Being a Soft Summer

Whereas Light Summer is a colorful beachball on the sand in Florida, or a California pool party towel, Soft Summer is a meditative walk next to the crashing waves on the Oregon coast on a foggy winter morning. The steely blue ocean depth, wet beige sand and dark taupe tidal pool basins, soft pine hillside, and distant purplish Coast Range peaks are all present.

Like all Summer palettes, the colors have a slightly faded feel to them compared to more saturated seasons, but this cool neutral Summer is even more muted: The colors are as if seen through a cloudy mist, or in a damp shady forest after a sun shower.  They have a richness and softness at the same time. Fabrics with this feel are polished cotton, suede, heathered cotton knits, worn linen, chenille knits, and woolens. Faded black or greyed medium blue denim work well.

Just as wearing our season’s colors brings out the best in our skin tone, it also enhances our natural hair colors. When Soft Summer women choose to wear their greying hair natural, its colors look rich with their perfectly hued clothing, not mousey.

The luster of pearls in soft white, grey, or smokey lavender is in perfect alignment with this season, as are star sapphires, brushed silver, pewter, and light or rose gold. Shoes, belts, and purses in grey, denim or dark blue suede, sandy beige, and taupe work well.

In makeup, eyes are enhanced by smokey lavender, cool grey beige or taupe, and soft pine. Mascara is black-brown or grey. Lips and cheeks wear mauve, browned rose, or soft burgundy.