Is the Soft Autumn Color Season Your Best?
Have you ever worn bright, high-contrast colors and felt they overpowered you or made you look a bit grey in comparison? Or tried on a warm, soft tone like soft olive or dusty rose and noticed how it blended seamlessly with your natural features? If your natural coloring is warm, muted, and low in contrast, you might be best suited to Soft Autumn!
Soft Autumn belongs to the 16-season color analysis system and is one of the warmest and most muted seasons, sitting between True Autumn and Soft Summer. This guide will help you determine if the Soft Autumn palette is your best, which colors suit you, and how to style them effortlessly.
How to Know If the Soft Autumn Palette is for You
Soft Autumn has warm undertones, a muted appearance, and low-to-medium contrast. If you resonate with the following characteristics, this may be your best season!
Key Characteristics
While characteristics don’t fully determine which of the 16-season color palettes may be your best, they can give clues that help narrow it down. If you have any of the following characteristics (you don’t have to have them all!), the Soft Autumn palette may be the best for you:
Skin Tone |
Warm undertones with a golden or neutral tint Skin may range from fair to medium-deep, but always leans warm Often tans easily, developing a golden or beige glow |
Hair Color |
Soft brown, light to medium golden brown, or dark blonde Hair naturally has warm, blended tones, with a slightly ashy or golden cast |
Eye Color |
Light brown, warm hazel, green, or soft olive Eyes often have a gentle, blended appearance, with less contrast between the iris and whites |
✅ Quick Color Analysis Quiz: Is Soft Autumn Your Best Palette?
Answer YES if you…
✔ Glow in muted earth tones like dusty rose, warm taupe, or soft olive, but look overwhelmed in black or pure white
✔ Look best in soft gold jewelry over silver
✔ Have a soft contrast between your features, rather than strong, dramatic contrast
Get your free color analysis quiz here:
Soft Autumn Palette Characteristics
With seasonal color analysis, there are generally 12 seasons, while some use the 16-season color analysis system. Each season sits on a spectrum of color, and the palette will usually have characteristics to match. When looking at the seasons, we consider three main color dimensions: Hue, Chroma, and Value.
Hue
This is how warm or cool a color is—also known as its temperature. The Soft Autumn palette is warm, sitting on the warm and muted end of the spectrum. Most colors in this palette have a golden or earthy undertone. That being said, as the palette is on the cusp of Autumn and Summer, there are some cooler shades in the Soft Autumn palette for balance. If you zoom out though, you’ll notice that overall the palette is warm.
The palette includes soft browns, muted oranges, dusty greens, and warm taupes. Even traditionally cool colors like blue appear softened with a hint of warmth, creating teal and greenish-blue shades.
Chroma
This is how saturated or muted a color is. Soft Autumn colors are low in saturation, meaning they are toned down and softened with a touch of gray.
The colors in this palette are gentle and understated, without strong brightness.Compared to True Autumn, which is more vibrant or rich, Soft Autumn is more subtle and neutralized.
Value
This is how light or dark a color is. Soft Autumn leans medium to light, meaning the colors are not extremely dark, but also not pastel-light. While there are some deeper shades, most of the colors have a soft, blended quality. This makes Soft Autumn lighter and more muted than its richer sister palette, True Autumn.
The Soft Autumn Color Palette
The Soft Autumn palette is warm, muted, and earthy, inspired by fading autumn leaves, sunlit fields, and natural landscapes. The colors are reminiscent of an early Autumn day, on the cusp of late Summer. This gives it a relaxed and harmonious feel, making it perfect for soft, effortless styling.
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Best Shades |
How to Wear Them |
|
Dusty Rose |
A soft rose sweater with warm beige trousers |
|
Muted Olive |
An olive green blouse paired with camel pants |
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Warm Taupe |
A taupe cardigan layered over a cream top |
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Soft Mustard |
A mustard scarf for a hint of warmth |
|
Gentle Teal |
A muted teal dress for a soft pop of color |
These are just a few standout colors in the Soft Autumn palette. The palette also includes soft corals, warm browns, and earthy greens.
Colors to Avoid for Soft Autumns
These are colors with opposing color dimensions to the Soft Autumn palette. If this palette suits you best, wearing colors that are too cool, bright, or stark can make you look washed out or overwhelmed.
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Avoid These Colors |
Choose These Instead |
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Cool Gray |
Warm Taupe |
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Icy Blue |
Muted Teal |
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Pure Black |
Soft Espresso Brown |
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Bright Fuchsia |
Dusty Rose |
Sister Palettes
For Soft Autumn, which is warm, muted, and soft, its sister palettes are True Autumn and Soft Summer.
True Autumn shares the same warm undertones but is more vibrant and deeper in saturation.
Soft Summer is also muted but leans cool, containing slightly cooler and pinker tones.
If Soft Autumn is your best palette, you may also be able to wear the more neutral shades from Soft Summer and the deeper colors from True Autumn. If you feel like you’re somewhere in between Soft Autumn and Soft Summer, the Soft palette of the 16 season system may be best for you. I’ve worked with clients that can borrow from both palettes effortlessly because their main quality is softness regardless of temperature.
Styling Your Soft Autumn Palette
A Soft Autumn wardrobe can feel warm, effortless, and naturally blended. It pairs well with relaxed textures, flowy fabrics, and earthy tones. Even though the general vibe of Soft Autumn is earthy and ethereal and lends itself well to the looks of cottagecore, boho and light academia - you can play around with aesthetic depending on how you style the colors.
✅ Best Outfit Combinations
🍂 Casual: A dusty rose knit sweater with warm taupe jeans and gold accessories
💼 Workwear: A muted olive blouse tucked into camel trousers with a soft brown blazer
🌙 Evening: A deep teal dress with warm beige heels and a mustard wrap
Hair & Makeup for Soft Autumns
When considering hair and makeup for Soft Autumn, think of gentle warmth, soft definition, and earthy elegance. Your look should enhance the muted, natural glow of the season, without getting too bold or icy.
|
Feature |
Best Shades |
|
Lipstick |
Warm Peach, Muted Coral, Soft Brown |
|
Blush |
Warm Rose, Soft Apricot, Gentle Copper |
|
Eyeshadow |
Warm Taupe, Muted Olive, Soft Gold |
|
Jewelry/Metals |
Soft Gold, Antique Brass, Copper |
The best hair colors for Soft Autumn are warm and blended. Natural medium browns, soft golden highlights, and warm auburn tones work best. Avoid anything too dark or overly ashy.
FAQs: Everything You Need to Know About Soft Autumn
Q: How do I know if Soft Autumn is my best season or if I suit another autumn season better? A: If you think you have warm undertones but find True Autumn colors feel too heavy and Soft Summer colors too cool, you’re likely a Soft Autumn.
Q: Can Soft Autumns wear black? A: Black is too stark for Soft Autumns. A softer alternative is espresso brown or deep taupe. For seasons that don’t have black in them, I recommend reserving black for bottoms or accessories - paired with a color from the palette.
Q: What’s the difference between Soft Autumn and Soft Summer? A: Soft Autumn is warm and muted, while Soft Summer is cool and muted. There’s only a slight difference between the two and I find most clients that suit one season over the other can still pull colors from the sister season.
Embrace Your Soft Autumn Beauty
Understanding your seasonal color palette allows you to build a wardrobe, makeup routine, and style that enhances your features naturally. If the Soft Autumn palette resonates with you, start embracing warm, muted hues and effortless, earthy tones today!
