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Deep Winter: Color Palette and Wardrobe Guide for 2025

deep winter color palette

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32 Comments

  1. These are all the colors I love and have in my wardrobe. I guess that’s more confirmation that I am definitely a deep winter. I do wear some mid-range colors too, but all cool versions. Thanks for this series, I’m going to read the rest.

    1. It’s so true that we seem to be instinctively drawn to our seasons! A lifetime of wearing what “feels” good and gets us the most compliments!

      1. I’ve always done a mix of Dark winter,true winter and Dark Autumn.

      2. Crystal t says:

        my son is getting married in September and the bride has chosen terracotta as her color. I’m not a fan of the color and wondered as a deep winter can I even pull it off

        1. Hi Crystal, sorry for the late response. Have you been asked to wear Terracotta or just something close? Terracotta is typically an autumn color, but you could search for a rosy persimmon color instead. Also, as MOTG a beautiful burgundy would be stunning and coordinate with the terracotta! Congrats, mama!

      3. So true! I am fairly certain I’m a deep winter, although my skin seems paler and more peachy/warm than most dark winter examples I’ve seen, but not golden enough or deep enough to fully fit dark autumn either. My hair used to be lighter and warmer than the dark cool brown that it is turning into as I get older. My eyes are dark and neutral brown. However, I look great in most colors from both deep autumn and deep winter. The only exceptions are that I look sickly in any kind of orange from dark autumn, and true white and true black from winter wash me out unless I pile on makeup.

      4. oh gosh I got distracted and didn’t even say the original point of my first comment. I was going to say that even before I knew what color season(s) I fit into, I gravitated to deep winter-y dark greens, fuchsias and blues or deep autumn’s olives and yellows because I got so many compliments when I wore them.

  2. I am looking forward to planning my wardrobe based on this exciting color palette. For years I wore the bright colors of the self-diagnosed Carol Jackson Winter palette-colors like true red, hot turquoise, icy yellow, etc. Most of that basic palette looked fine (not the icy colors so much), but I really didn’t like some of them. And I easily tired of the bright colors. So, I branched out and wore colors that really looked awful on me.
    I am confident that I am a deep winter with gray-ringed, brown eyes that deepened even more when I colored my naturally brown hair dark ash brown. I have fair skin; Physicians Formula C1 disappears on my face. And most importantly, I love the deep winter palette!
    Your article, which I intend to read more thoroughly when I have time, is very inspiring. I love the winter photography to illustrate the deep winter palette! Thank you for writing it and for offering the free download!

  3. Hello! this is very interesting, I didn’t know about it, but a friend told me about. Curious that I love burgundy and navy, strong colors. Thanks for sharing. It is ok to wear brown shoes? like very dark once in a while? as it is a neutral color. Thanks again it is really helpful to know this so we can combine the colors and easy, we don’t have to wear all the colors.

    1. Hi Valeria! Almost all the seasons have a brown they can wear, so of course you can still wear it! Dark espresso is a great neutral for deep winter! Cognac can also be stunning and mixes well with black! Glad you found this helpful!!!

  4. Shania Robinson says:

    So I did DNA style which is an app that told me I am a deep winter based on their analysis through my picture in natural light. I love these color palettes and people have told me these colors look good on me but I’ve also heard people say orange looks good on me too which really isn’t in here I gravitate towards more dark colors and find that I don’t look as nice in soft pastel color than I do in these bold but vibrant cobalt blues, purples, and greens. I remember trying on a cream dress and a white dress I bought for a family photo shoot I notice how the cream dress didn’t make me look as vibrant and the pure white dress and how I’m often drawn to silver jewelry but often find Gold annoying or hard on my eyes.

    I had a question about their sister palettes for winter which is deep autumn, so we are allowed to wear those colors as well and look just as good is is it just an alternative if we don’t want to wear deep winter palettes.

    And another thing I have so many black outfits it makes no sense ???? black is definitely my go to color in almost every occasion that or white.

    1. Hey Shania!

      I also love black. It’s my favorite haha! As a deep winter, you can borrow from deep autumn. Just be mindful if any colors make you feel off. It seems like you have good instincts for that, so enjoy the bonus colors!

  5. The only color I question is the coral shade in the ‘Deep Winter Colors for the Whole Year’, as a color to wear for summer. To me it’s too orange or peach and I don’t see a Deep Winter pulling it off unless they have a tan (and even then, I don’t know). Otherwise, every other color swatch is spot on. I love this page!

    1. Hey Michelle!

      Coral is one of the better colors in the Clear Winter Palette, and most winters can dip their toes through the whole season. A lot of Deep Winters tell me they struggle in spring/summer to lighten up the feel of their wardrobe when darker colors are their best. Using the tints of best colors is a way to get that summer feeling without wearing pastels. For a deep winter, lightening the palette depends on whether each person is a bit more muted or a bit more bright, since DW falls in the middle. Some like to borrow from Clear Winter, and others Soft Summer since the qualities vary. Hope this explains some of the reasoning behind coral!

      1. Thank you for the explanation! I will definitely play with the Clear Winter and Soft Summer palettes for the warmer weather as I too struggle a lot with lightening my wardrobe. And I’m going to try out coral.

  6. looking at the pallet I’m seeing colours I like, colours I’d like to wear, seems my intuition is right 🙂 note, this is a general guide and you probably should not try to follow it strictly, even if i like the colours i’d use them as a guide line and won’t be upset if something requires a bit of tweaking we are not copies of each other, after all. the 12 seasons are fun but area a starting point to think about not a lock on your options

    1. Using all the colors can definitely be overwhelming, and I’m an advocate for picking a handful you like best and sticking with those!

  7. Sara Jane Parker says:

    I get so confused because I feel I have warmer tones- skin that burns and freckles the first few beach days of the year but turns into a tan the next day and deepens to a golden brown, medium/dark brown hair with reddish highlights, warm hazel/brown eyes… BUT I look best in black and jewel tones but oranges and muted rusty or olive colors look awful! Pastels look terrible too!! Blonde hair washes me out. Contrast makes my eyes pop. What I’m trying to figure out now is what tone of red hair color would look best on me, copper or more burgundy? Another example is nail color- classic red is very harsh and makes my skin look pale and pink whereas darker blood red with brown makes my skin glow golden. I’m Portuguese and Irish so I guess that’s why it’s confusing. What to think?

    1. Hey Sara!

      So the skin you’re describing is most commonly seen in one of the winter crossover seasons of clear or deep. As far as red hair in a cool season, any color in the palette should also look good for hair. So burgundy is better for a deep winter than copper.

    2. I’m definitely a Deep Winter (Japanese, very light skin, black hair, black eyes) and I love almost all of these colours but I’ve heard some people say I look great in blue and purple pastels too (purple is my favourite colour and I love all of its shades). I’m confused because they are considered to be among the worst for Deep Winter.

      1. Hey Kathelyn,

        Winter’s can weary icy tones, which is a bit different than pastel. It can be difficult to find the right ones, but cool bright light colors will work. Pastels are typically soft and white based. So it’s definitely possible for those colors to look great, if they are bright rather than cool!

        1. Robin Pickett says:

          I love this article, very helpful. I just got draped and am learning more about my colors. Most of my king time favorites are deep winter. Do you have resources and /or services for additional help with fashion and makeup?

          1. Hey Robin, thanks for asking!

            There is a deep winter guide with more color advice. If you’re on the email list I also offer workshops occasionally and a full style course. That’s the best way to stay updated when things become available.

  8. Yeah deep winter here!
    I’m also attending a study for colour analysis!

  9. I always knew that I´m a winter, I just couldn´t stand that super intens blue or red. Turns out I don`t have to. I`m a deep winter and can wear my black-navy, black-grey or black-plum outfit combos with an occasional pop of white in it and look absolutley great in it.
    I didn´t know that olive is also a neutral for me. Maybe I give it a closer look next time I´m shopping.

  10. Thanks for the fun guide to read…I especially liked the article on eye color because that helped me to determine that I am a deep winter rather than a deep Autumn. My skin is light medium olive but I tan so I am not that light in the summer months…..but honestly light olive clothes look terrible on me, as do light blue grays and pastels(I look sick). I don’t have a lot of color in my face and I can appear rather gray. I think navy is my best color; softer than black by my face – Now my black hair has turned white so I think I am even more of a winter than I was! I have never had any colors for summer except blues so I just stay with the regular black and white like many on this post, and navy and whites. I am going to try some more color in my wardrobe….I just don’t like wearing bright colors that much. My sister who was a cool summer wore her beautiful pinks and blues all year when her hair turned white. Her skin was rosy. You have your work cut out for you with all the different mixtures of skin tones and I can’t believe that 23 and Me does color analysis (some algorithm they must have with ethnic traits I guess). BTW I had three color analysis done in the past: all different: one clear Winter, one just Winter, and one Fall. I think it’s the eyes that make the difference: blocks of brown sitting in my brown pupil and charcoal rings around the outside, don’t see any starburst type patterns. Sorry for the very long note but maybe this will help some other person! And, I just bought a camel coat; think I’ll return it and just go back to my black. !!

  11. It’s actually a myth that babies are all born with blue eyes. That’s only true for about 1 in 5 babies, and it generally applies to white babies.

  12. Could you also help with hair colours that are best suited for deep winter women?

    1. I was taught that any color in your palette is great for hair color 🙂 For the deep winter that would include black, espresso, grays/white, or dark colors like burgundy/plum if you’re looking for something different. Having said that, I have typed deep winters whose hair has turned caramel with age, so don’t rule out natural processes.

      1. I am defiantly a deep winter and had dyed my hair an ash blond oops not a good idea it really clashed with my light skin and looked kind of like wool, I dyed it back dark I went for a medium-dark down and it looks so much better I also feel a lot sexier.

        On a side note, I have had my hair a burgundy before and it looks amazing! I only changed it because I am me and I get board

        1. So i believe i am a deep winter even though i have pale (ivory) skin, even lighter than the Penelope Cruz pic on the far right, black brown hair, brown eyes. The cool/true winter palette colors don’t look good on me and i don’t like any of them because they are bright and i look best in dark/deep colors. I tend to look good in somewhat lighter blues (as long as they aren’t bright like royal blue) but that’s about it.

          I do have a question regarding lipstick color choices. i know to avoid nude, as the post says, bc i look too washed out/pale… but i prefer rose “your lips but better shades”

          i know deep winter is supposed to get deep with berry, raspberry, dark reds, etc, but I do not like wearing dark lipsticks due to my pale skin. i feel like ronald mcdonald in red or dark lipsticks and it’s hard to find ANY lip color that isn’t too dark for me, to be honest. i know deep winters typically have medium to dark skin, so it makes sense for these lip colors to work for them. Do you have any specific color recommendations for a pale skin deep winter who doesn’t want to wear DARK lipstick?

  13. Andrea G. says:

    Can deep winters wear neon colors? If so, which ones? I’m a light-medium skin tone neutral/slightly warm olive undertone. I find it hard to figure out what to wear but I do know navy blue looks good as well as royal blue.

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