Summer is one of the four seasons in color analysis, along with Winter, Spring, and Autumn. Determining your season can help guide you toward the most flattering clothing and makeup shades that enhance your natural coloring.
The Summer palette is cool, delicate, and soft. True Summers have fair skin with undertones of blue or pink and hair and eyes in the ash blonde, light brown, or blue/gray range. Their complexions are generally uniform in tone and they lack strong pigmentation or contrast.
Orange lies opposite blue on the color wheel, making it a bold, warm shade that many believe clashes with the muted, cool essence of Summers. However, the characteristics that define a True Summer allow more flexibility in color choices than you may think. With the right tone and saturation, even vibrant orange can work.
Can True Summers Wear Orange?
The short answer is yes, True Summers absolutely can wear orange when it’s handled correctly. A flattering orange for Summers will be subdued and layered alongside cooler accent colors. Bright, heavily saturated orange should be avoided.
Here are a few guidelines for Summers wearing orange:
– Stick to softer, muted versions like peach, coral, apricot, or melon rather than neon orange. These have a bit of pink or red added to tone down the brightness.
– Pair orange with cool neutrals like gray, blue, or purple to balance the warmth. This prevents a clashing effect.
– Use orange as an accent color in small doses rather than head-to-toe. Scarves, jewelry, shoes and bags are ideal orange items.
– Choose orange with a bit of white or blue added to mute it. Opaque rather than see-through orange fabrics also temper the intensity.
– Stay away from orange that sits right next to your face. A coral blouse under a gray blazer is fine, but orange earrings may overwhelm your complexion.
Characteristics of True Summers
To understand why orange can work for True Summers, it helps to take a closer look at what defines their season:
Cool skin undertones: Summers have a blue or pink undertone rather than warm golden yellow. This gives them a cool essence. However, they lean slightly warmer than the Winter season.
Muted coloring: Summers lack vivid coloration and strong contrast between hair, eyes, and skin. Their features are soft and subtle rather than sharply defined.
Fair skin: Pale skin is signature for Summers. However, they may tan slightly in summer with pink rather than bronze undertones. Extremely fair complexions are more common for Summers than Springs.
Low contrast: Hair, eyes, and complexion are similar in tone. Ash blonde, ash brown, gray, and blue eyes are typical rather than high contrast looks.
Delicate: Summers have an ethereal, delicate quality. Dramatic makeup and jewelry overwhelm their natural clarity. Subtle frost rather than high shine finishes are most flattering.
The Versatility of Orange for Summers
While fluorescent orange would certainly clash, the varied nature of orange makes it more versatile than you might assume for True Summers’ cool, delicate beauty.
Orange spans a wide spectrum from the coolest coral pinks to the warmest amber rust tones. By selecting toward pink-based oranges, Summers can take advantage of orange in flattering, harmonious ways.
Peach and melon contain enough blue and pink mix to align with Summer seasons. Pairing these varieties with cool purples, grays, and muted blues creates pleasant, complementary combinations.
Unexpected and innovative color pairings like these allow Summers to stand out while still honoring their essence. Orange accents connect to Summer’s warm neutrality compared to Winter’s cold sharpness.
With care not to overwhelm, orange can inject soft radiance into the Summer palette. It brings out the flecks of light in Summer’s ash blonde hair and adds luminosity to blue eyes.
Guidelines for Wearing Orange
Follow these handy tips when incorporating orange into your True Summer wardrobe:
Choose coral, peach, melon, and apricot over bright orange. These muted versions have subtle warmth versus neon intensity. The pink/red undertone connects to your cool essence.
Make orange a focal point but not the whole outfit. Use it strategically in small touches as a scarf, handbag, shoes, or jewelry piece to make it work for you.
Add orange winter layers on top of cool blues and grays. An orange coat or chunky sweater balances the coolness underneath while warming your complexion.
Stick to matte orange fabrics rather than shiny. Glossy orange is too bold and flashy for a Summer’s delicate refinement. Matte peached cotton or wool has a perfect gentle finish.
Aim for opaque orange rather than sheer. Solid colors are gentler than vivid see-through shades. If using sheer fabrics, layer them over cool muted blues for balance.
| Orange Shade | Summer-friendly? |
|---|---|
| Neon orange | No |
| Bright satsuma orange | No |
| Pink coral | Yes |
| Peach | Yes |
| Cantaloupe | Yes |
| Pale melon | Yes |
| Amber | Maybe – try pairing with cool purples |
Celebrity Examples
Looking at celebrity examples of Summers wearing orange helps illustrate how to make this colorful shade work:
Cate Blanchett: Known for her ethereal Summer beauty, Blanchett glows in peach, melon, and subdued terra cotta. Her cool fair skin comes to life against these muted warm accents. She avoids bright orange.
Sarah Jessica Parker: Parker sticks to a muted coral palette that flatters her low contrast Summer coloring. Her pinky nudes and softened peach tones work perfectly with her ash blonde hair.
Anne Hathaway: Hathaway can pull off warmer melon orange thanks to her warmer-leaning Summer essence. She smartly balances it out with blues and grays for an elegant, harmonious look.
Jessica Alba: Alba’s golden Summer skintone manages to shine against muted pumpkin and spice oranges. She often chooses a matte peach lip as well. This valued hue works beautifully on both warm and cool Summers.
The Impact of Temperature
Along with hue, saturation, and contrast, another factor that impacts whether orange flatters is temperature – its warm/cool impression.
Warm temperature orange full of golden yellow reads too wram on Summers. However, neutral-cool orange with a hint of blue combats this. Adding white also cools orange down.
So rather than pure warm pumpkin shades, Summers should seek out oranges with cool blue notes. Pairing these with neighboring blues emphasizes the cool temperature.
A warm skintone orange top can work over cool neutrals like silvery gray, pale blue, or mauve. This allows Summers to take advantage of temperature contrast in a harmonious way.
Summer Friendly Orange Fabrics
Fabric choice also determines if orange works successfully for Summers. The right textures can help mute and soften orange to prevent it from appearing too bold and glaring:
Matte Finish
Matte cotton, linen, wool, and silk all diffuse the intensity of orange. They provide a soft, muted quality perfect for Summers. Matte opaque tights in coral or peach are also an easy way to wear orange.
Muted Orange Prints
Small scale floral, watercolor, graphic, or abstract prints in muted orange and peach tones keep the effect understated. Pair prints with solid cool blues and grays.
Sheer Orange Layers
Very sheer silky burnt orange or coral paired with gray or powder blue linings temper orange for Summers. The cool underlayers shine through to maintain your inner cool essence.
Fuzzy Orange Knits
Bulky fuzzy orange sweaters strike the right balance of warmth and softness for Summers. Choose muted ombre oranges and peaches colorblocked with pale blue and lavender knits.
Makeup Considerations
The face is where color analysis recommendations mainly apply. But again, adaptations can allow True Summers to wear orange makeup beautifully:
Peach Cheeks and Lips
Instead of true orange, opt for warm peach blushes and lipsticks with pink rather than yellow undertones. Rouge Dior Lipstick in Dewy Peach is ideal.
Coral Eyeshadow
Apply shimmering coral eyeshadows concentrating on the outer corners of eyes. Blend inward with cool mauves and taupes to balance.
Peach Blush Draping
Draping pure peach across the higher points of your cheekbones adds a touch of color without overwhelming your face.
Evade Neon Orange
Avoid intense saturated orange makeup near your face. Neon orange eyeshadow, blush, or lipstick will clash rather than illuminate.
Suggested True Summer Orange Outfits
Here are some stylish outfit ideas for Summers wanting to experiment with orange:
Muted Orange Dress + Gray Cardigan + Nude Heels
A midi dress in soft terracotta, peach, or melon worn with an open gray knit cardigan and nude pointed toe heels.
Coral Skirt + Printed Top + Jean Jacket
An A-line coral skirt with a blue and white floral silk top and light wash denim jacket.
Peach Sweater + Gray Trousers + Brown Loafers
An oversized fuzzy peach sweater with straight leg charcoal trousers and brown leather loafers.
Orange Coat + Blue Dress + Black Tights + Booties
A burnt orange wool coat styled over a steel blue shift dress with black opaque tights and ankle booties.
Coral Bag + Blue Blazer + Jeans + Sandals
A vibrant coral crossbody bag paired with a navy blazer, bootcut jeans, and blue heeled sandals.
Conclusion
While conventional wisdom suggests Summers should avoid orange, adapted versions can actually inject light and vibrance into your muted cool palette. By following strategic guidelines, orange can be customized to complement rather than clash with your natural coloring. The key is modifying its intensity, temperature and pairing it with your dominant cool essence. With the right hue, saturation, fabric and placement, orange can be a surprisingly flattering fit for True Summers.
