Seasonal Colour Analysis: How to style based on your season

Seasonal colour analysis is your new best friend. First popular in the 80s, now, thanks to TikTok, “getting your colours done” is back and more popular than ever – and no, we’re not talking about your latest hair colour (though we’re all for a new look), we mean the colours that really suit you.

In a nutshell: colour analysis is all about figuring out which shades make you glow, based on your hair skin and eye tones. Here at Nobody’s Child, we asked 1,000 women in the UK how they feel about seasonal colour analysis and if it sways their shopping habits. Spoiler alert: it does. 


We’re talking trending shades like butter yellow and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate brown, all the way to staples such as soft blues and green dresses, plus key tips on how to match the perfect colour items for your unique tones to help you find your next favourite summer outfit.

Question: Do women believe in seasonal colour analysis?

Tying into the four seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter), the concept breaks down each one into three sub-categories, so there’s a total of 12 possible colour seasons to choose from. You’re then matched with your complementary shades to identify your perfect colour season.

Over half of UK women (55%) have actually heard of seasonal colour analysis. And only a fraction of those women (6%) said they didn’t believe in it. Looks like the trend’s here to stay. 


Of those that have heard of colour season analysis, a quarter say they have had their colours done by a professional, meanwhile a third (33%) have done the hard work themselves and figured out their colours on their own. DIY or pro? You decide. 


However, this leaves nearly half (42%) unsure on what season they are. 

What colour season am I?

So, you’re probably asking “what is my colour season?”. Don’t worry, we’ve got you. Here are some quick steps you can take to start on your own colour analysis.

01
Think of your jewellery

First, you should figure out whether you suit warm or cool colours. A quick way to do this is to think of your choice of jewellery.


Gold wearer? You will generally tend to have warm undertones, making you a spring or autumn. But if you’re more likely to wear silver accessories, you’re a cooler tone which means winter or summer.

02
Take a black and white selfie

An easy way to determine your natural contrast level is to take a black and white photo of yourself. If there is a big difference in your tones, for example, you have fairer skin with dark hair, then you are probably high contrast.

If all areas of your photo are a similar tone, you’re likely to have light contrast levels.

03
Muted vs bold

Try on a few shades and see how these suit you to help see if your colouring is bright or muted. Those with bright colouring will suit bolder tones such as a white dress or black dress and won’t be overpowered by these shades.

Those with muted colouring may find a cream dress or navy dress is more harmonious for their colouring – think about whether you prefer soft, muted shades or if you like high saturation outfits.

does colour analysis impact our fashion choices?

Now you’ve figured out your colour season, you might find yourself asking, will this change how I shop for clothes? After all, everyone should wear whatever they want anyway, regardless of if it’s within your chosen palette. 

Well, for those who already know their season, our study has shown that it does impact how they dress! 22% of UK women say that they always dress by their colour season, and a quarter (26%) have actually avoided buying something out of their season’s colour palette. So yes, it does make a difference.

Trending shades for each colour season

For those wanting to shop key shades this summer, our team details the top tones and how each season can make them work if they are keen on shopping according to their colour season.

01Butter yellow shades

Arguably the shade of the season, those wanting to hop on the butter yellow trend can look at whether they lean towards cool or warm toned in their palette to help find their perfect tone. A delicate tone that has a soft and soothing nature behind it, butter yellow is an approachable shade for all seasons. Spring seasons are warm and light, so will perfectly suit a butter yellow dress. Warmer honey yellow shades will also suit spring seasons, as well as autumns looking for a yellow dress.For summer seasons? They’ll want to stick closely to classic butter yellow tones to tie into the softness of their palette, meanwhile winters can go classic or opt for more bold shades such as lemon yellow. For those with more contrast in their colour season, a lemon dress works as a more vibrant alternative to the soft, buttery shade.

Trending shades for each colour season

For those wanting to shop key shades this summer, our team details the top tones and how each season can make them work if they are keen on shopping according to their colour season.

02Shades of brown

From mocha brown to chocolate, there are plenty of ways to style this on-trend shade depending on your colour season. For cool seasons (summer and winter) looking for the ideal brown dress, we love shades that have more of a blue undertone such as mocha and taupe. Whereas those with warmth in their season (springs and autumns) will feel right at home in chocolate brown shades and other deep browns.Check out our Brown edit to find your perfect summer shade.

03Blue dresses

When it comes to shopping for a blue dress, trending tones such as icy blue will sit perfectly with summer and winter seasons due to their cool undertones. A sky blue dress is the ideal alternative to more icy blue shades, shades such as light sky blue are more universal and have slightly more neutral undertones – meaning they can suit all colour seasons

04Spring greens

Shades of green are ideal to bring freshness and colour into your wardrobe during the spring and summer. And with plenty of shades to choose from there are multiple ways different colour seasons can style green dresses. Due to their cool undertones, green is the perfect shade for those falling in the summer and winter tones. Winters can go for more vibrant shades (think grass green and forest tones), while summers will love softer shades like pistachio and sage green. Is spring your season? Think vibrant apple green. Meanwhile, those sitting in autumn, you’ll want muted shades such as olive green to bring out your features.

Ready to Find Your Perfect Seasonal Shade? Whether you lean into rich chocolates or lemon drop yellows, colour is more than a style choice; it’s a statement. Remember, the shade you wear should turn heads for all the right reasons.