The Dark Autumn Who Buys Soft Summer
Why would a Dark Autumn buy Soft Summer, you ask? Isn't it obvious that they're different? Well, yes. And no. What these two seasons have in common is that they are both the darkest of their parent seasons. They're smoky and earthy. Dark Autumn is the campfire at night, silhouetted against the dark trees, the inky sky, the surrounding dirt glowing amber in the dancing light. Soft Summer is the same campfire in the morning, the wood burned to ash, blued smoke rising from the drowned embers, pinkish glow of the sunrise illuminating the silvery green trees.
Okay, you say, those sound totally different. What's the problem?
No Dark Autumn shopping with her swatch book is going to pick up dusky rose, and neither is a Soft Summer going to head for burnt orange. Here's what they are going to confuse:
Navy
Teal
Pine Green
Brick Red
Gray
Black
Dark brown
Dark Autumn's navy is dark, somewhat bright: midsummer sky long after sundown. Soft Summer's navy is also dark, but carries an infusion of slate, a misty quality Dark Autumn doesn't have. Hide the blues and greens on your fan, and measure your navy by the warm colors. Dark Autumn’s will look heavy next to Soft Summer’s pinks and yellows, while Soft Summer’s will look hazy and cool next to Dark Autumn’s burgundies and mustards.
Dark Autumn’s teal is rich, with a green, almost aquatic undertone. Dark Autumn teal can be more blue or more green, but it will not be hazy or misty. Soft Summer’s teal is more blue, like Northern Atlantic waters, and the green undertone is more spruce than olive. Aside from the warmth, Dark Autumn’s teal is darker and brighter than Soft Summer’s, which will only reach medium darkness, and will remain soft.
Dark Autumn's pine green looks at home with dark garnet red. Soft Summer's looks at home with lamb's ears. Again, think fire vs ash.
Dark Autumn's brick red is intense. In fact, actual red bricks almost never look like this unless they are newly laid and darkened with rain. Soft Summer's brick red is dry, more rose than orange. It will look normal next to mauve.
Dark Autumn's gray has a patina to it, slightly olive, something wet to them like the red bricks. Soft Summer's gray carries a dove quality. It feels clean and cool, and looks normal next to dusty lavender.
Dark Autumn's black and brown are quite dark and spicy. The brown is like rich dark chocolate, carrying a hint of plum. The black is a little greened, like licorice. Soft Summer's black and brown are also reasonably dark, but less so. They've been washed many times, and look soft like flannel. The brown has a hint of rose, like the light on Venetian canals. The black is deep charcoal, smudged onto paper instead of opaque in the pencil.
The Brights Who Buy Light Summer Turquoise
I know. You're scratching your head, thinking, isn't Light Summer pastel? Why the heck would Bright Winter and Bright Spring buy a pastel?
The simple explanation is that while Light Summer is characterized by its lightness, there is still a range of darkness and brightness within the confines of the season We tend to picture Light Summer as faded Easter Eggs and scoops of ice cream, but like any other season, there's a reasonable scope. We see raspberry red, aquamarine, navy, amethyst. The only reason we don’t think of Light Summer as bright is that there are brighter seasons to compare it to: Bright Winter and Bright Spring.
Turquoise is particularly hard to tell apart in stores, and it's not unusual for Bright Winters and Springs to buy Light Summer's. This turquoise feels sunny, aquatic, and fairly lightweight. It looks like sunshine and beaches, and looks normal next to most hot pinks. I'm looking at my poster pages for these three seasons right now, in fact, and each one has a square that looks exactly the same…that is, until you start moving them around. If I were to plop Bright Winter's turquoise into Light Summer's palette, it would suddenly become a dark square in the mosaic. We'd look only at that one square.
Despite Bright Winter and Light Summer both being cool seasons, I’ve found that Bright Springs tend to accidentally buy Light Summer’s turquoise more frequently than Bright Winters do. Compared to Bright Winter, Bright Spring is light. That lightness can make it difficult to tell whether you’re looking at the upper saturation and darkness of Light Summer turquoise, or a lower saturation and darkness of Bright Spring turquoise.
Shop with your swatch book spread out. Hide the aqua and turquoise strips: your eyes will fool you into matching them to the garment, even when you know better. Look at the lipstick colors next to the shirt. Would you wear them with that particular aqua? What if you'd wear one strip but not the other two? Nope, don't buy it. Look at your purples, your yellows, your greens: are they overpowering the shirt? Is your face going to walk in the room two steps before your shirt does?
