True Summer Color Palette Clothing: What to Wear

6 min read · Viralinc

True summer color palette clothing is built on cool, medium, softly clear colors: soft navy, blue-gray, charcoal and soft white as neutrals, mid-wash denim, and statement shades like raspberry, periwinkle, lavender and blue-green. Anything golden, orange or earthy is out. Build around cool neutrals and you can get dressed half-asleep and still look put together.

If your wardrobe is a mix of "love it" and "why does this look weird on me," Viralinc's Swatch Fan finds your color season and checks clothes before you buy. Find my colors

True summer in one line

Cool, medium, and gently clear, like a summer sky just before rain.

True summer (also called cool summer) is the coolest of the three summers. Your natural coloring is usually:

• Hair: ash blonde to ash brown, sometimes with a gray or mousy quality
• Eyes: gray-blue, soft blue, cool gray-green, soft cool brown
• Skin: cool, often pink or rosy, fair to medium (and deeper cool skin too)
• Contrast: low to medium

True summer vs soft summer

Quick check: true summer needs cool; soft summer needs muted. If slightly warm dusty colors like sage work for you, you might be soft summer. There's a full breakdown in cool summer vs soft summer.

Your neutrals

Neutrals do 70% of the work in any wardrobe. These are the true summer neutrals:

Skip camel, golden beige, warm brown and cream. They're neutrals for other seasons, not yours.

Basics and denim

Basics that work every day

• Soft white tee
• Heather gray or blue-gray crewneck
• Soft navy hoodie
• Charcoal joggers or trousers
• A light blue oxford shirt

True summer denim

Denim is basically made for true summers. The best washes:

• Light to mid-wash blue with a cool, not yellowed, tone
• Gray denim
• Soft black (faded, not jet black)

Avoid super-yellow "vintage" washes and very dark, inky raw denim.

Statement colors

These are the best colors for true summer when you want to stand out.

• Raspberry and watermelon pink
• Periwinkle and cornflower blue
• Lavender and orchid
• Blue-green and cool spruce
• Rose and cool cherry
• Plum
• Powder blue for softer looks

Pick two or three to repeat through your closet so everything mixes.

True summer jewelry

Silver, white gold and platinum. Rose gold can work. Yellow gold usually looks a bit warm against true summer skin.

Here's the catch: in a store, "lavender" can mean ten different shades, and half of them lean warm. It's hard to tell by eye under fitting-room lights, and you can't bring a palette card to every shop.

Swatch Fan finds your color season, then lets you check a top against it before you buy, so you know if that "lavender" is your lavender. Find my colors

10 true summer outfits

Here are 10 true summer color palette outfits for school, uni, work and weekends.

School and class

1. Everyday class fit: soft navy hoodie, light-wash jeans, soft white sneakers.
2. Exam-day comfort: blue-gray crewneck, charcoal joggers, silver studs.
3. Presentation day: light blue oxford shirt, cool taupe chinos, gray sneakers.
4. Uniform upgrade (UK/Canada school uniforms): swap a black cardigan for soft navy if allowed, and add a periwinkle hair tie or scrunchie.

Weekend and going out

5. Coffee run: lavender knit, gray denim, white sneakers.
6. Thrift trip: raspberry tee, mid-wash straight jeans, silver hoops.
7. Date or hangout: rose slip skirt or chinos, soft white top, soft navy jacket.
8. Park day: blue-green linen shirt, light-wash shorts, gray slides.
9. Night out: plum top, soft black jeans, silver jewelry.
10. Cold day: charcoal coat, powder blue scarf, gray denim, rose knit.

True summer color palette men

Guys can use the same outfits: swap in periwinkle or blue-green tees, soft navy bombers, gray denim and blue-gray knitwear. Charcoal instead of black is the easiest upgrade. For the full undertone-based guide, see color analysis for men free.

True summer color palette makeup and hair

• Makeup: rose and raspberry lips, cool pink blush, taupe or slate eyeshadow, gray-brown liner.
• Hair: ash blonde, ash brown, cool light brown. Avoid golden highlights, copper and warm caramel.

A 15-piece true summer capsule wardrobe

If you'd rather have a short shopping list than a mood board, here's a starter true summer capsule wardrobe. Check what you already own first; you probably have half of it.

Tops (6)

• Soft white tee
• Blue-gray tee
• Light blue oxford shirt
• Lavender knit
• Raspberry or rose tee
• Heather-gray crewneck

Bottoms (4)

• Light-wash straight jeans
• Gray denim
• Charcoal trousers or joggers
• One skirt or pair of shorts in soft navy or rose

Layers (3)

• Soft navy hoodie or zip-up
• Charcoal or blue-gray coat
• Denim jacket in a cool mid-wash

Shoes and extras (2)

• Soft white sneakers
• Gray or cool taupe boots or loafers

Every piece here mixes with every other piece, which is the whole point. Fifteen items, dozens of outfits, and nothing clashes with your coloring.

True summer on a budget

• Thrift by color, not by brand. Scan racks for blue-gray, lavender and soft navy first; skip the whole mustard-and-rust section.
• Dye what you love. A faded white tee dyed blue-gray is a new basic.
• Swap with friends. Warm-season friends often own the cool pieces that never looked right on them.

Colors to skip

True summer colors to avoid:

• Orange, rust and pumpkin
• Mustard and golden yellow
• Camel and warm tan
• Olive and khaki
• Jet black near your face (use charcoal or navy)
• Neon anything

For a season on the opposite end, light spring colors to avoid shows how warm, light seasons handle the same problem.

Get your next outfit right the first time

True summer color palette clothing works when you're sure you're a true summer, and when every new piece actually lands in the palette. Swatch Fan finds your color season and lets you check clothes before you buy, in your browser with no download and no account to try. The check-in comes first, and the unlock screen shows the price before you pay.

Find my colors

FAQ

What colors are in the true summer color palette?

Soft white, blue-gray, soft navy, charcoal, periwinkle, raspberry, lavender, rose, blue-green and plum. All are cool and medium in brightness.

Can true summers wear black?

It's usually too harsh right next to the face. Try charcoal, soft navy or faded black instead, or wear black on the bottom half with a true summer color on top.

What denim is best for true summer?

Light and mid-wash blues with a cool tone, gray denim and faded soft black. Avoid yellowed vintage washes and very dark raw denim.

What are the best true summer colors for guys?

Soft navy, blue-gray, charcoal, periwinkle, blue-green and soft white. These are easy to wear as tees, knits and jackets, and look sharper than black or camel on cool summer coloring.

What is the difference between true summer vs soft summer clothes?

True summer clothes are fully cool and a little clearer, like raspberry and periwinkle. Soft summer clothes are dustier and can lean slightly neutral, like mauve and sage.