The seasonal sub-types - which are your best colours?
If you’ve had a seasonal colour analysis, you will have been given a seasonal designation; Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter. (If you have been analysed in a tonal system and want a quick translation to a seasonal sub-type, this blog post will help you translate your tonal directions into a seasonal palette).
Once upon a time, that seasonal designation was all you received, but these days there is a reasonable chance that alongside your season, your analyst also told you which sub-type within that season you belong to, whether that’s Pastel Summer, Soft Autumn, Golden Spring or one of a dozen or more other permutations. When you see the breadth of colour that a 4 season palette entails, it’s no wonder that drilling that down further, either by rating and assigning wow colours, or simply creating a narrower palette, is becoming a popular option.
In terms of helping you shop at Kettlewell, understanding your seasonal sub-type also helps relate your season to your Tonal Direction, which can help open up an entire new hidden part of your palette, helping you discover even more wow colours!
I’ve broken this explanation into the seasonal sub-types down into four sections – one for each of the seasonal palettes. Please do click through and have a read of the one that applies to you, but you may also find it useful to visit the other segments in order to further understand how the seasons relate to each other.
An important note: please remember that if you’ve been given a broader palette and then told your seasonal sub-type (and your ‘wow colours’), this doesn’t mean that the rest of your seasonal palette is closed to you. The purpose of learning your seasonal sub-type is simply to show you the very best colours within your palette, not to stop you wearing the remainder of your palette. Often our personal style means we are drawn to colours outside our seasonal sub-type, and I encourage you to keep your mind broad when it comes to your entire palette, and not let your sub-type become a set of restrictions.
Cynthia on Apr 19, 2022 6:33 PM
Finding my sub-type is heaven!!! Just received my latest order and the colors are spot on! Love using my 2 filters --- autumn plus soft --- genius!
Melissa on Mar 29, 2022 5:51 AM
I agree with Una, you can never go wrong following the HOC assessment sheet. But I have discovered some of my favorite colors by using the Spring + Clear filter on the KW site. Dipping my toes into Clear only just does not work for me as someone with warm hair but is Clear Dominant. HOC + KW filters have made shopping online so easy. I never have to return anything anymore. It is genius! I just wish that filter was integrated directly into the shopping filters so that I did not have to bounce back and forth between colors and product.. As in, being able to click on full collection then Spring + Clear + Hourglass. That would be a dream! But I am still loving these new filters. So easy.
Joanna Biddolph on Mar 27, 2022 12:15 AM
I had my colours done so long ago that my sub-type isn't listed: bright autumn. It doesn't seem to correlate with any of the four sub-types you list - not even vibrant autumn - so I wonder which I would fit into now. I agree with the comment above, though - the percentages that emerge during an HoC colour session are enough to guide you through which you look best in and which to use with the higher percentages or as accessories. Now what I find so helpful are the combinations HoC pulls together so cleverly; they reinvigorate an existing wardrobe giving it a sense of brand new just by mixing and matching differently: it's really inspired and inspiring.
Barbara on Mar 26, 2022 12:12 PM
I seem to span two of the sub types in the Autumn palette but I find the filter of Autumn + Warm shows all my best colours.
Una Barry on Mar 25, 2022 1:08 PM
Labels are all well and good. Getting the right season to start with is key. So many more mistakes than ever being made, but which is a great shame. Then so easy to get things right if you just use the HOC Assessment Sheet and not reinvent the wheel - it's all there! You're not going to wear those pink as an Autumn from head to toe if it says only 25%, so so maybe a handbag!