In the realm of men’s style and image consulting, seasonal colour analysis is the most powerful, and cheapest, tool for enhancing your look and building confidence fast.
Seasonal colour theory states that natural colours harmonise with individuals’ unique colour complex and when properly matched can enhance appearance by creating a cohesive, flattering look.
According to the theory, the 4 main seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter) are further detailed into 3 sub-seasons to a total of 12 unique colour palettes that complement different skin, hair, and eye colours.
Seasonal Colour Analysis Key Components
To find out your seasonal colour palette and which seasonal colours match you best, the analysis examines the following 3 aspects of your natural colouring complex:
- Skin Undertone – The underlying hue of your skin, which can be warm, cool, or neutral. The undertone is distinct from the surface tone of the skin and remains constant regardless of tanning or skin conditions.
- Hair Colour – Your natural hair colour, including the interplay of highlights and lowlights, plays a crucial role in determining your seasonal colour. Even if you have grey hair or are balding, the natural pigmentation is relevant to the seasonal colour analysis.
- Eye Colour – The combination of colours in your iris, including the primary colour, secondary hues, and unique patterns or variations, contributes to your overall seasonal colour profile.
The interplay between these features determines the level of contrast, depth, and clarity that characterises your natural colouring.
If you want to find out fast your main seasonal colour, take our free colour quiz for men.
Now let’s have a look in detail at the Autumn colour season and its 3 subseasons: Soft, True/Warm, and Deep/Dark.
- Soft Autumn – Muted, warm tones, with earthy and slightly cool undertones (neither too deep nor too warm).
- True/Warm Autumn – The most traditional, warm, rich, and earthy autumn colours, pure warmth and depth.
- Deep/Dark Autumn – Deeper, warm colours that lean towards the more intense, but still with an earthy warmth (closer to winter).
Autumn – The Rich Tones of Harvest
In colour analysis, the Autumn season is characterised by warmth, richness, and a deep, earthy quality.
Men who fall into the Autumn colour category have a warm undertone to their skin, hair, and eyes, creating a harmonious and robust appearance.
Before we delve into the specific sub-seasons, let’s explore the general characteristics of Autumn colouring:
- Warm undertones in the skin, with a golden, peachy, or bronze cast
- Hair colours ranging from golden brown to rich auburn, sometimes with coppery or red highlights
- Warm eye colours such as amber, hazel, warm brown, or deep green
- An overall rich and earthy appearance
The concept of colour temperature is crucial in understanding Autumn palettes.
Autumn colours are warm and muted, reflecting the natural warmth and depth in Autumn-type colouring.
This warmth harmonises with the wearer’s complexion, enhancing their natural richness.
The Autumn season is further detailed into three sub-seasons, each with its unique colour palette:
1) Soft Autumn – Blends the muted quality of Summer with Autumn’s warmth
2) True/Warm Autumn – Embodies the heart of the Autumn season with warm, rich colours
3) Deep/Dark Autumn – Combines Autumn’s warmth with a touch of Winter’s depth
1) Soft Autumn
Soft Autumn represents the transitional palette between Summer and Autumn, combining the muted quality of Summer with the warmth of Autumn.
The Soft Autumn palette comprises muted, warm colours with a touch of greying.
These colours reflect the naturally soft and warm colouring of this season. Key colours in this palette include:
- Warm taupe
- Soft olive green
- Dusty coral
- Muted teal
- Warm rose
- Soft gold
Soft Autumn Male Celebrities
Jude Law – Slightly muted skin tone, soft blue-green eyes, and ashy blonde hair.
Josh Hartnett – Neutral to warm skin, deep set brown eyes, and medium brown hair.
Ewan McGregor – Warm beige skin tone, bright blue eyes, and light brown hair.
Soft Autumn men have the following characteristics:
Skin tone
Neutral-warm undertones, with a soft golden or peachy cast. The skin has a gentle, muted quality.
Hair colour
Ranges from dark blonde to light brown, with subtle golden or ashy highlights. Grey hair tends to be a soft, warm grey.
Eye colour
Soft and warm, including hazel, soft green, or light brown. There’s a gentle, misty quality to the eyes.
The most prominent feature of Soft Autumns is the muted quality of their colouring, which imparts a gentle, earthy appearance. This softness allows them to wear muted, warm colours beautifully.
Styling Recommendations for Soft Autumn Men
Soft Autumn men can enhance their natural look through clever wardrobe choices such as:
Suits
Wear suits in muted warm browns, soft olive, or warm grey and pair with shirts in off-white or soft warm colours from your palette.
Casual Wear
Wear soft, warm colours such as a dusty coral polo shirt or muted teal chinos to create a refined, approachable look.
Accessories
Use muted-coloured accessories to add subtle accents to neutral outfits. A soft olive tie or a warm taupe leather belt can add a gentle touch of colour.
Patterns
Choose soft, muted patterns or subtle textures in your palette colours. Think of faded paisley or muted plaids.
Grooming
When choosing hair products or fragrances, opt for those with soft, woody, or earthy notes that complement your muted palette.
Colours to Avoid
Bright or highly saturated colours can overwhelm Soft Autumn’s muted colouring. Steer clear of icy pastels, stark white, or intense cool colours.
Outfit Ideas for Soft Autumn Men
For a professional setting, Soft Autumn men should combine off-white shirts with warm taupe suits.
A dusty coral tie and antique gold cufflinks could add complementary accents, creating a polished yet gentle look that harmonises with his natural colouring.
Soft Autumn colours can be easily incorporated into a professional wardrobe. Use your muted, warm colours in shirts, ties, and accessories.
Opt for softer, more muted versions of traditional business colours like brown and olive for suits.
Remember, the key is to maintain a soft, warm palette that enhances your natural colouring without overwhelming it.
2) True/Warm Autumn
True/Warm Autumn subseason is the heart of the Autumn season, embodying warmth and richness in its purest form.
The True/Warm Autumn palette consists of warm, rich, and earthy colours. While intense and saturated, these colours maintain a muted feel.
Key True/Warm Autumn colours include:
- Rust
- Moss green
- Pumpkin orange
- Golden brown
- Terracotta
- Deep gold
True Autumn Male Celebrities
Ryan Reynolds – Golden-toned skin, warm brown eyes, and light auburn hair.
Christian Bale – Deep olive skin undertones, amber-brown eyes, and dark brown hair.
Simon Baker – Warm golden skin, green-hazel eyes, and honey-blonde curly hair.
Men in the True/Warm Autumn colour range have the following characteristics:
Skin tone
Distinctly warm undertones, with a golden or coppery cast skin that has a natural glow or richness.
Hair colour
Ranges from golden brown to rich auburn. True Autumns have natural highlights that give their hair a multidimensional, warm appearance.
Eye colour
Warm and clear, including amber, warm brown, or rich green. There’s a golden or coppery fleck in the iris.
True Autumns have the warmest and richest colouring within the Autumn family, with golden and robust colours, reminiscent of a perfect autumn day with changing leaves.
Styling Recommendations for True/Warm Autumn Men
True Autumn men must fully embrace warm, rich colours in their wardrobes.
Suits
Wear suits in warm, rich colours like chocolate brown, deep olive, or warm charcoal and match with shirts in ivory or warm colours from your palette.
Casual Wear
Incorporate warm, earthy colours into your everyday wardrobe. A rust-coloured sweater or moss-green chinos can add a rich touch to your look.
Layering
Experiment with layering different shades from your palette. A golden brown jacket over a terracotta shirt creates a harmonious, dimensional look.
Accessories
Opt for warm-toned metals like gold or copper for watches and jewellery. Choose leather goods in rich tan or cognac shades.
Grooming
Select grooming products with warm, spicy, or woody scents that complement your rich colouring.
Colours to Avoid
Cool or pastel colours can clash with True Autumn’s warm, rich colouring. Avoid icy blues, cool pinks, and stark white.
Outfit Ideas for True/Warm Autumn Men
For smart-casual events, True/Warm Autumn men should pair warm brown trousers with pumpkin orange shirts.
A moss green blazer could add a complementary layer, while cognac leather shoes and a gold watch complete the ensemble, creating a look that’s both refined and rich.
In a professional setting, True Autumns can incorporate its palette through warm-toned neutrals like brown, deep olive, and warm grey.
Use richer colours from your palette in ties and accessories.
A chocolate brown suit with an ivory shirt and a tie featuring small patterns in your palette colours can create a professional yet harmonious look.
3) Deep/Dark Autumn
Deep/Dark Autumn represents the transitional palette between Autumn and Winter, combining the warmth of Autumn with the depth and intensity of Winter.
The Deep/Dark Autumn palette comprises deep, warm colours with a touch of intensity borrowed from Winter.
These colours reflect the naturally rich and warm colouring of this season. Key colours in this palette include:
- Deep burgundy
- Forest green
- Rich plum
- Burnt orange
- Deep teal
- Dark chocolate
Deep/Dark Autumn Male Celebrities
Kit Harington – Rich, tan skin with dark brown eyes and nearly black curly hair.
Jamie Dornan – Warm beige skin, dark brown eyes, and deep brown hair.
Gerard Butler – Olive skin, hazel-green eyes, and dark brown hair.
Men in the Deep/Dark Autumn colour palette have the following characteristics:
Skin tone
Warm undertones with a deep, rich quality. The skin appears golden-olive or has a bronzed cast.
Hair colour
Ranges from deep brown to black, with warm undertones or highlights. Red hair in this season tends towards a deep auburn or burgundy.
Eye colour
Deep and warm, including dark brown, deep green, or rich hazel. There’s an intensity to the eyes, sometimes with golden flecks.
The most prominent feature of Deep/Dark Autumns is the combination of warmth and depth colouring, which imparts a rich, intense appearance.
This allows gents with this colour spectrum to wear deep, warm colours with striking effects.
Styling Recommendations for Deep/Dark Autumn Men
Deep/Dark Autumn men can enhance their natural depth and warmth through smart wardrobe choices such as:
Suits
Opt for suits in deep, warm colours like charcoal with a warm undertone, deep olive, or dark brown. Pair with shirts in soft white or rich warm colours from your palette.
Casual Wear
Incorporate deep, warm colours into your casual wardrobe. A burgundy sweater or forest green trousers can create a rich, sophisticated look.
Accessories
Use deep-coloured accessories to add striking accents to neutral outfits. A deep teal tie or a rich plum pocket square can add a touch of elegant colour.
Patterns
Choose rich, warm patterns or textures in your palette colours. Think of deep plaids or warm animal prints.
Grooming
When choosing hair products or fragrances, opt for those with deep, spicy, or woody notes that complement your rich palette.
Colours to Avoid
Pastel or light colours can clash with Dark Autumn’s deep, warm colouring. Steer clear of baby blue, light pink, or icy colours.
Outfit Ideas for Deep/Dark Autumn Men
For a professional setting, a Dark Autumn man might combine a soft white shirt with a deep olive suit.
A burnt orange tie and dark gold cufflinks could add complementary accents, creating a polished yet rich look that harmonises with his natural colouring.
Dark Autumn colours can create a powerful impression in a professional wardrobe. Use your deep, warm colours in suits, ties, and accessories.
Opt for darker, richer versions of traditional business colours like navy and charcoal for suits.
Remember, the key is to maintain a deep, warm palette that enhances your natural colouring while projecting authority and sophistication.
By understanding and embracing your Autumn colour palette, whether Soft, True, or Dark, you can create a wardrobe and personal style that truly allows your natural colouring to shine.
Styling Beyond Seasonal Colours
Knowing you’re an autumn colour guy is just a small step towards dressing like a successful, confident gentleman.
To dress like a wealthy gentleman you must know your body shape/type and have an understanding of what to shop for and how to match relevant garments, footwear, and accessories, from classic, heritage fashion brands.
Last but not least you must know how to dress not only according to your body body shape and colour palette, but also according to the occasion, location, time of the day, and even your unique lifestyle!
And if you feel a bit overwhelmed, worry no more as we’re here to help you, step by step.
First, take our free expert quiz to find your body shape.
1. Find Your Body Shape
Different garments flatter different physiques so discover your body shape now by taking our free body shape quiz for men.
Follow up with our next free quiz to find out your unique seasonal colour palette:
2. Find Your Seasonal Colors
Fashion comes in a wide range of colours, but not every hue will complement your natural colouring so find out your ideal colours with our free seasonal colour quiz for men.
Third, learn how to dress by occasion, location, season, and even time of the day.
Knowing how to choose and style garments from various heritage brands, and style them by occasion, season, location, and body shape is crucial.
From casual weekends to formal events, each occasion requires a unique approach to styling.
To save time, headaches, and even money, get in touch with The VOU’s expert stylists now.
3. Find Your Ideal Style
Take our comprehensive fashion style analysis for men, and let our expert stylists guide you in selecting and curating items of maximum impact in a wardrobe that communicates success and confidence.
Remember, owning luxury brands isn’t enough; to look stylish, confident, and successful you must know your body type, and colour palette and how to style according to the occasion, location, time of the day, and season.
With these tools and expert guidance, you’ll not just wear the brand—you’ll master it, creating a wardrobe that truly reflects a unique fashion taste and many achievements.
