The 12-Season Color Analysis System

The three dimensions

Every season is defined by where you sit on three scales. Hue is warm versus cool. Value is light versus deep. Chroma is bright (clear, saturated) versus soft (muted, greyed). Each of the four parent seasons is split along the dimension that varies most, producing three sub-seasons each, for twelve in total.

All 12 seasons

Each parent season splits into three. Here is the full set with a one-line cue for each:

• Bright Spring — warm-neutral, light-to-medium, high chroma; clear and vivid.
• True Spring — fully warm, light, bright; sunny and golden.
• Light Spring — warm-neutral, very light, soft-bright; delicate pastels.
• Light Summer — cool-neutral, light, soft; gentle and airy.
• True Summer — fully cool, medium, soft; dusty and rosy.
• Soft Summer — cool-neutral, medium, muted; smoky and blended.
• Soft Autumn — warm-neutral, medium, muted; earthy and gentle.
• True Autumn — fully warm, medium-deep, soft; rich and spicy.
• Deep Autumn — warm-neutral, deep, medium chroma; dark and warm.
• Deep Winter — cool-neutral, deep, bright; dramatic and intense.
• True Winter — fully cool, medium-deep, bright; icy and bold.
• Bright Winter — cool-neutral, light-to-medium, very high chroma; striking and clear.

How to find your season

Start with undertone: are you warm or cool? Then judge value: is your natural coloring light or deep? Finally judge chroma: do you look best in clear, vivid colors or soft, muted ones? Those three answers narrow you to a season. An AI tool can estimate all three from a photo and suggest the closest match.

Using your season palette

Your palette guides clothing near your face, makeup, and accessories — the items that reflect color onto your skin. Shoes and bags matter less. Most people are not a perfect textbook fit; you may sit between two neighboring seasons, in which case borrow the shared colors from both.

Frequently Asked Questions