True Autumn
Rich earth — rust, olive, gold and forest.
True Autumn is purely warm and moderately rich: every colour is golden-based, drawn from spice racks and forest floors. Skin, hair and eyes all carry visible golden or reddish warmth, and the palette runs to rust, pumpkin, olive, mustard and deep teal.
Temperature is the dominant axis here: get the warm-versus-cool call right and everything else follows. (Undertone is what the 12-tone system calls this season's primary characteristic.)
Where this season sits
Every one of the twelve seasons is a position on three axes. These are the coordinates our analysis scores you against.
Is this you?
- Skin
- Warm and golden, from warm ivory to deep golden bronze; often freckled.
- Hair
- Golden brown, auburn, copper or red — strong natural warmth.
- Eyes
- Warm hazel, amber, olive green or golden brown.
- Contrast
- Medium, with warmth as the dominant impression.
The palette
The 20 colours that work hardest for True Autumn, with hex codes so you can match them exactly.
- Rust#C1440E
- Pumpkin#D2691E
- Burnt orange#B7410E
- Sienna#A0522D
- Brick red#8B3A2E
- Mustard#B8860B
- Goldenrod#DAA520
- Antique gold#C9A227
- Olive#808000
- Moss green#6B8E23
Neutrals to build on
- Warm cream#F2E7D0
- Camel#C9A87C
- Golden brown#8B6B45
- Coffee#5A4632
- Deep olive#4A5340
Metals and makeup
Best metals: Yellow gold, Bronze, Copper, Antique brass.
Lip
- Brick
- Rust
- Warm terracotta nude
Blush
- Warm apricot
- Terracotta
- Golden peach
More on True Autumn
Often confused with
Frequently asked
What is a True Autumn?
True Autumn is one of the twelve seasonal colour types. It is strongly warm, medium in depth and moderately soft. In practice that means rust, pumpkin and burnt orange sit comfortably on you, while the colours in the avoid list make you look tired. Temperature is the dominant axis here: get the warm-versus-cool call right and everything else follows. (Undertone is what the 12-tone system calls this season's primary characteristic.)
How do I know if I am a True Autumn?
Three checks. Warm and golden, from warm ivory to deep golden bronze; often freckled. Golden brown, auburn, copper or red — strong natural warmth. Warm hazel, amber, olive green or golden brown. Contrast is the fourth: medium, with warmth as the dominant impression. If two of those four describe you, True Autumn is very likely your season — our free analysis scores all twelve and tells you how close the runners-up are.
What colours should a True Autumn avoid?
The clearest ones to drop are icy pink, black and cool silver. Blue-based pastel — it makes golden skin look grey and unwell. Full explanations for each are on the colours-to-avoid page.
What is the difference between True Autumn and Soft Autumn?
They are neighbours, which is exactly why they get confused. The deciding axis is undertone: True Autumn is the warm one and Soft Autumn is the cool one. We have a full side-by-side comparison if you are torn between them.
Can a True Autumn wear black?
Not near your face. True Autumn colouring is too gentle for true black — it drops a hard edge under the chin and pulls shadows forward. Use Deep olive (#4A5340) instead for anything worn up top, and keep black for trousers, shoes and bags where it has no effect on your skin.
What metals suit a True Autumn?
Yellow gold, Bronze, Copper and Antique brass. Metal is one of the fastest at-home tests there is: hold silver and gold either side of your face in daylight and watch your skin rather than the jewellery — the wrong metal leaves a grey or sallow cast along the jaw.