What Are Winter Colors? Unraveling The Beauty Of Seasonal Colors

Frosty blue, cherry red, icy gray…these are just a few of the shades that are considered winter colors. Winter is often associated with saturated, cool, and crisp tones. And, wearing the right winter colors can help you radiate during the season. Depending on your hair color, eye color, and skin tone, certain winter colors are apt to be more flattering. But how do you know? We have an Erin-approved fail-safe trick for finding out which hues will look the best on you. And, it’s SO easy! Keep scrolling for all the details and some looks inspired by winter colors. Find harmony between your features and clothing choices and stand out in a crowd…in the very best way.

We’ve been diving into color analysis as it’s been a trending and popular topic! Check out this post about what colors look best on fair and pale skin if you fall into that category!

What Are Winter Colors?

If you have darker hair, bright eyes, and your skin tone has a bluish or pinkish undertone, you might be someone who looks best in traditional winter colors. A true winter color palette includes cool jewel tones, saturated colors, and even bright classic neutrals. While a lot can be said about color analysis, there are literally hundreds of shades of every color. Let’s take red for example. Cherry red is cool and bright with blue undertones. But brick red has a hint of brown and orange with warm undertones. So, just because a color consultant or TikTok expert says you should or shouldn’t wear a certain color, Erin swears by this one simple tip to make it all crystal clear. Are you ready?

Winter Color Analysis

Hold the color up to your face. What happens? Do your features pop? Does your skin tone brighten or become dull? Does the color complement your eye and hair color? Is there contrast or would you say the color makes your appearance more muted? Your initial reaction to the color is going to be your best bet in determining what colors will look best on you. Pretty easy, right? Sooooo, all that said, if bright cool colors are your jam, let’s break down 10 that work for our winter ladies.

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Cherry Red

When we think of celebrity Winter Types, Katie Perry comes to mind. There is a striking contrast between her eye, skin, and hair color. She looks amazing in bright red. Winter reds include candy apple red, watermelon, poppy, tomato, and coral. Erin also looks fantastic in cherry red. Here are some wintery pieces you can shop if bright red is your color too.

Burgundy

While burgundy is in the red family, it’s the deeper more saturated cousin. Similar to reds, burgundy shades can read warm or cool. True winter types should look for shades that have more blue and purple undertones (cool) than brown or orange (warm). The cooler burgundy shade will create contrast against your features and make them pop. Above, Erin is wearing a gorgeous Zimmerman floral print dress with shades of cool burgundy and pink. Can you see how the burgundy print reads more cool than warm? Burgundy continues to be one of the hottest color trends for winter. You’ll find even more burgundy outfit inspo in this post.

Style Tip: If you can’t seem to find a shade of red or burgundy that complements your skin tone, wear it on your bottom half! Pants, a skirt, tights, or shoes – NO color is ever off-limits!

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Sapphire Blue

There are several shades of blue that work with those that look best in traditional winter colors. But blues like sapphire, bright cobalt, and Egyptian blue are all high-contrast cool blues that are ideal for the bright winter seasonal palette. The truth is some version of blue looks great on everyone. If you have blue eyes, you can’t go wrong with coordinating your top, blouse, blazer, or jacket with your eye color.

Icy Light Blue

Since many true winters have dark hair or eyes, light ice blue, steel blue, frosty blue, and even bright lavender are excellent colors to pair with your darker features. Again, it’s all about the contrast level in color and those cool blue undertones. Women with blonde hair still look amazing in these shades of blue especially those with cool blonde vs warmer blonde hair.

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Navy Blue

Sticking with the blue family, navy blue and deep marine blue are great colors to wear if you are a true winter type. Navy is such an elegant color. It’s classic, timeless, and SO easy to style with other neutrals like white, ivory, beige, gray, and even black (yep, you can wear navy and black together!). When it comes to jewelry, Winter types tend to look best in cool metals like silver or pewter and both pair beautifully with navy blue.

 

Emerald Green

Winter types shine in jewel-tone colors. Emerald green is vibrant, bold, and deep, and has that blue undertone we keep referring to. Highly saturated emerald green, minus any yellow or orangey undertones, will instantly light up a winter’s lighter skin tone and make your features pop. Wearing emerald green and pine green with blue undertones is also a great option if you are a winter color type that has blue or green eyes.

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Sea Glass Green

A bright, light green like sea glass, icy mint, and even some neon greens are also beautiful hues for true winter types. You likely want to make sure there is no yellow or warm undertones in the light green if you are wearing it on your upper half.

Not sure how to style bright colors? This post breaks down all the pointers. And…despite what you might think, the winter season is the perfect time to dress in bright cheery shades!

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Crisp White

Bright white is such an excellent color for all of you cool-toned winters! Erin has been a fan of wearing white in every season. The sharp contrast of a bright white vs. a yellowy white, cream, or off-white won’t wash out even the palest of winter types. Bright white is reflective, has blue undertones and when held up to your face will illuminate and light you up if you are a true winter.

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Black

Winter types look excellent in all the classic neutrals, including black…especially blue-black pigments. Faded black can read warm sometimes, but deep, saturated, high-contrast black will brighten a winter’s complexion. In fact, winter types are among the few that look amazing in stark black and white and can beautifully pull off this combination!

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Gray

Since most gray shades have a predominately blue undertone, gray is an excellent choice for those who look best in winter colors. From icy light gray and silver to deep rich charcoal, you really can’t go wrong. The shade of gray that will look best on you depends on whether you are a winter type with more or less contrast between your eyes, hair, and skin colors.

If you are someone who wears winter colors well, which winter color is your absolute favorite? Is there a color that really lights you up? We’d love to hear about it in the comment section below.

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