If your colours belong with True Summer, here’s how you look wearing a sweater in this shade of green. All cooperation, no clash.
The palette shows us upwards of 70 colours. We don’t have to imagine our most flattering cosmetic choices or colour combinations for outfits, we simply follow the map. Retail may not offer our exact colours and in this post, we’ll look at how to know when a colour is close enough to be well worth the purchase.
Images today were made in URStyle, with links for full size product and shopping information below each image. Colour palettes are available from NDU Colors in the US.
Green 1: for 3 Summers
We begin with green for the 3 Summers, with True Summer in the centre, Light Summer on the left, Soft Summer on the right. Light Summer is a blended Season of True Summer with Spring. Soft Summer is a blend of True Summer with Autumn colour. The blended Seasons have two parent groups, one warm, one cool, and are called Neutral Seasons, indicating neutral warmth.
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Brands of palettes may show individual colours a bit differently but overall, they agree that Summer colours are cool, soft, and light. If we begin in the centre with True Summer, colours are cool, meaning they’re blue-based. We may see yellow in some items, because yellow is part of the recipe for green, but the handbag in True Summer is bluer than the one in Light Summer where the yellow is more visible.
The scarf at the top may be about as light as green gets in True Summer. The sweater below is near the darkness boundary for this group. Palettes have a range of darkness levels to choose from. The range really does benefit our appearance and may be the easiest first step in choosing colour because we’re able to compare a light to dark range with the palette. Light Summer is lighter overall. Soft Summer is darker overall.
Like all Summers, colours are soft in True Summer, meaning they’re a touch grayed. You have a range to work with here as well, with the dress looking brighter, greener, than the T-shirt. Textile influences how soft a colour might appear, with the flannel scarf looking grayer than the smooth handbag. As fabric, the scarf is textured and can fold, both of which makes the gray tones more visible.
When colours get darker, we can see them as brighter, but the softness is the same across the entire group. The sweater is an example of a colour getting darker while maintaining the softness.
It’s possible that various palettes may see any colour, say the handbag and dress, as belonging to another Season. My reply would be, “Maybe so but they have enough in common with True Summer to work well in this wardrobe.”
Computers can generate hundreds of colours within and between Seasons. I leave the boundaries to the palette designers. If we were making a draping system for colour analysts to identify Season, we’d be exact. For us here today learning to build a wardrobe in the everyday world, a True Summer person choosing any of these is doing well.
Moving over to Light Summer on the left side, The yellow is easier to see in this warmer Season, as if True Summer were standing in the sunshine. The colours are cooler than they are warm, called cool neutral, which may be surprising given how much warmer they look than True Summer. The visual impression is additive, meaning individual colours can be very similar between Seasons, but when more colours are viewed together, like a wardrobe, the Season looks unique, as Light Summer does compared with True Summer.
We can use this to our advantage. The blouse at the upper left, or the blouse at the lower left of left would work fine in True Summer. The cardigan and handbag are warmer, yellower, on the warmer side of Light Summer, and they’d stand out or apart if we added them to True Summer.
Light Summer colours are also brighter than True Summer, containing more colour pigment and less gray.The belted dress on the left side is brighter than the other items, but not Winter-level bright. We might say it's top of the range for this brightest of the 3 Summers.
Soft Summer colours begin with True Summer and add a little Autumn warmth, gold rather than Spring yellow, which you may see in the sweatshirt next to the dress in the second row. More Summer than Autumn, so more cool than warm, with the same cool neutral setting as Light Summer.
The other 2 settings are the reason that Light and Soft Summer look so distinct. Soft Summer is softer and darker than the other two Summer groups. The handbag at the top could work fine in True Summer, with plenty of colour sharing compared with the warmer, darker sweater in the lower right corner. With visible darkness and warmth, the sweater almost looks mossy next to True and Light Summer.
The handbag above the sweater along the right edge is one of this person’s absolute best colours, including every person in this Season. The richness of their colours, their presence and strength, are like visual magic, you have to blink a few times if you’re not expecting it. If you’re a colour analyst, you’re watching for it.
If you have an interest in understanding your Season in more depth, you’ll find courses for both Light and True Summer at Teachable, links under the E-Products tab on this website. In each course, you’ll find 8 videos about choosing colours with many example items of items and outfits for various occasions.
Green 2: for 3 Winters
We see right away that Winter colours are dark and bright compared with Summer. In True Winter and Bright Winter, we register no softness, and yet the brightness is still within the realm of human colours. We’ll talk about colours that hover around the human brightness boundary or surpass it later in this post.
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The 3 groups are organized as Summer was, with True Winter in the centre. This is the coolest, bluest, of the 3 Winters. As in True Summer, we may register some yellow in the two bags at the top, the one with the black and white stripes especially, which would be fine in Bright Winter as well.
The tote bag green is cooler and looks outstanding with the blue violet details in the handles and zipper. Small areas of colour can add as much or more to items and outfits as larger areas, useful when combining bright colours.
Below the bags, we have a blouse, a dress, and a quarter zip top in variations of cool, bright green, could be called Kelly green. The belted dress at the lower edge is made with a fabric that gives the colour a softer impression and could be worn by Dark Winter, the softer Winter, on the right, just as well.
The shimmery blouse is at the darkness boundary for green in True Winter, with the bit of shine to give it a jewelled quality. The evergreen colour, darkness, and moderate shine could work well for Dark Winter too. Likewise, the dark green pleat top at the lower edge of Dark Winter could be great for True Winter.
Bright Winter adds a portion of Spring. The warmer greens in the handbag, fluffy Polo, and earrings are yellower than the cooler greens below, with a wider warm to cool range than True Winter. Colour pigment is high, but not neon or synthetic. I could picture a place in the natural world where we would see these colours.
The inherent high brightness in the person, and therefore palette, since one is an extension of the other, allows for some exaggeration with brightness before looking artificial. Neon looks like neon on everybody but Bright Seasons can make sense of it.
Bright colours are brilliant in large area items, possibly easier to appreciate when there are not too many at once. Because they have such condensed energy, they’re equally fantastic in small areas like earrings or belts or a bag, like the blue violet details in the True Winter handbag. Too many very bright colours together can become confusing for the eye, but too many is defined by each person's preference.
The candy apple is a lip balm container, I believe. The light green on the front may be the lightest of the cool side greens for Bright Winter.
The woven purse is an interesting combination of high intensity colour in a straw-like material. The backpack or messenger bag below the apple is one of those colours that looks amazing on everyone in this group, on the cooler side of the greens and in a medium darkness position in the palette. The blouse with the bow is interesting because it combines the warmer green in the body of the blouse with the cooler green in the satin of the bow and both versions are very good examples for the Season.
The turtleneck sweater to the right is near the darkness boundary for Bright Winter. We see the yellow in it, compared with gold in the olive greens at the top of Dark Winter, where we go next. Dark Winter is True Winter's blend with Autumn. From Bright Winter's yellower and brighter greens of palm trees, we move into the softer darker world of black olive and evergreen trees.
In Dark Winter, below the cami, we see the cooler green skirt, with the sweater below the skirt being cooler still. The crewneck sweater in the lower right corner is about as light as this colour family goes in Dark Winter, and darker than the other Winters. The wallet below the long skirt is an example of the darkest green.
Along with the warm-cool range, there’s a brightness range in these items, some softer and more Autumn-like, for example, the skirt with the Chevron stripes, and others brighter and Winter-like, such as the pleat blouse at the lower edge.
When colours are at the Winter brightness and darkness levels, it can be hard to tell how well an item works with the palette. Have a look at the colours on either side of the best match in the palette. They may add enough nuance or information to help your decision. If they suddenly look like part of some other palette, the garment probably is.
Green 3: for 3 Springs
Same organization, True Spring in the centre, the Summer blend of Light Spring on the left, and the Winter blend of Bright Spring on the right.
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Spring colours are light, warm, and bright. True Spring is the warmest. We see a warm to cool range in the two handbags at the top right. As with Summer and Winter, we may see several single colours that could slide comfortably into a neighbour group but with more items, the Season acquires a voice of its own.
People often ask if they might use one the neighbour groups as a backup palette. Rather than looking for one neighbour to share with, another approach might be to choose from both neighbours, using what they have in common with yours. If you’re a True Spring, the warmer, darker side of Light Spring could be fine, as we see with the pants. The warmer, lighter side of Bright Spring could offer several colours that closely resemble the True Spring version, as we see with the sweater and bag at the top. Between Bright and Light Spring though, they’re two Season apart and combining their colours might look unbalanced.
There's a particular colour in True Spring that looks phenomenal on every person in the Season. The closest example I found was the handbag at the bottom of that group. The brightness is higher than this Season, the two handbags at the top being better examples. Look for the most similar colour in your True Spring palette and aim for a softer version that looks even with the other colours.
The pants are warmer than those in Light Spring, with a brightness that would be fine in Bright Spring. The shoe is unique, rare to see these colours in velvet, and would be a stunning addition to an outfit.
I love about accessories that metals and interesting details are often incorporated in the construction. The handbag at the top of True Spring includes a sprinkle of flowers made of leather cutouts, with gold dots in the centre of the flowers and a shiny bumblebee hanging from a gold chain. The impression of the item is “with the program”.
Light Spring colours are the lightest of the 12 groups. To help decide between the lightest Light Spring colours and Winter’s icy colours, look for whether the reflected light is gray or white, meaning Summer or Winter influenced. Light Spring has a Summer parent and reflects soft, warm light, like a bright pastel. Icy colours reflect cool white light, and clear, like colours reflected from diamond. By comparison, Light Spring colour look creamy.
At the top, we have a warmer green gown, neutral long sleeve T-shirt, and cooler V-neck T-shirt. They all belong within the Season’s overall warm neutral setting and are around as light as this Season gets. Icy colour would be lighter and whiter.
Of the two pairs of pants, the lower pair might work equally well in True Spring. The green runners at the bottom are excellent. Spring greens are often associated with the outdoors, renewal, health, and motion, and may be found more easily in exercise gear.
In Bright Spring, we find the highest brightness of the 3 Springs. At the top, the tank top is a relatively softer green, and looks very natural for this person. This item and the suede handbag to the right are made of knit and suede, textiles that tend to soften colour.
The blouse with the bow below may be near the brightness boundary or just beyond. By comparison, the dress with the blue belt is an example of a natural green, made of cotton, with no fluorescent impression. The belt may be Bright Spring or Bright Winter and adds a great contrasting effect without adding another large area of bright colour.
In the row below, the jacket combines warm and cool greens in a striped pattern alternating satin with suede, beyond amazing. The two wallets could work with this wardrobe, with the one below the jacket an almost acidic yellow green. These greens remind me of jungle frogs or rainforest lizards, and not the kind you would reach out and touch without thinking twice.
The gorgeous dress in the lower right corner has a synthetic brightness but it’s similar to the colours in the Bright Spring palette, an idea we’ll look at more in images 5 and 6. I appreciate the impression of seaweed or lettuce in the fabric and design. Why wouldn’t it be glowing green? They work together to bring the dress down to Earth, our Earth, as if the colour has been found in translation.
Green 4: for 3 Autumns
Autumn green may be known to us as khaki and olive. We may notice that Autumn greens are redder than Spring greens. Autumn colours are softer and darker than Spring, aspects of colour that are important for the facial contour to be sculpted, strong, and shapely. Golden warmth, softness, and darkness are the colour settings that give Autumn its unique energy.
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In True Autumn, we have warmer colours in the top row and cooler versions in the second row. The lightest greens go a step lighter than these choices, as your palette may demonstrate.
In the second row, the dark green tunic has a golden richness that’s so attractive. Below, the V-neck T-shirt with the three-quarter sleeves is a blend of light to medium warm and cool greens that reminds me of colours in an apple orchard in October.
In the lower row, the two dresses are similar in warmth. The dress on the left is lighter and softer and could easily slide into Soft Autumn. The smoothness of the fabric and design reflect light and the colour seems lighter and warmer, as Soft Autumn is.The dress on the right is darker and brighter, and could be an easy fit with Dark Autumn, with texture of fabric and fullness of design creating a 3-D depth effect that flatters all people with Autumn colouring.
Soft Autumn is the lighter side of Autumn, and the softest of the three. The lightness boundary for this group is around the level of the shorts and the darkness boundary is around the V-neck T-shirt at the bottom.
The cardigan at the top left is a knitted blend of gray and green and does an exceptional job of softening colour and adding texture. The tank top to the right creates texture and colour variation with construction details in the pleats. The shine reflects soft, warm light that doesn’t reach white or black.
In rows 2 and 3, left side, we have cooler greens in the cardigan and handbag, closer to pine green than the top row examples. In the third row, the soft olive sweater has a brightness and warmth that could work well with True Autumn, with the ribbing for any Autumn influenced group, including Soft Summer and Dark Winter.
The green dress in the lower left corner may be found in your palette with the greens, grays, or other neutrals, and could act as colour or neutral in a wardrobe. Autumn neutrals can be quite colourful, for example, khaki green, warm beige, or even soft gold or soft rust.
Dark Autumn is the Autumn blend with Winter and so the brightest of the 3 Autumns. Some colours may appear warmer than True Autumn but in fact, they’re being cooled and darkened by Winter. The two items at the top show the moderate brightness of this group of colours, up a level from True Autumn.
Bronze greens are a beautiful feature of Autumn, here in the dress with the wide ruffle along the bottom. The natural colour variations in the body of the dress suggests leather or suede, the way colour variegates in natural materials, adding to the authenticity of the colour. The shine in the ruffle looks like a mineral or a gemstone. Together, the impression is rich and looks ‘mined from the Earth’ compared with the more manufactured or synthetic jewel tones of Winter.
To the right is a warm olive dress with horizontal bands of slightly darker colour in subtle texture and colour variations repeating once again how soft, warm light moves across a textured surface. The green dress with the white buttons down the side could probably be worn by Dark Winter, being cooler and brighter than the other items, but I enjoyed the burnt orange and burnished red tones of Dark Autumn better with this green dress better than Dark Winter's cooler red and blue tones..
Of course, any comment on what someone says looks good is just an opinion and should be taken that way, and that includes my opinions. As another example, I rarely find pure white attractive with Dark Autumn colours. It is very light and very cool and very clear, three ways to contradict Dark Autumn colour properties, creating visual separation or a break in the harmony. In a green or any colour near Dark Winter, as this dress may be, the white works well enough but would be too bright if added to the other items here.
The belted sweater in the lower right corner is an example of Dark Autumn's warmer olive or lighter bronze green, which our other senses could imagine as rich flavours and spicy scents.
Green 5: Spring, Autumn, and brightness in Winter
Here, we compare Spring and Autumn influence when they combine with Winter, in the Bright Seasons on the left and the Dark Seasons on the right. Fabric and cosmetic dyes may reach a brightness that exceeds what exists in humans. My benchmark for choosing them is whether there’s a recognizable colour in our palette.
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Those more wearable colours are found across the centre rows on both sides. I’d define a wearable colours as being understandable, normal if not natural, with no costume effect for persons of that colouring group. Of course, we all have our own levels for that type of decision.
Beginning on the Spring side in the top row, the bright green hoodie or kangaroo sweatshirt may not appear exactly in either Bright Season palette, but it has great continuity with those colours, and we might include True Spring as well. The colour is artificial and yet natural enough as a green apple colour.
To the right, the fringe dress is extremely pigmented, even for Bright Spring, a softer group than Bright Winter, but within Bright Winter, there are colours very much like this. The high brightness in the person creates a bridge to connect with this garment. It might not look natural exactly but it would be understandable and could make a gorgeous costume.
To the right, the yellow green coat might be for Bright Spring. The center item in the row below is a more natural looking version and extension of the palette, but the coat is easily recognizable as part of that world.
High brightness doesn't tend to challenge the Bright Seasons if the warmth and darkness levels are in their range. Or say that another way, if a colour is going to be unflattering, it's not usually due to the brightness, and more likely due to one of the other two colour properties, meaning warmth or darkness.
In the middle row on the Spring side, we have the bag on the left, in beautiful oceanic colours perfect for a beach tote, a great opportunity to include a harder to find or wear colour, the lime, with one that's easier, the turquoise, for a superb wardrobe addition for both Bright Seasons.
On the far right of this row is a green tunic that might work well for Bright Spring, brighter than the palette possibly but like what's already there. The warm yellow and bright natural green could be very flattering in a glowy green kind of way, like in the springtime when sunlight seems to shine right through leaves, as if they were a window, and the whole forest glows green.
In the lower row, examples of some of the lovely effects possible when colours are combined. Accessories are great because they're small and placed further from the face, allowing larger areas of bright colours together without the brightness impression that an orange top and green apple pants may have.The colour agreement with the palette can also be more relaxed.
The shoe to the left is a smooth shiny green, reptilian in the best possible way, and shiny to create the highlights that look beautiful for Spring. The brown across the front and sides may suggest Autumn but it’s bright enough to balance the green and might be found in many Bright Spring palettes, or a colour very similar. The brown is the earth, an association that brings the item down to our Earth, like the glowing green dress in the Spring image we saw earlier.
Orange is a terrific colour for Spring, especially Bright Spring, but it’s challenging to find the palette version in apparel, despite the amount of synthetic orange available. The ones that I find flattering near the face are redder, like coral or red orange. Straight up crayon box orange is amazing though and, in a shoe, looks terrific. The two colours make one another mean or say something and the result is more inspired than a solid orange shoe might be.
Over to the Autumn influenced side, let's look at the middle row first. The skirt on the left is bluer or cooler, like moss compared with yellow green or olive, in a fabric with a muting effect on the colour. Our question is, could this be a flattering and cooperative addition to a Dark Season wardrobe, and is one better? I’d say Yes and No in that order. There's enough continuity with either palette to work very well.
In the print to the right, the way the colours and shapes work together to create a world is excellent. It combines a pale yellow background in neutral warmth, and warmer olive and leaf greens together with bright yellow and red flowers. Though the print suggests warm weather or bright holiday colours, what tipped me to Autumn rather than Spring were the red tones in the olive greens and barn door reds in the red flowers. The greens, yellow, gold, and red get along with both Dark Seasons. If the flowers are bright for Dark Autumn, they’re still relatable with the palette versions. The background colour is not warm enough to over-warm a Dark Winter, and nearer to light earthy lemongrass than icy yellow, better for Dark Autumn.
Next to the right, the smooth shiny top resembles the skirt on the far left of this row. The colours are between warm and cool, the brightness is moderate, and the shine level is moderate. Both Dark Seasons benefit from these.
In the top row, the camisole is here as a comparison of Spring and Autumn yellow greens in the same image. In both satin and matte areas, the amount of red is higher than the Spring blouse, centre item, centre row, on the Spring side.
Next is the intensely green V-neck sweater. It has high pigment concentration for many Dark Autumn palettes and rather high warmth for many Dark Autumn collections, but could work for both groups, guided by the natural colours of the person. The colour is dark, making it easier for Dark Seasons to get along. There are similar colours in both palettes, encouraging. If the eyes or hair are very dark as a Dark Autumn, they help balance the brightness. If you're a Dark Winter with this colour in your eyes, it may be a good option.
Next one over, the workout top would belong with Dark Winter because of the white. The white works so nicely with this colour that I’d consider True Winter as well. Adding those white strips to any of the other items on this side might be disruptive. The ability to get along with pure white can be a good test for Winter type colour.
In the lower row, two examples of great use of colour in accessories. The handbag surface looks like striations in a fossil or mineral, with well-chosen neutral dark brown strap and silver hardware, an inspired black alternative for both Dark Seasons. The shoes work for both Dark Seasons, in a colour bluer than cami in the top row, with a similar version in both Dark Season palettes. The white shoelaces get along fine for Dark Winter, as does as the warmer white around the sole for Dark Autumn.
Green 6: Soft Seasons and undecided greens
This image is divided into upper and lower sections.
In the upper section, we see a Soft Autumn reference item on the left, Soft Summer on the right, and we'll decide if the six items in between could work in those Seasons. Prints can be useful reference items, like a mini palette made out of fabric, but with the Soft Seasons, the boundaries can seem confusing because there are so many possible colours with tiny steps in between.
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The Soft Autumn blouse is soft light and warm and made mostly of neutral colours. The Soft Summer blouse is an example of a colour that is soft and dark at the same time, fairly pigmented for Soft Summer, but soft relative to Winter.
Quick recap for using the palette: Once you find a close match in the palette, do two more things before deciding.
#1, consider all the colours in the strip with the most similar colour. Don’t stop at the matching one. The entire strip should look present and reasonable with the garment.
#2, look at other colour families, either with the whole palette fanned out or divide the palette in warm and cool colours, or reds and neutrals. Others see what we wear next to all our colours, not just the best matching one, and using the palette in these ways improves our choices.
Back to the comparison image, beginning in the upper left with the army green T-shirt, would it slide better to the Autumn or Summer side? Not obvious, especially when the reference item has a different darkness level. The top looks warmer than Soft Summer but bluer next to the Soft Autumn blouse. Comparing with the palettes, the answer is still not obvious. At this point, my opinion, it’s fine for both. If we chose one, I'd choose Soft Summer for looking better with the palette reds. In Soft Autumn, the lighter reds fade and become hard to see, not a desirable effect for our own colours.
To the right, the camisole slides to the Soft Autumn side better and is easy to picture in the same closet as the reference blouse. Terra-cotta and khaki green suggest Autumn but Soft Summer does have similar colours. The light gray could go either way. However, the strip with most similar colour has better continuity with Autumn.The cool reds in Soft Summer look bluer, unhealthy even. With Soft Autumn, I feel calm and interested. All the colours make sense, I go with Soft Autumn.
To the right, the third blouse. I'm thinking Soft Autumn but If the Soft Summer blouse is the cool side, maybe this is the warm side. I hold up the Soft Autumn green strip and slide my eyes along the strip to find that everything stays the same, as does the blouse, so far, so good. Holding up the Soft Summer strip with the most similar colour, the blouse seems too warm going along the strip from left to right. I try moving my eyes up and down instead, from blouse to strip and back again, and the top looks yellower every time my eyes move. Therefore, they are changing one another and Soft Autumn is the better fit.
In the lower row, with the print skirt, whichever side I imagine sliding it to, I want to move it back the other way. With the palette, the choice is not obvious either. With the reds in both Seasons, it’s less attractive with the cool side of Soft Summer or the warm side of Soft Autumn, but fine at the edge of both Seasons where they’re nearest each other. Maybe this print is the ultimate neutral, 40-60. Both could wear it. Did you have a favourite?
Next, the willow green top. Very similar colours in Soft Autumn. Nothing similar in Soft Summer and if your palette has a strip of dark alternatives, they look darker and heavy next to this top. Going with Soft Autumn.
Final item to the right, the tank top. Previously, we've looked at yellow greens in brighter and darker Seasons. Here’s one that appears soft and light, Summer-influenced. It slides over to Soft Summer better but maybe it’s picking up the similar colour in the flowers of the blouse. Prints can be random about their colours and if this were an expensive purchase, I’d need more confirmation before buying it. I find a very similar colour in Soft Summer, but also in the True Summer palette. I try the idea of looking at a swatch nearest the closest match and notice that the lighter version of this colour in True Summer appears more pale or powdery, faint or hard to see. In Soft Summer, the yellows stay the same so the choice is between the Soft Seasons. Soft Autumn yellows are greenish but also warmer, more golden than this. The top stays in Soft Summer.
In the lower half, undecided in the image title means undecided by me, with colours I'm unable to settle in any Season. If you own enough palettes, you may find any colour eventually but I believe that we only need one good one. These items seem too much this way for one Season or too far that way for another. Perhaps the reason is that non-human pigments can be combined in non-human proportions to create all sorts of non-human colours.
I’ve never met a person whose colours are that way but I’vemet plenty of fabrics. My filters for what works need not be yours, just saying that these wouldn’t reach my close-enough mark of a plausible extension of palette colours to make meaningful, understandable combinations with the rest of the Season (or person).
Green 7: Light Season Prints
A few of these prints don’t include green, only because I couldn’t find them. There were plenty of lovely prints though and using the palette follows the same steps for any colour.
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When the colours in a print are harmonious, they do the work of choosing the colours for the outfit, or several outfits. The peachy polka dot blouse in Light Spring would be so flattering for the complexion and steers us to the soft orange wallet below.
The multicoloured dress in Light Spring is amazing, as near to a harmonious print as it could be. The eye colours, the lip and blush colours, and the beautiful lime in this Season are all found in the print.
I also like experiments in prints, like the occasional black outline in the Light Summer umbrella, successful for helping define the shapes without taking away from the image or the story. In clothing, black in any area is not flattering for Light Seasons but in non-apparel items, it can be a positive addition.
Another example of out-of-Season colour may be found in the wallet in Light Spring with the darker green leaves on the front. Those greens may be from another Season, darker than the palette, but I sense a story, not an interruption. I can look at the dark green and still be aware of the colours around it. I might not place the colour in large area next to a Light Spring face but here, the element of contrast avoids a blended or blurred impression. In this Season, green is a better choice than black.
On the Light Summer side, the shirt in the upper left is a beautiful green. The print is a tiny green and white check, creating a blending effect between the colours to lighten and soften the green, which a larger scale pattern might not do as well.
Also in Light Summer, we have the bathing suit and long skirt. Variations of one colour, called monochromatic, is a way of wearing colour that is attractive for Summer people. The long skirt is soft and may suggest Soft Autumn but I found it looked more blossom than terracotta and worked well with the warm reds of Light Summer. The white may not be perfect and doesn’t have to be. Light Seasons wear white within a good print if the white isn’t sharp, because they manage lightness with ease.
The blue dress in the lower left corner of Light Summer combines sky blue, light pink, and soft white. The pink is lighter and softer than many Light Summer palettes. The cool soft white is cooler than Light Summer white. The blues are closest but softer and lighter than some palettes. This dress could be great for True Summer but not a reason for Light Summer to bypass it. Pink, white, and blue is gorgeous on both and combining them helps each colour work better. Light Summer is pleased that it’s on the lighter side. The largest colour area, blue, is great with the palette. The person may have cool eye or silver hair colours or have been very near True Summer in their colour analysis.
Next to the blue dress, the peach pink dress with the ruffle at the neckline and hem in Light summer is placed alongside the pink bag in Light Spring. Those colours may seem to belong to the other Season since we think of peach for Spring and pink for Summer. Although both Seasons could wear either item, the dress is with Light Summer because that Season's colours can be warmer than folks expect, and the softness aligned with Light Summer. Light Spring colours were too bright, and the lime greens were less agreeable with the print.
The pink bag on the Light Spring side is beige pink with a creamy quality that finds that same quality among other Light Spring colours.
And finally in Light Spring, the so-interesting wallet in the lower right corner with the dot matrix design on a light sandy brown background. The lime and orange are from Spring. The background looks like cork, lightweight, without the density of wood. Uncommon to see a digital or futuristic print in Spring colours, which I appreciate, along with the springboard for outfits combinations.
Know your colours. In a short time, they'll be in your awareness. Once they're on your radar, it's just a matter of time before you find the items. In the same way that approaching a question from different angles leads to the best answer, using the palette in different ways directs us to our best colour choices.