Can Autumn Wear Lavender? Purples That Suit Autumns
Autumns can wear lavender, but most need a warmer, grayer version than the icy pastel you see everywhere. Warm lavender, dusty mauve and lavender-brown work for Soft Autumns, while True and Deep Autumns usually look better moving deeper into plum, aubergine and eggplant. So can Autumn wear lavender? Yes, if you pick the right one or wear it away from your face.
If lavender keeps making you look tired and you want to know which purple is actually in your palette, Swatch Fan finds your season from quick yes/no questions and checks the color for you: Find my colors.
Short answer: can Autumn wear purple?
Autumn coloring is warm and earthy. Purple is a mix of red and blue, and how warm it looks depends on which side it leans toward. Autumns do best with purples that lean red, brown or gray. They struggle with purples that lean blue, icy or neon.
| Purple | Soft Autumn | True Autumn | Deep Autumn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Icy lavender | Skip | Skip | Skip |
| Warm, grayed lavender | Good | Okay | Skip |
| Dusty mauve | Great | Good | Okay |
| Plum | Good | Great | Great |
| Aubergine / eggplant | Okay | Great | Great |
| Bright violet | Skip | Skip | Rarely |
Why lavender is tricky for Autumn
Most lavender in stores is light, cool and a little blue. It belongs to Summer's palette. On warm Autumn skin, that kind of lavender color can:
- Make golden skin look yellow or sallow
- Clash with copper, auburn or golden-brown hair
- Wash out warm hazel, green or brown eyes
Lavender vs lilac
Lilac is usually pinker and cooler. Lavender can go either way. For Autumns, neither works in its classic pastel form. The version that works has had some warmth and gray mixed in.
Can I wear lavender near my face?
Only the right shade. If you hold lavender under your chin and your skin suddenly looks greenish or your under-eyes look darker, it's too cool. Keep that one for pants, sneakers or a bag.
Purples that work for Autumn
Here's the Autumn purple palette, by type.
What shade of lavender works best for Autumn?
The best lavender for Autumn is warm and muted. Look for:
- Lavender-brown (sometimes sold as "dusty lavender" or "smoky lilac"): lavender with a brownish-gray base
- Heather: the soft, mixed purple-gray you see in wool
- Mauve: a pinky-brown purple that sits between rose and lavender
These are mainly for Soft Autumn, the lightest and most muted Autumn.
Plum for Autumn
Plum is the purple most Autumns can wear confidently. It's a reddish, deep purple that looks rich next to warm skin. Great for sweaters, dresses and lipstick.
Aubergine and eggplant
Aubergine is a deep brown-purple, almost like a dark eggplant skin. It's excellent for True and Deep Autumn. It can even replace black for some Autumns, since it's dark but warm.
Deep Autumn purple
Deep Autumns can go the darkest: blackberry, deep wine-purple and dark aubergine. These have depth to match dark hair and eyes.
Figuring out whether a purple leans warm or cool by eye is really hard. Store lights and phone screens make everything look different.
Swatch Fan's color check reads a top, dress or lipstick from your camera or a shop screenshot and says yes, close or skip, plus the palette color it's nearest to. It takes the "is this lavender warm enough?" guessing off your plate. Find my colors
If you love lavender
Lavender is everywhere, and it's okay to want it. Here's how to wear lavender with warm undertones.
Wear it lower down
Lavender wide-leg pants, a lavender skirt or lavender sneakers are all easy. Put a warm color from your palette on top.
Buffer it with a warm color
- A camel coat over a lavender sweater
- A rust or terracotta scarf with a lavender top
- A cream collar or shirt under a lavender cardigan
Choose it in a print
A floral or plaid that mixes lavender with warm browns, olive and rust lets you wear the color without it sitting alone near your face.
Use makeup to warm it back up
If you wear lavender near your face, add warm makeup: a peachy or terracotta blush and a warm nude or brick lip.
Pairing purple with Autumn colors
Purple looks especially good against the rest of the Autumn palette. Lavender outfit ideas and plum combos to try:
- Plum + olive: earthy and rich, great for fall
- Aubergine + camel: polished and easy for school or work
- Mauve + oatmeal: soft and cozy for Soft Autumn
- Dusty lavender + warm brown: a gentle twist on neutrals
- Deep plum + teal: bolder, best for Deep Autumn
What colors go with lavender for Autumns?
Warm browns, cream, olive, sage and soft gold. Avoid pairing lavender with icy gray or bright white, which pushes it even cooler.
Can Autumn wear blue too?
Yes, the warm and muted ones. Teal, petrol blue and grayed blues work better than icy blue. See can Autumn wear light blue and can Autumn wear navy. And if you're curious how cool seasons handle a warm color, can Soft Summer wear yellow is the mirror image of this post.
Purple lipstick and nails for Autumn
Purple doesn't have to be clothing. Makeup is a low-risk way to try it.
- Lipstick: a berry-brown, plum or warm mauve lip suits most Autumns. Cool lilac lipstick is the hardest to wear.
- Nails: aubergine, dark plum and dusty mauve polishes look rich on warm hands.
- Eyeshadow: a bronze-plum shimmer brings out green and hazel eyes, one of the easiest purple tips for Autumn.
Try one of these first. If you like the plum on your lips, you'll likely like it in a sweater too.
Your Autumn purples, named in a minute
The answer to "can Autumn wear lavender" depends on which Autumn you are, so start there. Swatch Fan names your season from yes/no questions, with no selfie and no photo upload, and gives you 12 named colors with hex codes and 6 lipsticks, so you can see which purple is yours. It's free to start.
FAQ
Can Autumn wear purple?
Yes. Autumns look best in warm, red-leaning or brown-leaning purples like plum, aubergine and mauve. Icy lavender and bright violet are the hardest.
What shade of lavender works best for Autumn?
A warm, grayed lavender, like lavender-brown, heather or dusty mauve. It works best for Soft Autumn. True and Deep Autumns usually do better with plum.
Can Soft Autumn wear lavender?
Soft Autumn is the Autumn most likely to pull off lavender, as long as it's muted and slightly warm. Pastel, icy lavender still tends to wash Soft Autumns out.
What is lavender brown?
Lavender brown is a muted purple with a brownish-gray base. It's softer and warmer than regular lavender, which makes it one of the few lavender colors that suit Autumn coloring.
How do I check if a purple is warm or cool?
Compare it next to a clear warm purple (like plum) and a clear cool one (like icy lilac) in daylight. Or use Swatch Fan's color check, which reads the color from your camera or a screenshot and tells you the nearest palette color.