Which Type of Autumn Are You?

8/26/2019

If your best colors are warm and earthy, you're an Autumn. But there are actually three Autumn palettes. Determining which Autumn you are can be tricky. At first glance, these palettes all look pretty similar.

Soft Autumn

True Autumn

Dark Autumn

Soft Autumn

Soft Autumn is the most faded Autumn palette, and it's the lightest as well. Soft Autumn colors are faded earth tones -- desert colors, or safari colors.

Soft Autumn colors are desert colors.

If you're a Soft Autumn, black is one of your worst colors, and you may feel that almost every color makes you look "blah." You may feel your natural coloring is rather mousy and boring. Any attempts you make to enliven your coloring with extreme makeup or hair dye will only make your actual skin look even more washed out and "blah." You'll only come to life in very subtle, very gentle colors. And they won't look subtle or gentle on you! When it comes to color, context is everything.

Soft Autumn Gisele Bundchen. She's anything but "blah" in her correct colors. She needs faded earth tones to bring her to life.

(If you know your coloring is warm and gentle, but you also look good in lime green, you're probably a Light Spring, not a Soft Autumn.)

Dark Autumn

If you're a Dark Autumn, you may be confused, because on the one hand you know you're best in rich earth tones, but on the other hand you seem to be able to wear black. That's correct -- Dark Autumn is the darkest Autumn palette, and also the most vivid. Dark Autumn is the only Autumn palette that includes black.

Dark Autumn Kim Kardashian.

I think of these colors as Halloween colors, or Byzantine colors. They're definitely warm, and definitely earthy, but they're intense too. Sort of charred and vivid at the same time. When I think of Dark Autumn, the combination of black and gold is one of the first things that comes to mind,

Dark Autumn colors are Autumn at midnight.

Dark Autumn = glorious Byzantium.

Dark Autumn colors.

(If your best colors are warm, and you know you can wear black, but you also look good in a light, bright fuchsia, you're probably a Bright Spring, not a Dark Autumn.)

True Autumn

True Autumn Jennifer Lopez. Black is too dark for her, so she's not a Dark Autumn. But Soft Autumn would be too faded for her -- she needs richer hues.

If you can rule out Dark Autumn (because you're overwhelmed by black) and Soft Autumn (because those colors are much too weak for you), then you're likely a True Autumn, also known as Warm Autumn.
True Autumn is one of the rarer seasons, so congratulations, unicorn! :-)

Your colors are the stereotypical Autumn foliage colors: very rich, very warm, neither super-light or particularly dark.

True Autumn colors are the colors of fall foliage.

The True Autumn palette.

Are you an Autumn? How did you figure out your exact type? Share in the comments!

39 Comments

Jenna

8/26/2019 10:13:50 pm

How can I find out what season I am?

Danielle

8/27/2019 11:36:06 am

Try this: https://www.prettyyourworld.com/analyzeyourself

Melina

8/29/2019 02:51:16 am

I would not recommend Pretty Your World at all, especially as that site uses a wholly different seasonal system than this one, one with even 20 + seasons, and determining season by your outer characteristics, which is plain wrong! (Also, if I was the site owner here I'd have something to say about advertising other sites on one's own site... Most have strict policies against that.)

Much better to try the quiz on this site, Jenna: https://www.truth-is-beauty.com/color-analysis-quiz.html :) (You can also do it yourself, might even get more accurate results, even if it says someone else.)

Megan

8/31/2019 09:35:56 pm

Another thing you could try is take a photo of yourself on your computer (in natural lighting so that your natural skintone is visible) and put the palettes on this site up to your face and see what looks best.

Petra Brodecká link

5/23/2021 04:20:32 pm

See my Instagram ColorTypology.

Connie

4/12/2023 07:39:45 pm

I'm confused with what specific season I am. I know I'm an autumn and I know I'm not soft autumn but I struggle to be a 100% if I'm a dark or a true autumn. I look great in rich colours but I'm muted (brights are a big no) I don't suit black as it looks harsh and washes me out (if your truly warm you will be the same) but I have high contrasting features of khaki dark outlines eyes and dark brown hair with a light-medium golden olive complexion. 🤷‍♀️ It's a strange one , my best colours are dived between true and dark autumn colours.

Miranda

8/27/2019 03:21:05 am

My daughter, mother, sister, and two friends are Soft Autumn. I'm surrounded :') I used your draping cards for them (and for several other people of different seasons, so I don't think determining that so many people I know are Soft Autumn was due to an unconscious bias). It was really interesting to see how what was most important to people varied. My sister needed the warmth more than the softness, for instance, while my daughter and mother needed both. I'm Soft Summer and can get away with Soft Autumn colors and a few Dark Winter colors, but saturation makes me look like death.

My partner seems to fall between seasons, and it's a bit frustrating. He's most definitely an Autumn, but he can't do saturated colors, so not True Autumn. He can't do softness, but he also can't wear black. Dark Autumn seems to be the closest, but he does best in the relatively lighter and brighter colors from that palette. It doesn't seem to be a value contrast issue so much as that he needs some darkness, but not too much.

Nancy

8/29/2019 03:19:05 am

Melina, you are not the owner of this site. Mind your own business!

8/30/2019 03:34:57 am

Nancy, you are incredibly rude (have always been *), and should be banned from this site, period! Plus you are not the owner of this site either.

(* Same as commenters calling themselves Danielle and Gabriella. Please ignore those trolls, ladies!)

Elise

11/10/2022 12:29:01 pm

Miranda, from your description it sounds like your partner is not an Autumn. You said he can't do saturated, soft, or black, and he does best in lighter and brighter colors. Sounds like a Spring to me, if he is a warm season.
Although if he really can't do too saturated OR too soft, he's likely a true autumn: needing a very medium amount of clarity.
The lighter and brighter colors of Dark Autumn are really quite saturated - pumpkin, goldenrod, grass green, tangerine.

4/12/2023 07:44:08 pm

Sounds like your boyfriend maybe a spring

8/27/2019 04:09:17 am

Hmm, I'd have to disagree with the notion that "at first glance, these palettes all look pretty similar" - for example, Soft Autumn looks so faded compared to Dark Autumn, which is so vivid & intense!

Also, it's been said that most people who think they are Autumns are actually something else ;) So it's not really about determining which Autumn you are, it's better to keep an open mind as to other seasons too, all the more as the 3 Autumns are quite different from each other. (I now believe I'm BSp, but have actually thought I'm an Autumn (among other possible seasons) in the past, so that shows how tricky it really can be...)

Kara Grady

8/27/2019 10:19:37 am

I've known I'm a soft autumn for about a year. However fun color analysis was at the beginning however, I've begun to feel more jealous and envious of other color palettes (especially dark autumn) and feel constrained and restricted by this system. Its nice to know my best colors, but I feel that this system just isn't for everyone.

8/27/2019 03:42:34 pm

That's too bad you're finding the system constraining! I think it shouldn't feel that way at all. If it's any consolation, I adore Soft Autumn! It's so gentle and lovely -- not attention seeking, but firm and steady and lovely all at once! Desert palettes are so unbelievably chic.

I'm LSu, and I also found the palette to be intimidating at first. No black! What would I do? And it's all candy colors! Like, what am I, a sweet shop? It took me years to slowly change over the colors in my closet. But I've found I LOVE the way I look in the right colors. It's no contest: they look so good for me. All the same, I sometimes "cheat" with colors away from my face: I'll pair olive-green pants with my greys or use a deeper grey skirt than I can handle, but with a pink shirt to lift and lighten it.

I hope you find what works for you! Best of luck!

8/27/2019 10:17:25 pm

I understand where you are coming from, however I've found that in switching my wardrobe out for soft autumn colors (and I try to buy clothes made from organic materials) I've been so focused on finding the best colors that I've lost sight of what I truly want to wear and enjoy wearing. But that's just my experience. I feel for me that color analysis is better as a jumping off point rather than a way of life.

Gabriella

8/28/2019 05:45:24 am

Don't you want to look yor best? Why would anyone want to wear colours that aren't flattering for you?!

8/28/2019 07:00:09 pm

I guess I'm coming from the idea that ignorance is bliss. If you don't know about color analysis then you believe you look good in any color you choose to wear. And for me that belief gives me more happiness than being constrained to 40-60 colors on the color wheel.

8/29/2019 03:02:37 am

Kara, I agree with you in a way; that's one of the reasons I haven't so far shelled out the huge amount of money needed for a proper PCA (i.e. a Sci/Art one), but have tried to figure it out on my own. That way I can still wear all the colors I love, all my "wow" colors :) (I've realized they don't really fit neatly within any one season...) And avoid the ones I dislike. Also, wrong diagnoses are made all the time, in PCAs, and if I had one I'd be very much upset, having shelled out so much for a result I don't even like! So I kind of do get where you're coming from. :)

10/22/2019 08:05:19 pm

I understand exactly what you're saying because I think I'm a dark autumn but I'd much rather be a Bright Spring or one of the Winters.

I love cool colors not warm colors with the exception of reds. I love pink and fuchsia a lot too.

4/12/2023 07:59:40 pm

You don't have to go by the colour season. The whole point is to help you look and feel your best. If you feel great in other colours , do that , colour analysis isn't meant to be restrictive , it's meant to be fun and helpful. Your colour season is just a guide and it's much more than 60 colours , you don't have to go by your specific colour category. Im an Autumn , I don't categories myself as a True Autumn , I wear All autumn shades because there are ways to use all shades in your season. You can also use colours not in your season such as the usually difficult black. If black washes you out or is too contrasting you can wear sheer black top with a jacket/corset/waistcoat in your colour palette or black pants/shoes/bag as these would be further away from your face. There are ways to extend your colour palette, if you would like to. X

Mokuren

8/28/2019 02:01:57 pm

Really nice analysis. Will you do the same for the three other seasons?

Alex

8/28/2019 05:39:37 pm

I am also hoping you'll do the same for the other three seasons!

8/29/2019 02:54:30 am

Agreed! :)

8/29/2019 03:15:16 am

Kara Grady, you are not constrained to 40-60 colours. There are so much more colours on the SA palette. You can wear almost any colour if the hue is right. SA colours are primarily warm and muted.

Rosalind

8/29/2019 05:57:33 am

I'm there with you, Kara. After going back and forth between Dark Autumn, Soft Autumn and Soft Summer off and on for a long time, I could never figure out if I'm warm or cool, or too soft for Dark Autumn (though dark enough very probably), nor could anyone else I asked for an opinion (including a few painters and fellow artists). Maybe I'm even DA or TS, but I hate most cool colors, so those are not an option (the smoke in SA makes them quite bearable). It turned out to be yet another trap for being afraid of errors and self-sabotage. Like buying a new shirt, being all happy about it, until doubt sets in - what if I'm not in that season after all? It's just ridiculous. So I went back to assessing each garment individually. How do I feel in it? No mirror, no photos, no opinions from others.
When I put all the garments I truly love on a separate pile, I can see that I have now roughly an SA/SS wardrobe for summer (with a few bright accents sprinkled in) and a DA/dark SA wardrobe for winter. It just happened organically. In the end, I believe the system is deeply flawed, although so very alluring... If a working system existed, it would be easy for people to assess themselves and then be happy with the results once and for all.
The remaining benefit from this conundrum is for me to be able to avoid my worst colors near the face, a very coordinated wardrobe in spite of containing various seasons, and to observe people and their color choices, as it tells a lot about them. Also, an excuse for no longer having to wear white, pink or lots of black. I don't think that more is necessary for everyday life (as to: "who wouldn't want to look their best?" - well, I don't, except on extremely rare special occasions; it's just not something I find worth to think about a lot, my goal is to have a wardrobe that works for me - comfort, free movement, functionality in terms of weather and activities, easy to care for, easy to combine, no more not-worn items). Also, we have moods. I like to dress muted or more vivid depending on my energy level or if the occasion asks for blending in or standing out. Maybe PCA would make a great leap forward if it concentrated on just ruling out the worst seasons for people. Or teaching them how to build a personal palette in order to coordinate their wardrobes, custom made for themselves.

8/30/2019 03:55:17 am

That's a very interesting approach, Rosalind! :) And I kind of agree with you, "I believe the system is deeply flawed, although so very alluring... If a working system existed, it would be easy for people to assess themselves and then be happy with the results once and for all." One of the reasons I prefer figuring this out by myself!

If I did the same assessment as you with my wardrobe, I'd end up with a generic Spring wardrobe for summer, and a DW/TW wardrobe for winter ;) And yet I feel I cannot be neither of the latter, at least. (Going by my best lipstick shades, I'm a Bright season...)

kristiina

8/30/2019 05:46:11 am

I can relate a lot to what you and Kara say. I think (online) colour analysis and the community surrounding it can become counterproductive to one's own personal sense of style and "persona", especially if one is inclined to being over-analytical and self-critical. Like I'm someone who has had strong instincts of what suits me (I don't like the word "flatter") and been interested in fashion since very young age, and I knew what colours felt right (mostly deep blues, purples, forest green, dark brown and black, so most like Dark Winter colours). But when I learned about the 12 seasons or sci/art, I sort of talked myself out of what I knew, and started a frustrating experimenting period, which mostly left me looking like a tired blob in endless grey (I knew I was mostly "cold", at least). Now I've settled on "being" a Dark Winter, mostly because it gives me the strength I need from clothes. Maybe an analyst would find it too sharp and strong for me, but I don't actually want to look particularly soft or friendly... I think "looking your best" is a matter of opinion, and while I do want to appear "my best" it depends on the cut and material of my clothes and how I put them together much more than if I wear a cheap t-shirt in just the right shade of green.

On the other hand, my mum's an endlessly stylish dresser who seems to know her colours instinctively, yet they wouldn't fit into any given 12 seasons palette.

On a third hand, looking into sci art or 12 seasons has given me confidence to try and experiment with colours that are hard for me, like all kinds of red and pinks. I've fallen in love with what fuchsia does for my skin (I used to feel any pink just made my face beet red) and just thrifted a fantastic red velvet jacket. But like you said, it's more of a useful tool to weed out the absolute worst colours and help build a co-ordinating palette for my own style, not something anyone should follow like a religion.

9/2/2019 04:33:05 am

Kristiina, you're so spot on! I agree with practically everything you wrote, especially this part:
" Maybe an analyst would find it too sharp and strong for me, but I don't actually want to look particularly soft or friendly... I think "looking your best" is a matter of opinion, and while I do want to appear "my best" it depends on the cut and material of my clothes and how I put them together much more than if I wear a cheap t-shirt in just the right shade of green."
Exactly! ;) (Especially as basic t-shirts don't fit my style ID at all.)

Darragh

9/22/2022 07:07:25 pm

Rosalind I commend you! Choosing what makes you feel best in clothing and colors when wearing them, is exactly right. I call it 'strengthening my soul'. For myself, I resonate with natural, what you could call 'Autumn' tones. I can wear any colour either warm or cool, as long as it is muted. Have been professionally diagnosed as a Soft / Muted. However personally I only feel strong, happy, good, uplifted in warm natural colors such as taupe, moss, rust, soft gold and so on. Today I'm wearing soft coral and soft sage together. We really need to follow our own instincts regarding color. The color analysis system is deeply flawed, without doubt.

8/29/2019 06:08:44 am

Sorry for the errors, I meant: "maybe I'm even DW or TS, but I hate most cool colors..." and "the smoke in SS". Of course.

Trisha

8/31/2019 12:11:03 pm

In answer to the first commentator, the Truth is Beauty quiz backed up colour draping I had, and Pretty my World also came up with the same colour group. I think there is a lot of common ground between the main, reliable websites. The only one that came up with the "wrong" result, I didn't think it was at all me, was Colour me Beautiful, where again, I was actually draped, but it simply didn't work. If you have a good eye, try different tee shirts etc to find if you are cool or warm, it should be fairly obvious. Try a warm pink (with more yellow in the mix) and then a cool pink (which will have more blue in it). Then a warm green and cool green etc. This does need some perseverence and knowledge of colour theory, but nothing that can't be found in a good book on colour theory, or posts on this website,which you can search for - they are excellant.

8/31/2019 09:48:52 pm

It's really interesting to hear people's different experiences in finding color analysis restricting vs. liberating. I think the most helpful thing about color analysis and style analysis for me is recognizing that when something looks bad on me, it's because of the colors and lines, rather than because of me. In that sense, I find these systems really liberating.

Also, someone commented that this system is "deeply flawed," as evidenced by the fact that is doesn't "really work"--I think it's certainly a flawed system but that just because a system fails in some ways doesn't invalidate the utility of that system. While it might be an unhealthy perfectionism to say that everyone should dress only in their best colors, it also seems equally perfectionistic to say that just because the system isn't perfect means that it needs huge changes or that it "doesn't work" at all. Just a thought.

9/4/2019 04:03:29 am

Thanks Melina, kristiina and Megan for your thoughts and experiences!

I didn't say that I found PCA useless, it has been rewarding to plough trough it, as I mentioned. And I'm aware that it works for some people; only, they seem to be a minority.

I see a long list of problems with PCA, one of which being that "harmony" isn't always best. That's probably the point in your comment, kristiina, that you feel you need stronger colors than what your body colors might suggest - what if body and personality have different intensities, for example.
Another frustration concerns us "neutral" people. I don't care if I "lean" somewhere, I'm neither cool nor warm and can't see any sense in cutting my possible palette in half (especially as I found warm-cool-contrast within an outfit to be my best look).
And most of all, we live in a color illiterate society. Find me 5 people who can see the difference between bright and muted. It will be hard! Even many PCA authors mix it up with contrast, which is not the same thing at all. What's "looking your best" good for if nobody except yourself can see it?! Most people seem to prefer bright colors. Bright and/or black will always fetch compliments, no matter if it suits us or not. I know I look great in beige or khaki, but no one ever compliments me on those.

I wholeheartedly agree that material, texture, contrast, patterns and cuts complementing (not correcting!!) our body shapes are paramount and more important than the perfect shade of a color.

Yet I still read up on PCA and people's experiences with it. There is something to it no doubt. Maybe not a solution to real life wardrobe problems, but a mystery you can't get rid of once you're trapped. I still don't know what it is. The magical line-up with seasons and months, the wish to find our tribe, or the certainty to never get it wrong again by following a simple recipe valid for life... Who knows! I have a love-hate relationship with this stuff, and I see that I'm not alone. :-)

(Sorry for not replying directly within the thread; but I can't post there because there's no "Send" button.)

9/5/2019 04:47:59 am

Rosalind, I just have to say that again I totally agree with you :) It does seem that by far the most people prefer bright & bold, not harmony... (Else why e.g. the ubiquitous tops with black & white stripes, on people who it doesn't suit in the slightest..?) And yes, bright & bold will always fetch more compliments, in clothes but also what comes to hair colour - no matter how much these PCA blogs say your natural hair colour is always the best and most harmonious with you - it's still the brightest colours, especially bright red or other unnaturally bright colour, that will get people's attention & compliments, every step of the way! ;)
(And natural will always be considered more or less bland boring, by most people, unfortunately that's just the way it is.)

And the part about why we still follow PCA made me smile, too - yes, "a mystery you can't get rid of once you're trapped" describes it so well! ;)

7/22/2020 03:43:41 am

Melina, I think you have just said it, the bright and bold colurs usually "get people's attention and compliments", but that is not the same as seeing the person themselves. Often people will love the colour you are wearing, because it attracts attention, but not be looking at you directly. The fact that beige or khaki works for some people and they don't get comments, will often mean they just look right, the colours are not standing out against them as "foreign", so the actual person is being seen, rather than the colour they are wearing. The real test is whether they look healthy and glowing or just drained and drab, this is the real test of correct colour analysis and the whole point of it after all! When I was "done" incorrectly by Colour me Beautiful (and invested in a lot of the colours) people did comment on how they loved the colours, but rarely on how I was actually looking. When I wear my correct colours, people say I look well or ask if I've been on holiday, rather than commenting on what I wear at all, which is much the right way around as far as I am concerned.

Louise

10/26/2020 04:48:29 pm

This has finally helped me figure out I'm a True Autumn! I knew I was Autumn, but I'm a Natural-Classic-Ingenue, so I thought I may be Soft Autumn because of how the more intense colors in the True and Deep Autumn palettes overwhelm me. However, the Soft Autumn palette still tends to make me look dull, and black makes me look sickly.

For anyone else who has a similar profile to me, my top 3 color recommendations are:
Ivory!!!
Warm browns (chestnut, cinnamon)
Pastel peach

5/23/2021 04:17:14 pm

Dear, Kim Kardashian is winter, see my Instagram ColorTypology.

Serina

1/18/2022 01:37:49 pm

I have dark brown hair and medium to dark hazel eyes and light skin, one migth think deep autumn, but I can't tolerante black. My skin turns very pale yellow in black. I look sick.
The very soft colors of soft autumn fades me too much. Contrast is essencial for my coloring. Gray is not a good color for me either. Yellow face again.
When I look at the 3 color palettes... in my experience true autumn is my best colors.
😉

10/23/2022 07:26:12 am

I’ve been assessed as both True Autumn but more recently Soft Autumn, which is more accurate, and I was initially so very disappointed. It’s my least favourite palette. Soft Autumn looked like such a weak, nursing home palette of colours and it looked so dull (literally). But since wearing those shades more often I can see they definitely suit me more and are timeless. There’s very little you can get wrong dressing in those colours. The hardest part is finding high street clothing in those colours! That said, Ive now learnt to also borrow certain tones from True and Deep, like the burnt orange and burgundy tones, because although they’re not my true colours they’re the closest match to what would suit me being under the ‘autumn umbrella’. There are definitely colours in True and Deep that don’t suit me though so I wouldn’t dress fully in those palettes, but I can definitely get away with the dark greens, oranges and teals if balanced with more soft autumn colours. I think if someone wants to break the ‘rules’ at least sticking within their overall season is a good start and keeping the majority of what you’re wearing in your correct season.

Truth is Beauty