I’ve recently discovered a new art-adjacent rabbit hole to throw myself into, thanks to a new job at a boutique. My boss and I both have a great color based intuition, and can typically pick flattering colors for customers rather quickly. I began to wonder why that is, which led to an application of color theory I had previously disregarded: seasonal color palettes. I am sure we’ve all heard someone passively say “I’m a winter/summer/etc.”, but the methods by which we come to these conclusions is rather fascinating. Even a simple act like dressing ourselves has a touch of artistry to it.

If you’ve ever felt like certain colors are flattering for you but weren’t sure why, it is because your brain is recognizing a pleasing blend of colors with your clothing, skin, hair, and eyes. In fact I find that many people already dress within their designated season simply due to our natural proclivity towards pleasing color combinations. There are, of course, four seasons to start with, which are easy to classify oneself into through facial hue and hair/eye value. Even if you can’t already tell of your skin is warm or cool-toned or if your features contrast, there are ways to easily learn these facets.

Skin hue can be tricky to figure out, but there are several simple tests to help. These could be as simple as whether you tan or burn easily, or if the veins on your wrists present as green or blue/purple. Once your skin undertone is clear, the general value of your eyes and hair determine your season.

Even within the seasons, there are 12 total subcategories that give extremely fine-tuned palettes. You can try to find your palettes using your eyes alone, or use some virtual assistants to either find written descriptors or even just plug in a photo to get results. I think this is an extremely fascinating subject, and I found it very helpful to know my personal palette.

Go on and give it a try. What’s your season?