Color Types

How often do we hear: “This color doesn't suit me!” We give up colors that are trendy this season, look good on others, or simply boost our mood because they aren't “becoming” on us. But professional stylists assure us: every person has access to the full spectrum of colors for building a wardrobe—it's only a matter of choosing the right shade, intensity, and saturation. Fabric texture, dress style, and accessories around the neckline and face also play a significant role in harmonizing the color of the dress with your skin tone, eye, and hair color.

If your wardrobe colors are chosen correctly, you love the garment and want to wear it again and again. A flattering color makes a woman look younger. Her skin appears illuminated from within, looking fresh and well-rested. Unflattering shades, on the other hand, ruin the complexion, making it look sallow and dull, pale, or overly reddish. How do you choose only the colors that flatter your face? To do this, you need to determine your color type and favor shades from the matching color palette.

The “Winter” color type is cool and vivid. “Winter” women are usually striking brunettes or dark-haired women with smooth white or olive skin. They have high-contrast features: eyebrows, hair, and eyelashes are typically dark, clearly framing the face and adding expressiveness. “Winter” women are captivating, extravagant beauties who can create an extraordinary, luxurious look. They look best in evening outfits in rich, vivid colors: fuchsia, sapphire, emerald, purple, and red. This is one of the few color types truly flattered by pure crisp white and black, even right next to the face. While bright colors can be overpowering for “Spring” or “Summer” women and drown out their beauty, a “Winter” woman looks completely natural in these vibrant shades, making her skin and hair practically sparkle.

Light and soft shades flatter the “Spring” color type. A “Spring” woman is delicate and airy, with fair skin illuminated by a peach blush and sometimes freckles. Her hair color is reddish-blonde or honey/wheat blonde. Bright colors suited for “Winter” won't work for her. When choosing an evening dress, a “Spring” woman should look for warm, muted shades of green, yellow, brown, and pink.

The “Summer” color type is the most common in central Russia. It is a soft, muted, cool color type with a gentle palette. A “Summer” woman has pale skin with a cool undertone and visible blue veins; her hair is light brown or, more often, light-to-medium ash blonde, strictly cool-toned without reddish highlights. A “Summer” woman looks especially striking in muted, cool tones. Her colors include graphite gray, sky blue, banana yellow, and dusty pink. Some believe “Summer” is a dull or muted color type, but that is not true. By choosing shades of the right saturation, a “Summer” woman highlights her natural softness, lightness, and beauty, creating an unforgettable evening look—as anticipated as summer itself and full of alluring charm.

The “Autumn” color type is a vivid, expressive warm color type. In terms of color intensity, it rivals “Winter,” but the tones must be warm rather than cool. An “Autumn” woman is a striking brunette or red-haired beauty with warm copper highlights. Her skin is even and supple with an olive or peach undertone, her eyebrows and eyelashes are dark brown, and her eyes can range from brown to blue or emerald green. Such a woman is especially flattered by outfits in a warm, rich autumn palette made of soft, textured, cozy fabrics with folk or exotic patterns. Her colors are gold, copper, brick red, khaki, forest green, and earth tones—deep, rich natural shades. However, “Autumn” beauties should avoid cool metallic steel shines.

Having read about seasonal color analysis, you might think certain colors are off-limits to you. But that is not the case. The palette of every color type includes every color—it is simply a matter of choosing the right saturation and undertone. Consider pink as an example: the vibrancy of a “Winter” is complemented by fuchsia or Barbie pink, a deep muted dark pink suits “Autumn,” salmon orange-pink flatters “Spring,” while dusty rose perfectly enhances the features of a “Summer.”

Any color type looks flattering when surrounded by “its” shades: skin loses redness and sallowness, eyes appear deeper, and hair gains shine. Keep your color type in mind when choosing the perfect evening dress, and you will make a splash at any celebration, looking fresh and beautiful, and feeling effortless and confident.