Deep Winter (also called Dark Winter) is deep first and cool second, with clear color and strong contrast. The colors to avoid are the ones that break any of those three: soft muted shades, orange and camel head the list, followed by warm browns, mustard and dusty pastels. Each of them makes a Deep Winter face look flat or sallow, and each has a straightforward swap in the Deep Winter palette.
Not sure Deep Winter is your season? The Color Season Quiz checks it, and which Winter am I compares the three Winters.
Why these colors look flat on Deep Winter
A color can miss Deep Winter coloring in three ways, one per axis.
Too warm. Orange, rust, mustard and golden brown fight the cool undertone. The skin picks up a sallow or yellowish cast, and any redness looks more obvious.
Too soft. Muted shades have gray mixed in. Next to dark hair, dark eyes and strong contrast, they look dull, and the face loses definition along with them.
Too light. Pale, soft colors near the face cannot match the depth of the hair and eyes. The face looks washed out, as if the features had been turned down.
Many problem colors miss on two axes at once, which is why camel, light, warm and muted, is one of the worst.
Deep Winter colors to avoid, and what to wear instead
| Avoid | Misses on | Wear instead |
|---|---|---|
| Orange, pumpkin | Temperature | Burgundy, clear blue-red |
| Rust, terracotta | Temperature, clarity | Burgundy, deep plum |
| Mustard, golden yellow | Temperature | Emerald, sapphire |
| Camel, beige, tan | Temperature, clarity, depth | Charcoal, or pure white for a light layer |
| Olive, khaki | Temperature, clarity | Emerald |
| Mauve, dusty rose | Clarity | Deep plum, icy pink |
| Sage, seafoam | Clarity, depth | Emerald |
| Dusty blue, slate | Clarity | Sapphire |
| Powder pink, baby blue, peach | Depth, clarity | Icy pink, pure white |
| Cream, ivory | Temperature | Pure white |
- white
- icy pink
- burgundy
- deep plum
- sapphire
- emerald
- charcoal
- black
If a color would suit an Autumn or a Soft Summer, check it twice before wearing it near your face.
Brown, camel and the earthy neutrals
Camel is on the Deep Winter avoid list for good reason: it is a light, warm, muted brown. Darker browns are less of a problem. Espresso and black-brown are close enough to black that many Deep Winters wear them easily, and chocolate works in trousers and shoes. Can Winters wear brown? tests each brown in turn.
Deep Autumn, Deep Winter’s warm sister, wears all of these earthy neutrals well, which is one reason the two are confused. If chocolate and camel look better on you than black, read Deep Winter vs Deep Autumn.
Pastels vs icy colors
Not every light color is off limits. An icy color is very light but still clear and cool, like the icy pink in the Deep Winter palette. A pastel in the usual sense is light and soft, with a little gray or warmth mixed in. The icy version keeps the contrast Deep Winter needs; the dusty pastel removes it. Use icy shades as a light accent, next to black, charcoal or a jewel tone, rather than head to toe.
When you love a color on the list
The avoid list is about what sits next to your face. A rust skirt, an olive bag or camel shoes do far less than a rust top. Seasonal color analysis is a styling framework, not a set of rules, and how to wear a color that isn’t in your palette shows how to keep a color you like in your wardrobe.