Soft Summer color palette
Cool, smoky and serene, like a cloudy sky over the sea.
Also called Muted Summer.
Soft Summer is the most muted of the cool seasons. Its colors look as if you are seeing them through a light mist: rose with a touch of gray, blue that has turned slate, green that has softened into eucalyptus. The palette is quiet and sophisticated, and almost everything in it mixes with everything else.
Soft Summer leads with softness and follows with coolness. It borders Soft Autumn, which is just as muted but warm, and Cool Summer, which is cooler and a little clearer. Soft Summers can have any skin tone; the common thread is gentle, low contrast between hair, skin and eyes, and a cool or cool-neutral cast.
Soft Summer colors with hex codes
Tap any color to copy its hex code, then paste it into a shop’s color filter or your notes.
Best colors to wear near your face
Neutrals
Save for accents
These look great a little further from your face: shoes, bags, trousers, a print. Wear what you love; this is a starting point.
How to tell if you’re a Soft Summer
- Hair, skin and eyes blend into each other; nothing about your coloring looks sharp or high-contrast.
- Eyes are often gray-blue, gray-green, soft hazel or a cool, muted brown.
- Natural hair is often ash blonde, light to medium ash brown, or a soft brown that looks cooler in daylight.
- Silver, white gold and pewter feel natural on you; yellow gold can look a little brassy.
- Charcoal and soft white look easy next to your face, while pure black and stark white feel heavy.
Lighting, makeup and hair color all change how coloring reads. Check in daylight, or start with the undertone quiz.
How to wear the Soft Summer palette
Outfit ideas
- A dusty-rose sweater with charcoal trousers and pewter jewelry.
- Slate-blue wide-leg trousers, a soft off-white tee and a mushroom trench.
- A smoky-plum dress with a heather-gray cardigan for evening.
- Head-to-toe muted denim with a eucalyptus scarf.
Metals and prints
- Brushed silver
- Pewter
- White gold
- Soft pink rose gold
- Watercolor florals
- Soft, low-contrast stripes
- Heathered knits
- Faded paisley
Hair color
Cool, softly blended shades: ash or beige blonde, mushroom brown, cool light-to-medium brown, and soft silver as it comes in. Very golden, copper or jet-black shades step away from your natural blend; choose them for a bolder look rather than by default.
Makeup
- Lips: Rose, mauve, berry nudes, soft raspberry.
- Cheeks: Cool rose, dusty pink, soft plum.
- Eyes: Taupe, slate, soft plum, and charcoal-gray liner.
Soft Summer vs its neighboring seasons
If you’re torn between two seasons, compare the palettes side by side. The one that makes your skin look clear and even next to your face is usually yours.
Soft Summer vs Soft Autumn
Soft Autumn is just as muted but warm: peach instead of rose, olive instead of eucalyptus, camel instead of gray. If cream and gold suit you better than soft white and silver, look at Soft Autumn.
Soft Summer vs Cool Summer
Cool Summer keeps the cool, summery base but is clearer and a little brighter: raspberry, periwinkle and spruce rather than smoky versions of them.
Soft Summer vs Light Summer
Light Summer is lighter and airier: powder blue, lavender and soft pink. Soft Summer goes deeper and grayer, with plum, slate and charcoal.
