Side-by-side drape test
Soft Summer vs Soft Autumn:how to tell them apart
Short answer
01 — Same & different
What they share, and what splits them
Cool-leaning · Warm-leaning
Medium · Medium
Muted · Muted
02 — The three pairs
How to read each pair
Both seasons are muted, so keep every test color soft and similar in depth, and change only the temperature: greyed rose vs warm apricot, blue-green sage vs olive-sage, cool taupe vs warm mushroom. The better side makes skin look smoother and shadows softer; the other can look slightly grey or slightly yellow around the mouth and jaw.
03 — Shared colors
The overlap: colors both palettes can wear
These pairs sit closest together across the two palettes — safe ground while you’re still deciding. The outer columns are the most season-specific colors, where the difference shows most.
Mostly Soft Summer
Both
Mostly Soft Autumn
04 — Outfits
Four outfits, side by side
- Work
- Mist-blue shirt, blue-grey straight trousers, soft grey blazer, small silver earrings.
- Weekend & dates
- Greyed-rose knit, soft plum skirt or trousers, taupe shoes and bag.
- Work
- Oatmeal shirt, warm taupe trousers, olive blazer and matte gold.
- Weekend & dates
- Apricot top, moss skirt or trousers, brown shoes and bag.
05 — Metals
Gold, silver — and finish
Brushed silver and pewter; soft champagne gold also works.
Finish · brushed or matte
Matte gold, brushed brass and soft bronze.
Finish · brushed or matte
06 — Hair color
Hair color directions
Ash brown, mushroom brown or soft cool beige — subtle rather than high-contrast.
Soft golden brown, warm mushroom or muted caramel highlights.
07 — If both work
Both palettes look fine? That’s an answer too.
Yes — many people sit close to the line. If both sides keep tying, build around the colors the two palettes share (soft teal, rose-brown, mushroom, taupe), choose pinks, greens and whites item by item, and keep the most temperature-specific colors — soft grey-white or golden apricot — for pieces away from your face. You don’t need a permanent label.
08 — Questions
Asked and answered
HEX values are for communication — screens and fabric differ, so check colors in person.
Updated Oct 2026
Still between the two?
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