summer · medium · soft

Cool Summer · also called True Summer

The coolest, most muted summer — water-toned blues and greens softened by grey.

What colors suit a Cool Summer?

#5B7196
#5C7FA8
#7E97AC
#9CB4D8
#7BA5C7
#7C84C2
#7F99D6
#4A6080
#36435C
#2E6B73
#3E8C82
#7AB59D
#5C8579
#D08AA3
#D8A8B8
#B14A82
#BB6FA9
#A83D63
#7A2D5C
#8A3E54
#9A7390
#9C7DAE
#B8A0C8
#EDEAE3
#E0DCE0
#8A8E94
#A8A8B5
#6E727A
#5B6A78

What are the best neutrals for a Cool Summer?

#EDEAE3
#E0DCE0
#8A8E94
#A8A8B5
#36435C
#6E727A

Which metals suit a Cool Summer?

  • Silver / white gold / platinum. Brushed and satin finishes are especially flattering on this very cool coloring.
  • Gold / copper. Avoid — yellow gold looks disharmonious against a very cool undertone.

What should a Cool Summer avoid?

  • Honey Gold. Warm yellow-gold clashes with the very cool undertone and reads jaundiced.

  • Pumpkin. A warm, saturated tone overpowers this coloring's soft, muted character.

  • Sunflower Yellow. Warm and bright at once — fights both the coolness and the softness.

  • Rust. An earthy warm tone with no cool counterpart clashes with the blue-based undertone.

  • Pure Black. A dark, harsh neutral overwhelms this naturally soft, medium coloring.

What prints work for a Cool Summer?

Loosely arranged, gentle watercolor or floral textures in the season's own muted cool hues read calm and flattering; tightly ordered or stiff geometric prints read too sharp for this soft coloring.

Which celebrities are Cool Summer?

Named as Cool Summer by two or more independent sources: Emily Blunt, Barbara Palvin, Emily DiDonato, Kaya Scodelario.

Could you be a different season?

The 12-season system has real boundary cases. Here is how Cool Summer gets confused with its nearest neighbors, and the test to settle it.

  • Light Summer

    Hold a light, bright cool pink next to the season's own deeper, more muted version in daylight — the deeper muted one flattering and the bright light one looking washed out means Cool Summer, not Light Summer.

  • Soft Summer

    Hold the season's own cooler, brighter slate blue next to a warmer, more muted version in daylight — if the cooler brighter one flatters and the warmer muted one looks flat, you're Cool Summer, not Soft Summer.

  • Cool Winter

    Hold a muted, greyed cool pink next to an intensely saturated cool pink in daylight — the muted one flattering and the intense one overwhelming means Cool Summer, not Cool Winter.

Not sure this is you?

Take the two-minute guided quiz. It uses the same signals a stylist checks in person, no selfie required, and tells you plainly when a result is borderline.

Find your colors