Soft Summer vs Soft Autumn
No selfie. No photo. Your season comes from your answers, so lighting and filters can’t move it.
Undertone, at identical softness. This is the hardest pair in the system: both are muted and mid-depth. Sage against mauve. Soft Autumn takes the sage; Soft Summer takes the mauve.
Side by side
| Soft Summer | Soft Autumn | |
|---|---|---|
| Undertone and depth | cool-muted — slate, dusty rose, heather. | warm-muted — soft rust, sage, oat. |
| Best colors | Slate #5B6B7F · Dusty rose #C49A9A · Sage #9CAF88 · Mauve #A3869B · Mushroom #B1A295 · Soft teal #6F9A9A · Heather #9A8FB0 · Oat #E8DCCB | Soft rust #B9755A · Sage #9FA982 · Oat #E3D5BD · Muted teal #5F8D89 · Dusty gold #C9A55F · Soft brick #A8604F · Warm taupe #A08D78 · Cafe au lait #B89A7C |
| Colors to avoid | Pure white #FFFFFF · Hot pink #FF3E9A · Lemon #FFF04D · True red #C8102E | Pure white #FFFFFF · Fuchsia #D0217A · Electric blue #1F6FFF · Black #111111 |
Three tests to tell them apart
- Sage against mauve. Soft Autumn takes the sage; Soft Summer takes the mauve.
- Neutral test, and on this pair it is the decisive one. Taupe leans Autumn, pewter leans Summer, and your best neutral is more reliable here than any bright colour.
- Blush test. A cool pink blush against a peach one. On the wrong undertone a blush reads as a bruise rather than as colour.
Soft Summer colors
- Slate
- Dusty rose
- Sage
- Mauve
- Mushroom
- Soft teal
- Heather
- Oat
The full Soft Summer palette →
Soft Autumn colors
- Soft rust
- Sage
- Oat
- Muted teal
- Dusty gold
- Soft brick
- Warm taupe
- Cafe au lait
The full Soft Autumn palette →
Still not sure?
Ten quick picks between two colors decide it for you. No photo, no sign-in.
Other pairs people get stuck on
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Undertone, at identical lightness. Both are pale and low-contrast.Bright Spring vs Bright Winter
Undertone, at identical brightness. Both wear saturated colors most people cannot.Winter vs Bright Winter
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