Deep Autumn Color Palette (Dark Autumn)

Deep Autumn is led by value. Your coloring is dark, so colors need real depth to keep up with it, and pale colors tend to look washed out on you. Temperature is the secondary axis: you lean warm, though less strongly than Warm Autumn, which lets you borrow a few deep cool-leaning shades such as aubergine and teal navy.

Skin ranges widely, from light warm beige to bronze and deep brown, and it usually has a golden or bronze cast. Eyes are typically dark: warm dark brown, warm black-brown, dark hazel or dark green.

Hair is usually dark as well: deep brown, chocolate, warm black-brown or dark auburn, often with red or golden glints in sunlight. Contrast between hair and skin is medium-high to high.

• Espresso #261B16
• Camel #A67C50
• Cream #EFE0C0
• Olive drab #4F4A2A
• Butterscotch #E3B371
• Salmon pink #E8A890
• Terracotta #B85C38
• Mustard #B88837
• Teal #2F7F78
• Burgundy #6A2028
• Deep teal #1A4A48
• Tomato red #C8381E

Deep Autumn or Deep Winter?

Deep Winter is just as dark but cool. Drape a warm dark chocolate (#3a271d) and then a cool wine such as #5a1a3a, or pure black. On a Deep Autumn the chocolate looks rich and warms the skin, while the wine or black looks harsh and can turn the skin gray. On a Deep Winter the chocolate looks muddy and the black looks sharp and clean. Gold against silver jewelry confirms it: Deep Autumns usually prefer gold.

See the Deep Winter palette

Deep Autumn or Warm Autumn?

Warm Autumn is warmer and a step lighter. Hold espresso (#261b16) against camel (#a67c50). On a Deep Autumn the espresso frames the face and the camel looks flat, as if it needs something darker beside it. On a Warm Autumn the espresso is heavy and the camel looks right. If tomato red and emerald both look strong on you and pastel peach looks faded, Deep Autumn is the better fit.

See the Warm Autumn palette

Espresso, dark chocolate, coffee brown and olive drab are your core neutrals; they give you the depth of black with warmth in it. Warm charcoal and teal navy are good for suits and coats. Camel and dark khaki are your lighter neutrals, and cream replaces white.

Your best white and what to wear instead of black.

Five outfit formulas

• Workday suit

  • Suit: warm charcoal
  • Shirt: cream
  • Shoes: espresso

• Weekend leather

  • Leather jacket: espresso
  • Knit: mustard
  • Trousers: olive drab

• Red for evening

  • Dress: tomato red
  • Heels: dark chocolate
  • Earrings: gold

• Deep teal layers

  • Sweater: deep teal
  • Coat: camel
  • Trousers: dark chocolate
  • Boots: coffee brown

• Summer heat

  • Linen shirt: terracotta
  • Linen trousers: cream
  • Sandals: camel

Prints and fabrics

You can carry bold, dark prints: large paisley in rust and olive, leopard in chocolate and gold, jacquard florals on a dark ground, ikat in teal and burnt orange, and dark plaids. Rich textures are your strength, such as leather, suede, velvet, heavy knits, brocade and polished cotton. Small, pale ditsy prints tend to get lost on you.

Colors to avoid

• Black #000000
• Optic white #FFFFFF
• Icy blue #DCEAF4
• Hot pink #E0308A
• Neon lime #A8FF00
• Electric blue #0066FF

Pale, icy and electric colors cause the trouble. Icy blue and optic white are too light and cool for deep coloring and leave the face looking pale. Hot pink, neon lime and electric blue are brighter than anything in your hair or eyes. Pure black is the borderline case: it works as trousers or shoes for many Deep Autumns but often looks heavy at the face.

Look for warm, golden or olive foundation, from golden beige through caramel to warm mahogany. If your skin has an olive cast, a neutral-olive formula can match better than a strongly yellow one. Ashy and pink-based shades sit gray on deeper skin.

Lips

• Brick red #8E3A2A
• Warm red #A8241E
• Terracotta #A65A40
• Mahogany brown #5A2A20

Blush

• Terracotta #B86848
• Bronze peach #C8805A
• Brick rose #A45A4A

Eyes

• Bronze #8A6030
• Copper #A8582A
• Deep olive #4F4A2A
• Plum brown #5A3A40
• Gold #C49A3A

Liner and brows

• Espresso #261B16
• Deep teal #1A4A48
• Dark olive #3F3F1A

Depth carries your makeup, so choose rich lip and eye colors over sheer pale ones. Pale pink and frosted nude lipsticks wash out the mouth. Bronze, copper and gold eye shadows look natural on you, and a deep teal or olive liner is a good swap for black.

Deep Autumns usually look best with dark, warm hair: chocolate, espresso brown, dark auburn, mahogany, or dark brown with copper or caramel lowlights. Keep the base deep and add warmth on top instead of lifting the whole head to a light shade. Very light blonde lowers your contrast too far, and blue-black or ash brown strips out the warmth.

Move toward

• Chocolate brown #4A2E20
• Espresso brown #2E201A
• Dark auburn #5A2A1A
• Mahogany #5E2A22
• Caramel lowlights #8A5A32

Move away from

• Platinum blonde #E6E2D8
• Ash blonde #B8B0A0
• Blue-black #10141C
• Ash brown #6B6560

Gray hair and highlights

Gray shows clearly against dark hair, so you have two good routes. Blend it with warm lowlights in chocolate or caramel, or grow it out fully and wear your deepest colors near the face, such as espresso, deep teal and rust, so the silver looks deliberate. Lightening the whole head to pale beige flattens your contrast.

Yellow gold, antique gold and bronze suit you best, and substantial pieces often look better than delicate ones. Copper and brass work well too. Polished silver can look cold on you; if you prefer silver, pick an oxidized or blackened finish.

• Yellow gold
• Antique gold
• Bronze
• Copper
• Oxidized silver

Glasses frames

Dark tortoiseshell, espresso, deep olive or burgundy-brown acetate, and gold or bronze metal. Thick frames suit you better than thin clear ones.

People often typed as Deep Autumn. Typing a famous face from photos is guesswork (lighting, makeup and hair dye all change it), so use it as a reference for coloring and check your own season with the drape tests above.

• Eva Mendes: Warm golden skin and brown eyes, often with deep brown hair. Source for Eva Mendes, opens in a new tab
• Sofía Vergara: Warm, deep coloring, often with golden brunette hair and nothing icy in the mix. Source for Sofía Vergara, opens in a new tab
• Halle Berry: Deep, warm, glowing coloring that suits chocolate, bronze and warm red. Source for Halle Berry, opens in a new tab
• Jennifer Hudson: Warm deep brown skin and warm dark eyes, often with dark hair. Source for Jennifer Hudson, opens in a new tab
• Beyoncé: Warm golden-brown skin and warm dark brown eyes, often with dark warm-brown hair. Source for Beyoncé, opens in a new tab
• Salma Hayek: Warm olive skin and dark warm-brown eyes, often with near-black hair. Source for Salma Hayek, opens in a new tab
• Eva Longoria: Warm complexion, often with deep brunette hair that has golden undertones. Source for Eva Longoria, opens in a new tab
• Zendaya: Warm golden-brown undertone, which the source pairs with molten metallics and deep emerald. Source for Zendaya, opens in a new tab