Soft Autumn neutrals
The base of your wardrobe: coats, pants, bags and shoes.
- Cream
#F3E9D8 - Sand Beige
#D6C2A1 - Warm Taupe
#9B8B78 - Chestnut
#7A5C45
Autumn sub-season
Soft Autumn Color Palette: Colors, Outfits, Makeup & Hair
Autumn in half-tones: warm, hushed, very soft colors.
What is Soft Autumn?
Soft Autumn is warmth without the fire.
Your defining trait is softness. Warmth comes second.
You look best in highly desaturated colors, with lower contrast than the other Autumns: sage, light terracotta, caramel, warm dusty rose. Bright colors and strong contrast are too much for you.
Soft Autumn sits on the border with Soft Summer. They share softness. What separates them is temperature. On you, colors keep a golden base.
Your colors are warm but filtered. Think of the countryside at the end of summer: wheat, sage, light terracotta.
Signs you may be Soft Autumn (and the traps)
- “Natural” colors (sage, sand, caramel) suit you better than anything else.
- Bright colors make you look like you’re wearing a costume.
- Black looks harsh on you, and optic white dims you.
- You sometimes go back and forth between gold and silver: matte gold and rose gold are your best allies.
The palette
Soft Autumn color palette
Twenty colors, with their hex codes, to show you the spirit of your sub-season.
- Sage Green
#9CAF88 - Soft Olive
#8A8B5C - Khaki
#7C7A4F - Light Terracotta
#C9805E - Soft Salmon
#E0A084 - Warm Dusty Rose
#C98F85 - Caramel
#B98654 - Soft Mustard
#C9A552 - Rosy Beige
#D8B9A2 - Soft Petrol Blue
#4F7C82 - Grayed Teal
#5E8A8E - Soft Eggplant
#6E4A5A - Faded Peach
#E3B39A - Clay Rose
#C58C7C - Hazelnut
#A98467 - Soft Honey
#D2A862 - Soft Moss
#8B9469 - Tea Green
#A9B48A - Warm Denim
#6F8FA0 - Smoky Plum
#7D5A66
Soft Autumn colors to avoid
Too sharp or too cool: they break the blended harmony of your coloring.
- Black
#0A0A0A - Optic White
#FFFFFF - Fuchsia
#D4127C - Electric Blue
#0047FF
Outfits and wardrobe
Soft Autumn outfits and capsule wardrobe
At the office
Warm taupe blazer, cream shirt, chestnut pants, sage green scarf
On the weekend
Light terracotta sweater, jeans, khaki jacket
For an evening out
Soft petrol blue or soft eggplant dress, matte gold
Soft Autumn capsule wardrobe
Eight pieces to start with, all of them mix and match.
- Sand beige trench coat
- Warm taupe blazer
- Cream shirt
- Sage green sweater
- Soft salmon T-shirt
- Jeans
- Light terracotta dress
- Chestnut pants
Prints and fabrics
Natural, blended prints: foliage, faded flowers, soft plaids. Matte, textured fabrics: linen, suede, cable knit, corduroy.
Three pairings that work
- CreamSage GreenCaramel
- Light TerracottaSand Beige
- Soft Petrol BlueChestnut
Makeup, hair, jewelry
Soft Autumn makeup, hair color and jewelry
Soft Autumn makeup: lips, eyes, blush
- Lips
- Rosy peach, apricot, soft caramel, warm rosewood.
- Eyes
- Soft bronze, warm taupe, matte gold, moss green. Brown mascara.
- Blush
- Peach or soft apricot.
Soft Autumn hair color
Golden light brown, honey dark blonde, melted caramel. Warm tones, but never fiery.
Soft Autumn jewelry and metals
Matte gold, rose gold, soft copper, brushed brass.
The three most common mistakes
- Wearing the Warm Autumn colors because “I’m an Autumn.” Bright rust and mustard are too strong for you.
- Choosing black to look sleeker: it looks harsh on you. Chestnut or khaki does better.
- Going for a very light blonde or a fiery red. Keep soft tones, honey or caramel.
Head to head
Soft Autumn or Soft Summer? How to tell them apart
Both seasons need desaturated colors. Soft Summer is cooler, Soft Autumn warmer.
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.
Soft Autumn next to the other Autumns and its neighboring season
| Sub-season | Temperature | Lightness | Intensity | Contrast | Signature color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft Autumn | Neutral to warm | Medium | Very soft, desaturated | Low to moderate | Light Terracotta |
| Warm Autumn | Very warm | Medium | Rich, slightly muted | Moderate | Rust |
| Deep Autumn | Neutral to warm | Dark | Rich and intense | High | Warm Burgundy |
| Soft Summer | Neutral to cool | Medium | Very soft, grayed | Low | Dusty Rose |
For everyone
Soft Autumn on every skin tone, and for men
Any skin tone can be a Soft Autumn. 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 Soft Autumn man: a warm taupe or chestnut suit, cream shirt, sage or caramel knits. Swap navy for a soft petrol blue.
The method is the same for everyone: the pieces change, not the colors.
Go further
The Soft Autumn guide: join the waitlist
The complete Soft Autumn 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 an Autumn?
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
Soft Autumn: your questions
Soft Autumn or Soft Summer?
Compare a light terracotta and a cool dusty rose. Both are soft: temperature settles it. It’s the most common mix-up in color analysis.
What colors should a Soft Autumn avoid?
Keep Black, Optic White, Fuchsia and Electric Blue away from your face. Too sharp or too cool: they break the blended harmony of your coloring.
Which jewelry metals suit a Soft Autumn?
Matte gold, rose gold, soft copper, brushed brass.
What hair color suits a Soft Autumn?
Golden light brown, honey dark blonde, melted caramel. Warm tones, but never fiery.
What lipstick colors suit a Soft Autumn?
Rosy peach, apricot, soft caramel, warm rosewood.
How can I be sure I’m a Soft Autumn?
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 Autumn season, then run the two-color test on this page against Soft Summer. Treat the result as a hint, not a verdict.
What’s the difference between Soft Autumn and Soft Summer?
Both seasons need desaturated colors. Soft Summer is cooler, Soft Autumn warmer.
Think you’re a Soft Autumn?
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.