12-season color analysis · Winter family
Cool Winter color palette
Also called True Winter
Fresh snow, black ice and a ruby set in silver: crisp, blue-based coloring with clean, high contrast.
Cool Winter, also called True Winter, is the iciest of the winters and, alongside Cool Summer, one of the two fully cool seasons in 12-season color analysis. Coolness is its dominant trait and clarity comes second, so everything in the cool winter color palette is blue-based and crisp. Its colors span medium to deep values at high chroma, and overall contrast is strong. It sits between Deep Winter and Bright Winter and borders Cool Summer on its softer side.
- Undertone
- Cool, blue-based
- Value
- Medium to deep
- Chroma
- Clear and saturated
- Contrast
- High
The palette
The Cool Winter color palette
Twenty-four shades that flatter cool winter coloring: neutrals to build a wardrobe on, core colors for everyday pieces, and accents for statement moments. Wear the core and accent colors closest to your face.
Neutrals
- Jet Black#0A0A0A
- Pure White#FFFFFF
- Charcoal#3B3E44
- Medium Gray#82878D
- Navy#1F2A55
- Icy Gray#CDD2D7
Core colors
- Royal Blue#2743A6
- True Red#C8102E
- Emerald#00875A
- Fuchsia#AF268E
- Icy Blue#CDE9FB
- Royal Purple#5B2C8F
- Icy Pink#FDDDE9
- Pine#0B5345
- Berry#9C1C5A
- Burgundy#7B1535
Accents
- Hot Pink#E93D97
- Violet#7F3FBF
- Amethyst#9568BF
- Teal Blue#007A87
- Plum#6B2458
- Icy Lavender#E5DBF7
- Icy Mint#D3F2E7
- Icy Lemon#F8F5CE
Is it you?
How to tell if you're a Cool Winter
A typical cool winter pairs dark hair and cool, clear eyes with skin that has a rosy, blue-pink or neutral-cool cast, anywhere from porcelain to deep brown. Silver hair often suits them too. Under its other name, the true winter color palette mixes black, pure white and charcoal with royal blue, true red, fuchsia, emerald and icy pastels. These colors echo your clean contrast, so your skin looks clear and your eyes look bright. Golden, earthy colors make you look yellow or ruddy.
- Dark, cool hair: black, blue-black, dark ash brown, or salt-and-pepper and silver that looks bright rather than yellow.
- Cool, clear eyes: icy or deep blue, gray, gray-green, cool hazel, or dark brown to black-brown with little gold in them.
- Skin with a rosy, blue-pink, neutral or cool olive cast, from porcelain to deep brown; on deep skin, the undertone can read blue-red or plum.
- Clean contrast between hair, skin and eyes, often with dark brows and lashes framing the face.
- Silver and pure white look fresh on you, while camel, orange and gold turn your skin yellow or ruddy.
Keep away from your face
Colors a Cool Winter should avoid
- Orange#F28C28
- Tan#D2B48C
- Goldenrod#DAA520
- Olive#7F7B3C
- Coral#F4845F
- Rust#AD4F26
If you love tan or olive, keep it to trousers, shoes or a bag, with pure white, black or a jewel tone up top.
Finishing touches
Makeup, hair and jewelry
Makeup
- Lips
- Blue-red, cherry, fuchsia, berry, cool plum and raspberry; your everyday nude is a cool pink-mauve rather than beige.
- Blush
- Cool pink, raspberry or a sheer fuchsia, kept soft on the apples of the cheeks.
- Eyes
- Charcoal, silver, navy, cool taupe, plum and icy shimmer; black liner and mascara define your eyes best.
Hair color
Natural cool shades are best: black, blue-black, dark ash brown and cool espresso. Silver, salt-and-pepper and white hair look crisp on you, so going gray can suit you well. Avoid golden, caramel, copper, auburn and strawberry tones, which clash with your undertone.
Metals and jewelry
Silver, platinum, white gold and polished pewter look most natural on you, and bright, reflective finishes echo your clarity.
Put it together
Cool Winter outfit color combinations
Crisp Classic
A navy blazer or dress, a pure white shirt and a true red accent look clean and sharp.
Power Suit
A charcoal suit with an icy pink shirt and a berry tie, lip or bag.
City Weekend
Black jeans, a royal blue sweater and an icy gray coat make a sharp everyday outfit.
Jewel Box
An emerald dress or shirt with a fuchsia scarf or tie, set against medium gray, lets two jewel tones share the stage.
Building a cool winter wardrobe
- Build on black, charcoal, navy and medium gray, with pure white as your light neutral. All five work near your face.
- Your white is pure white. Cream, ivory and ecru look yellowed next to your skin, so keep them away from the neckline.
- Crisp prints suit you: black-and-white stripes, houndstooth, polka dots and clean geometrics in jewel tones. Earthy paisleys and warm florals fight your coloring.
- Wear dark indigo, black or gray denim, and try white jeans in summer with a navy or black top.
- Wear icy pastels as shirts, blouses and fine knits under black, charcoal or navy; the contrast keeps them crisp rather than washed out.
Close neighbors
Cool Winter or a neighboring season?
Cool Winter vs. Cool Summer
Cool Summer is just as cool but softer, lighter and lower in contrast, with slate blue, raspberry and rose pink. Cool Winter needs more clarity. Compare black and pure white with navy and soft white near your face: if the crisp pair looks fresh rather than harsh, you're Cool Winter.
Cool Winter vs. Deep Winter
Deep Winter sits a touch closer to neutral and leans on its darkest shades, such as burgundy, deep plum and midnight navy. Cool Winter can go lighter and icier. If icy pastels and bright blue-based shades suit you as well as the darkest ones, you're Cool Winter.
Cool Winter vs. Bright Winter
Bright Winter adds sparkle and a hint of warmth, so it can wear electric shades like turquoise, lemon yellow and electric blue at full strength. Cool Winter stays strictly blue-based. If the most intense brights look loud on you and icy colors look better, you're Cool Winter.
Neighboring seasons share one trait and differ in another, which is why they are easy to mix up in a mirror. A drape test settles it: the same face, the same light, and two colors side by side. Avarobe's color report includes one made from your own selfie.
Questions
Cool Winter FAQ
Is cool winter the same as true winter?
Yes. Cool Winter is named for its dominant trait, while True Winter signals winter at its purest, with no lean toward autumn or spring. Either way, the cool winter color palette and the true winter color palette share the same shades: black, pure white, royal blue, true red, emerald, fuchsia and icy pastels.
What is the difference between cool winter and cool summer?
Clarity and contrast set them apart. Both seasons are fully cool, but Cool Winter is crisp, saturated and high in contrast, while Cool Summer is softer, lighter and gentler. Cool winters wear black, pure white, royal blue and true red. Cool summers look better in navy, slate blue, raspberry and soft white. If black looks sharp on you rather than heavy, you are likely a cool winter.
Can a cool winter wear gold?
Not ideally. Yellow gold carries warmth that can make cool winter skin look sallow, so silver, platinum and white gold are more flattering. If you love gold, mix it with silver or wear it away from your face, in rings and bracelets rather than earrings and necklaces. Rose gold leans warm too, so treat it the same way.
What colors should a cool winter avoid?
Warm, golden and earthy colors are the main ones to avoid. Orange, coral, peach, mustard, camel, tan, olive and rust clash with your blue-based undertone and make skin look yellow or ruddy. Cream and ivory are a quieter problem: next to your face they look dingy beside pure white. Muted, dusty shades like sage and mauve also blur the crisp contrast your coloring needs.
Can a cool winter wear beige or brown?
Mostly no. Beige, tan and golden browns are too warm for you and turn your skin yellow. For a light neutral, choose pure white or icy gray; for a dark one, choose charcoal, navy or black. A cool, grayed taupe can work in trousers, and a near-black brown is fine for shoes or belts.
All 12 seasons
Explore the other seasons
Avarobe
Are you a Cool Winter? Find out from one selfie.
Avarobe reads your undertone, hair and eyes to find your season, then shows your best colors in complete outfits on your own avatar.
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