Color Systems 101

For anyone interested in learning about personal color analysis, a quick Google search is anything but quick. Conflicting information abounds, from multiple methods to differing seasons to varying palettes. The only consistency is the 3 dimensions of color used by all — temperature (warm/cool), chroma (bright/clear and muted/soft) and value (light/dark). To help cut through the noise, below are the what’s, why’s and how’s of each system:

4-Season System
Popularized in the 1980s, the 4-season color palette system is the most streamlined method. It considers temperature and value only for diagnosis and adheres to Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn for seasonal categories. It keeps things general yet clear, and is a quick, useful approach that offers basic directional guidance for wardrobe and makeup color palettes.

12-Season System
An expansion of the 4-season system, the 12-season color palette system has 3 sub-seasons per category — the main season plus 2 “flows”. It considers temperature, value and only one aspect of chroma, limiting the palette by the third flow season. While more personalized than the 4-season system, it’s incomplete because, well, my season is missing!

16-Season System
The most comprehensive and precise method, the 16-season color palette system includes the complete 4 sub-season categories — one “True” season and 3 “flows”. Each color dimension is represented in full, making the method the most comprehensive, inclusive and nuanced system available. This is why I practice the 16-season color palette system for diagnosis, and also because it includes my Soft Winter season!

For more about my color analysis process and how diagnosis is determined, see this blog post.