Dressing for the soft autumn color season is about to get a whole lot easier for you.
In this super simple guide, we jump straight to the point. We break down everything you need to know about the soft autumn color season in a quick and easy way.
This way you can stop researching and start making those little changes that will ultimately add up to a dramatically better wardrobe for you.
How to Spot the Soft Autumn Color Season
First, let’s break down the characteristics of a soft autumn.
You’ll quickly notice a pattern here. “Soft” is the dominating factor for soft autumns. Soft can also be interchanged with “muted” or “grayed.” Soft autumns have muted grayish eyes, warm neutral skin, and ashy hair tones.
It’s the most neutral and blended of the autumn color seasons.
Skin Tone
The skin tones for a soft autumn range from fair to tan.
They have neutral and neutral warm undertones or NW + N. (A good way to find this out, if you don’t already know it, is to go to a cosmetic counter or store and have a professional color match you for foundation. The letters signifying the undertones are almost always marked on the bottle.)
*As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Soft autumns have an overall tend to have an overall soft and creamy appearance. Some notice slight gray or olive undertones.
Eyes
Soft Autumns have gray mixed in with their warmer eye color.
However, instead of light and bright, soft autumn eye colors are light, soft, and blend well with the overall appearance.
Hair
Soft autumns have warm, muted tones in their hair.
These hair colors include: golden blonde, strawberry blonde, light golden brown, and medium golden brown.
Hair can be an easy giveaway for autumns. If you use the word golden, reddish, orangish, or strawberry – that’s a good indicator that you have warm toned hair.
Soft Autumn Color Season Palette
At first glance, the soft autumn color season palette is full of medium shaded colors. But, you’ll also notice medium and darker tones in the mix.
The easiest way to make sense of this is to think about the variety of clothing colors available at stores and online shops. This soft autumn color palette should give you an idea of the shade range for each basic color.
We break into down into a lighter, medium, and darker option to help steer you in the right direction.
If you don’t have access to this color palette when shopping, these three questions should help.
- Does this shade have an orangish, greenish, or gray tint to it?
- Is this shade the “soft” version of this color family instead of the light or bright version?
- Is this the medium to darker option of this color family?
Best Colors for the Soft Autumn Color Season
Below are your top three colors for each color category.
As mentioned above, you’ll find a lighter, medium, and darker option for each color family. This will help you get a better grasp on the shade range for the soft autumn color season.
Whites/Creams -Yellows + Light Tans
When looking for whites or light neutral colors you’ll want them to have these characteristics:
- Soft and creamy vs crisp. *Avoid bright, true whites.
- Yellow, golden, and grayish tints vs pink + blue.
yellows - Warm with Orange or Green Tints
You’ll want to pick soft yellows that won’t overpower your blended complexion.
- Soft vs Bright
- More dusty orange and green tints than true yellow.
Oranges - Muted Warm Corals
Orange is a great color for autumns. However, as a soft autumn you’ll lean toward the more coral, neutral oranges.
- More orange and reddish coral vs pink tints.
- Medium shades vs very light + very dark.
- Soft vs. bright.
pinks - DUSTY Corals
Pinks can be hard for autumns since it’s a cool dominant color. However, you can pull off the muted pinks that lean toward salmon or peach.
- Soft vs bright
- Dusty or muted, noticeable gray tint.
- Pinks that lean closer to orange than plum.
Reds - DUSTY REDS WITH ORANGE AND BROWN
The right kind of red can look incredible on soft autumns. Choose reds that are:
- Orange and brown toned vs pink and fuchsia tones.
- Soft vs crisp
Purples - GRAY AND BLUE TINTS
Like pinks, purples can be more cool toned. So pick purples that are;
- Soft neutral vs vibrant
- Purples that look gray and not pink.
blues - Blue GraY
Soft autumn blues lean toward gray and teal.
- Soft vs bright
- More faded gray blues vs bright teals.
Greens - WARM AND NEUTRAL
Most greens will look great on soft autumns. Choose greens that are:
- Soft vs Bright
- gray and yellow tints vs true teals.
grays- Smokey Grays With Green Tints
Soft autumn grays are smoky and neutral. They have slight green and brown tints. Pick grays that are more:
- More yellow brown vs blue gray.
- Dirty, or soft, vs bold.
Browns - Golden and Greenish
Browns can blend well with the soft autumn coloring. Choose browns that are:
- More orange and green vs blue or purple.
- Soft and neutral vs bold and bright.
Blacks/ Alternates for Blacks - Greenish Grays
Soft autumns should avoid stark black because it can overpower your overall soft coloring. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t wear some form of it. Pick blacks that are:
- Faded vs bold
- Green faded tints vs navy tints.
Soft Autumn Shopping Hacks
When shopping, soft autumns should gravitate to naturally warm colors first. Look at yellows, greens, browns, and reds first as they are more likely to have options that suit your natural undertones.
Also, scan for the colors that you would describe as soft but not bright.
If you prefer a variety of colors, cool tones can look great on you, too. However, they may be harder to spot.
Look for the cool tones that have warm tints or lean more toward gray, blue-greens or coral-pinks.
Conclusion: Soft Autumn
The soft autumn color season has golden toned hair, grayish eyes, and light to medium skin tones. Soft autumns have warm and neutral undertones and look best in shades that are more soft vs. bright.
When shopping, soft autumns should gravitate to warm dominate colors first like yellows, oranges, browns, and reds as the store is more likely to have a colors that will harmonize with their natural coloring.
Next Steps:
If you’re a soft autumns, share what your favorite color to wear is in the comments. (Bonus points for photos.)
Lastly, do you know what makeup colors look best on you? Find out in this super simple guide to soft autumn makeup colors.
Let’s stay connected. Follow us on Pinterest.
