12-season color analysis · Autumn family

Warm Autumn color palette

Also called True Autumn

Copper, cinnamon and burnished gold: rich, fully warm coloring that glows like leaves in late-afternoon sun.

Warm Autumn, also called True Autumn, is autumn at its warmest. In 12-season color analysis its dominant trait is a golden undertone, with a slightly muted, toasted quality as its secondary one. Value sits in the medium range and chroma is moderate, so the warm autumn color palette looks rich and spiced rather than bright: rust, mustard, olive, teal and chocolate. It borders Warm Spring, which is lighter and clearer, as well as its two autumn sisters, Soft Autumn and Deep Autumn.

Undertone
Warm and golden
Value
Medium
Chroma
Medium: rich but slightly muted
Contrast
Medium

The palette

The Warm Autumn color palette

Twenty-four shades that flatter warm autumn 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

  • Warm Ivory#F1E3C4
  • Warm Beige#D6BA8F
  • Camel#B88A5B
  • Khaki#A6946A
  • Chocolate#4B3121
  • Dark Olive#4A4827

Core colors

  • Rust#A64F1F
  • Olive#70692F
  • Mustard#B38E2B
  • Teal#256F6C
  • Pumpkin#D5702B
  • Tomato Red#C34435
  • Forest Green#3E5B35
  • Salmon#DB896D
  • Warm Turquoise#2E8A80
  • Apricot#EAAC7B

Accents

  • Amber#D58F33
  • Copper#AB6E38
  • Brick#8B3927
  • Bronze#836635
  • Avocado#899144
  • Moss#5F7A46
  • Peacock#145A67
  • Warm Plum#623C43

Is it you?

How to tell if you're a Warm Autumn

People with this coloring often have a golden, peachy or bronze glow to the skin, hair with visible red, copper or gold, and eyes in amber, warm brown, hazel or olive green. It shows up across skin tones, from freckled fair skin to deep golden brown. Wearing the true autumn color palette, as it's also known, near your face brings out that glow: skin looks warm and even, and amber or green eyes look brighter. Cool colors drain you and bring out sallowness.

  • Hair with obvious warmth: copper, auburn, strawberry blonde, golden brown, chestnut, or dark brown that flashes red or gold in the sun.
  • Eyes in amber, topaz, golden hazel, warm brown or olive green, often flecked with gold or copper.
  • Skin with a golden, peachy or bronze cast, from fair and freckled to caramel and deep golden brown.
  • Medium contrast: your features have color and depth, but nothing looks stark or icy.
  • Gold jewelry and camel make you glow, while silver, cool gray and icy pink make you look tired or yellow.

Keep away from your face

Colors a Warm Autumn should avoid

  • Black#111111
  • Silver Gray#C0C4CC
  • Magenta#C4177F
  • Royal Blue#2743A6
  • Baby Pink#F4C2D7
  • Lavender#B8A9DC

Black and royal blue look best as shoes, belts or trousers, well away from your face. If you love lavender or pink, look for prints where warm colors dominate.

Finishing touches

Makeup, hair and jewelry

Makeup

Lips
Brick, terracotta, cinnamon, burnt orange-red and warm caramel nudes. An orange-based tomato red is your classic red.
Blush
Terracotta, apricot or warm peach, with a bronzer that leans golden rather than gray.
Eyes
Copper, bronze, gold, olive and warm brown shadows; teal or olive liner makes amber and green eyes stand out.

Hair color

Rich, warm shades are your match: copper, auburn, golden brown, chestnut, or brown with honey highlights. Ashy, platinum, blue-black and violet-red tones fight your skin and can make it look ruddy or sallow.

Metals and jewelry

Yellow gold, brass, bronze and copper all glow on you, polished or antiqued. Silver and platinum can look flat against golden skin, so wear them in mixed-metal pieces with gold.

Put it together

Warm Autumn outfit color combinations

Harvest Weekend

A rust sweater with forest green trousers and a camel coat is autumn in three pieces.

Gallery Opening

Teal and pumpkin are near-opposites on the color wheel, so a teal shirt or dress with a pumpkin scarf, tie or bag reads bold but balanced, and warm ivory calms it.

Workday Browns

Chocolate trousers, a mustard knit and a khaki field jacket give you a dark base with no black in sight.

Holiday Dinner

Wear a tomato red sweater or dress with warm beige trousers or a trench, then finish with dark olive boots or a bag.

Building a warm autumn wardrobe

  • Make chocolate, camel, khaki and dark olive your core neutrals. Chocolate replaces black for suits and evening, and dark olive stands in for navy.
  • Choose warm ivory or cream over optic white; a bright white shirt makes golden skin look yellow by comparison.
  • Earthy prints are yours: paisley, tortoiseshell, leopard in warm browns, autumn florals and plaids in rust, olive and mustard.
  • In denim, pick a warm mid-wash or rinse indigo and style it with brown leather belts and boots rather than black.
  • Rich, matte or burnished textures flatter you: suede, corduroy, tweed, wool flannel, raw silk and leather. Icy sheen and silver lamé fight your warmth.

Close neighbors

Warm Autumn or a neighboring season?

Questions

Warm Autumn FAQ

Is warm autumn the same as true autumn?

Yes, they are one season. Some analysts name it for its dominant trait, warmth; others call it True Autumn because it is autumn with no lean toward summer or winter. Either way, a true autumn color palette and a warm autumn color palette hold the same golden, earthy shades: rust, mustard, olive, teal, pumpkin and chocolate.

What hair color is best for a warm autumn?

Copper, auburn, golden brown and chestnut are the best hair colors for a warm autumn, because they repeat the gold and red already in your skin and eyes. Honey or caramel highlights add dimension without cooling you down. Avoid ash blonde, platinum, blue-black and burgundy or violet reds; they clash with golden skin and make any redness in your complexion stand out.

Can a warm autumn wear black?

It isn't your best neutral, especially near the face. Black's cold, flat darkness sits on top of golden skin instead of blending with it, which brings out shadows and a yellow cast. Chocolate brown, dark olive and peacock give you the same polish with more warmth. If you do wear black, add a camel, rust or mustard layer at the neckline, plus gold jewelry.

What is the difference between warm autumn and warm spring?

Warm Autumn is deeper and more muted; Warm Spring is lighter and clearer. Both are fully warm, which is why they are easy to confuse. Warm autumns glow in toasted shades like rust, mustard, olive and teal, while warm springs need sunnier ones like coral, golden yellow and clear turquoise. If earthy colors make you look rich rather than heavy, you are the autumn.

Can a warm autumn wear pink?

Yes, as long as the pink is warm. Salmon, apricot, peach and terracotta pinks suit a warm autumn because they carry orange or brown undertones. Skip cool pinks like baby pink, bubblegum and fuchsia, which turn golden skin yellow by contrast. For lipstick, look for shades described as coral, peach or warm nude rather than rose or berry.

All 12 seasons

Explore the other seasons

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