Cool Summer neutrals
The base of your wardrobe: coats, pants, bags and shoes.
- Soft White
#F4F4F2 - Medium Gray
#8A9099 - Cool Taupe
#8E8589 - Navy
#27375E
Summer sub-season · also called True Summer
Cool Summer Color Palette: Colors, Outfits, Makeup & Hair
Cool made gentle: blues, pinks and raspberries without any harshness.
What is Cool Summer? (also called True Summer)
Cool Summer is unapologetic coolness.
Your defining trait is coolness. Anything with a blue lean suits you.
You need cool colors that are never loud: raspberry, denim blue, lavender, soft spruce green. Gold, orange-leaning shades and brown make your complexion look tired.
Cool Summer is the heart of the Summer season. It borders True Winter: the same coolness, but softer and lower in contrast.
Your colors are bluish, fresh, never loud. Think of an English garden under an overcast sky: old roses, lavender, blue-green foliage.
Signs you may be Cool Summer (and the traps)
- Silver suits you far better than gold.
- Bluish pinks and raspberries give you a healthy glow.
- Any orange-leaning color muddies your complexion.
- Black is too harsh, but navy suits you perfectly.
The palette
Cool Summer color palette
Twenty colors, with their hex codes, to show you the spirit of your sub-season.
- Raspberry
#C73866 - Pink
#E57BA2 - Cool Watermelon
#E0607E - Soft Cherry
#B5364F - Mauve
#A777B8 - Light Plum
#8E5A8E - Cool Lavender
#9E8FD1 - Cool Sky Blue
#8FBDE3 - Denim Blue
#4F6FA8 - Gray Blue
#7C93B5 - Cool Turquoise
#4FA8A8 - Soft Spruce Green
#3F7F73 - Soft Fuchsia
#D94F8C - Orchid
#C879B8 - Cool Periwinkle
#7F8FD9 - Ocean Blue
#3F6FA0 - Cool Teal
#2F7F8F - Soft Emerald
#2F8F78 - Soft Cool Burgundy
#8E2F4F - Bluish Gray
#9AA5B5
Cool Summer colors to avoid
Too warm or too harsh: they clash with your cool undertone.
- Orange
#F26B1D - Golden Yellow
#E0A91E - Terracotta
#B5542E - Black
#0A0A0A
Outfits and wardrobe
Cool Summer outfits and capsule wardrobe
At the office
Navy blazer, soft white shirt, denim blue sweater, raspberry scarf
On the weekend
Cool lavender sweater, dark jeans, medium gray jacket
For an evening out
Raspberry or light plum dress, silver
Cool Summer capsule wardrobe
Eight pieces to start with, all of them mix and match.
- Navy coat
- Medium gray blazer
- Soft white shirt
- Raspberry sweater
- Cool sky blue T-shirt
- Dark jeans
- Light plum dress
- Cool taupe pants
Prints and fabrics
Classic, blended prints: navy stripes, gray glen plaid, florals in cool tones. Matte fabrics: cotton, fine wool, crepe, denim.
Three pairings that work
- NavyRaspberry
- Medium GrayPinkSoft White
- Denim BlueCool Lavender
Makeup, hair, jewelry
Cool Summer makeup, hair color and jewelry
Cool Summer makeup: lips, eyes, blush
- Lips
- Raspberry, blue-toned pink, soft cherry. Your red is a cool red.
- Eyes
- Gray, cool taupe, plum, navy. Charcoal or soft black mascara.
- Blush
- Cool pink.
Cool Summer hair color
Ash tones: ash blonde, ash brown, cool brown. Gray or white hair looks naturally good on you.
Cool Summer jewelry and metals
Silver, white gold, platinum. Gray pearls, amethyst, aquamarine.
The three most common mistakes
- Wearing camel “because it’s a classic.” On you, it turns your skin yellow. Your classic is navy or gray.
- Choosing an orange-leaning red: your red is raspberry or cherry.
- Warming up your hair with gold or copper. Ash tones suit you better.
Head to head
Cool Summer or True Winter? How to tell them apart
Both seasons are very cool. True Winter is higher in contrast and more saturated, Cool Summer softer.
The two-color test. In daylight, with no makeup, hold a piece of fabric in each of these two colors up to your face. The one that evens out your complexion and brings out your eyes is your answer. The one that deepens your dark circles or makes you look tired is not yours.
Cool Summer next to the other Summers and its neighboring season
| Sub-season | Temperature | Lightness | Intensity | Contrast | Signature color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cool Summer | Very cool | Medium | Soft to medium | Moderate | Raspberry |
| Light Summer | Slightly cool | Very light | Soft | Low | Powder Pink |
| Soft Summer | Neutral to cool | Medium | Very soft, grayed | Low | Dusty Rose |
| True Winter | Very cool | Medium to dark | Saturated | High | Fuchsia |
For everyone
Cool Summer on every skin tone, and for men
Any skin tone can be a Cool Summer. Deep, medium or fair, with a warm, cool or olive undertone: what decides is how your skin reacts when colors are held up to your face.
For a Cool Summer man: a navy or gray suit, soft white or sky blue shirt, a raspberry or denim blue tie. Swap warm browns for gray or cool taupe.
The method is the same for everyone: the pieces change, not the colors.
Go further
The Cool Summer guide: join the waitlist
The complete Cool Summer guide
Your full palette, capsule wardrobe, makeup, hair and a shopping list.
- Your sub-season, explained
- Your complete palette
- Your neutrals and basics
- Your capsule wardrobe
- Pairings that work
- Makeup
- Hair
- Jewelry, glasses, prints
Planned price: $29.99. The guide is not on sale yet: join the waitlist to be told when it opens.
Join the waitlistNot sure you’re a Summer?
The quiz shows you your likely season and a sub-season hint, with no sign-up. A first hint, not a verdict.
How the method works
Twelve sub-seasons instead of sixteen, the three things we look at, and why a quiz is only a first hint.
Questions
Cool Summer: your questions
Cool Summer or True Winter?
Compare a softened raspberry and a pure fuchsia. If the fuchsia overpowers you and the raspberry works with you, you’re a Cool Summer.
What do I wear instead of beige?
A cool taupe, a pearl gray or a soft white. Golden beige turns you yellow.
What colors should a Cool Summer avoid?
Keep Orange, Golden Yellow, Terracotta and Black away from your face. Too warm or too harsh: they clash with your cool undertone.
Which jewelry metals suit a Cool Summer?
Silver, white gold, platinum. Gray pearls, amethyst, aquamarine.
What hair color suits a Cool Summer?
Ash tones: ash blonde, ash brown, cool brown. Gray or white hair looks naturally good on you.
What lipstick colors suit a Cool Summer?
Raspberry, blue-toned pink, soft cherry. Your red is a cool red.
How can I be sure I’m a Cool Summer?
On your own, it’s hard: we all see through our own taste, and neighboring sub-seasons look alike. Start with the free quiz to check your likely Summer season, then run the two-color test on this page against True Winter. Treat the result as a hint, not a verdict.
What’s the difference between Cool Summer and True Winter?
Both seasons are very cool. True Winter is higher in contrast and more saturated, Cool Summer softer.
Think you’re a Cool Summer?
Check it. The free quiz shows you your likely season in two minutes, and the two-color test on this page helps you tell it from its neighbor.