Colour season guide for India: spring, summer, autumn and winter

The four seasons in one view

Think of two questions. Is your undertone warm or cool? Do you look best in clear, bright colour or soft, blended colour? The answers give you your season. Use the list below as a map.

• Spring: warm and clear. Coral, turquoise, golden yellow, fresh green. Gold jewellery.
• Summer: cool and soft. Dusty rose, powder blue, lilac, sage. Silver jewellery.
• Autumn: warm and muted. Rust, olive, mustard, terracotta. Gold jewellery.
• Winter: cool and clear. Cobalt, true red, emerald, fuchsia. Silver jewellery.

Find your undertone at home in five minutes

Undertone is the quiet colour under your skin. It is not the same as how light or dark you are. Start with undertone, because it splits the four seasons into two halves: warm (spring and autumn) and cool (summer and winter). Do the three tests below in daylight, near a window, with no filter and no coloured light. Then trust the answer that shows up twice.

• Vein test. Look at the inside of your wrist. Mostly green veins point to a warm undertone. Mostly blue or purple veins point to a cool one. A mix of both usually means neutral. On deeper skin the veins are harder to see, so skip this test if you cannot tell and lean on the other two.
• White versus cream test. Hold a plain white shirt under your chin, then a cream or ivory one. If cream makes your face look healthier and stark white looks harsh, you lean warm. If crisp white looks clean and cream looks a little yellow or flat, you lean cool. If both look fine, you are likely neutral.
• Jewellery test. Try a gold chain and a silver chain against your neck. If gold makes your skin glow, you lean warm. If silver does the same, you lean cool. If both work, you are neutral, and you get to wear both.

How seasons show up on Indian skin

Each season shows up on fair, wheatish and dusky skin in a different way. Spring looks golden and fresh. Summer looks soft and rosy. Autumn looks rich and earthy. Winter looks crisp and high in contrast. Most people sit between two seasons, which is why a good analysis gives you a main season and a depth, such as light, true, soft, bright or deep.

• Warm seasons (spring, autumn): gold, olive-gold and earthy depth often shows.
• Cool seasons (summer, winter): rosy, blue-brown or silver-grey depth often shows.
• Clear (spring, winter): you look best in colours with strong saturation.
• Muted (summer, autumn): you look best in softly blended colours.

One outfit per season

Here are four outfits, one per season, with brands you can buy in India. Prices are rough rupee ranges.

• Buy one piece in your season first, then build from there.

Why a selfie beats a drape at home

A professional draping session holds fabric under your chin and checks how your face responds. A good selfie analysis uses the same idea: it looks at your skin, eyes and hair in daylight and compares them to the four palettes. The result also shows how confident it is. If your photo had poor light, a good tool says "retake in daylight" instead of guessing.

• Take the selfie near a window, facing the light.
• No filter, no heavy make-up, no coloured background.
• Hair back from the face, and no tinted glasses.

Questions

Related guides