3 colors that look good together
Three colors work together when they sit well on the color wheel and share the same strength. Below: the four simple rules, the 60-30-10 split, and two ready trios from each of the 12 color season palettes, with hex codes.
By Jane MitchellCertified color analystPublished
Four simple rules
- Analogous: Three neighbors on the color wheel, such as blue, teal and green. Calm and easy.
- Complementary plus a neutral: Two opposites, such as navy and rust, with a neutral to rest the eye. Lively but balanced.
- Triadic: Three colors spaced evenly around the wheel, such as red, yellow and blue. Bold; keep one in charge.
- Same mood: Three colors of the same strength: all soft, all clear or all deep. This matters more than the hue.
The wheel itself is explained in the color wheel for clothes.
How much of each: 60-30-10
A common rule of thumb in design and dressing: about 60% of the main color, 30% of the second and 10% of the accent. In an outfit, that is trousers and jacket, a top, and shoes or a scarf. In a room, walls, furniture and cushions.
Ready trios from each color season
Two trios from each season's own palette: three colors far apart in hue, and two colors with a neutral.
Three colors
apple green #8FCB6B, coral #FF8A6B, light violet #C9A8E0
Two colors and a neutral
apple green #8FCB6B, coral #FF8A6B, soft denim navy #5C6B8A
Three colors
bright tangerine #F4511E, chartreuse #C0CA33, warm violet #7E57C2
Two colors and a neutral
bright tangerine #F4511E, chartreuse #C0CA33, cream #F2E6CE
Three colors
bright violet #651FFF, bright orange #FF3D00, vivid green #64DD17
Two colors and a neutral
bright violet #651FFF, bright orange #FF3D00, bright ivory #FFFDF5
Three colors
soft raspberry #C2739A, soft denim #6C97BF, rose pink #D98BA5
Two colors and a neutral
soft raspberry #C2739A, soft denim #6C97BF, soft white #F4F1EC
Three colors
rose red #D81B60, cool lavender #9575CD, cool blue #3F6FA8
Two colors and a neutral
rose red #D81B60, cool lavender #9575CD, soft white #F0EFEC
Three colors
soft berry #A5677A, dusty rose #C08497, sage #8FA88B
Two colors and a neutral
soft berry #A5677A, dusty rose #C08497, soft white #EDEAE4
Three colors
muted rust #B5654A, sage green #87905F, soft gold #C4A76A
Two colors and a neutral
muted rust #B5654A, sage green #87905F, soft cream #F0E8D8
Three colors
rust #C1440E, moss green #6B8E23, goldenrod #DAA520
Two colors and a neutral
rust #C1440E, moss green #6B8E23, warm cream #F2E7D0
Three colors
deep amber #B9770E, deep plum #6C3483, forest green #1E5631
Two colors and a neutral
deep amber #B9770E, deep plum #6C3483, warm cream #EDE0C8
Three colors
true red #B71C1C, sapphire #0D47A1, emerald green #1B5E20
Two colors and a neutral
true red #B71C1C, sapphire #0D47A1, pure white #FFFFFF
Three colors
vivid purple #AA00FF, true red #D50000, cool emerald #00BFA5
Two colors and a neutral
vivid purple #AA00FF, true red #D50000, pure white #FFFFFF
Three colors
bright violet #651FFF, electric red #FF1744, vivid green #00E676
Two colors and a neutral
bright violet #651FFF, electric red #FF1744, pure white #FFFFFF
Build a whole wardrobe on these: see the capsule wardrobe. To check one color against every other, use colors that go with every color.
How we picked the colors
Each season card reads that season's own palette and neutrals on this site, 300 named colors across the 12 seasons, measured in CIELAB: lightness (L*), chroma (C*, how strong the color is) and hue angle.
Three colors: palette shades with C* 25 or more (15 or more in a soft palette with too few) and L* 30 to 85, strongest first, each at least 60° of hue from the others where the palette allows. Two colors and a neutral: the two strongest of those, plus the season’s neutral that is furthest from them in lightness.
Where a palette has too few shades that far apart in hue, the gap narrows to half, then to 12°. No color is typed by hand, and no brand or store is used. The same rule runs on every season.
What this page cannot do
This page shows trios that work inside each season's palette. It cannot tell you which season you are, or how a color looks in your room's light. Our free analysis reads your season from one selfie, in your browser, and gives you your own palette.
How this is different from other color analysis tools
- 01
Your photo stays on your device
Many photo apps upload your selfie and read it on their server (see our comparison). Ours measures it in your browser. There is no upload.
- 02
The result is free
Your season and palette, with no account and no email. At least one app in our comparison takes payment before you see any result.
- 03
A close call says so
Every result names the runner-up season and how close the call was. Borderline is a result we print.
- 04
We publish our accuracy
We tuned the method on faces that experts had labelled by season, then tested it on 410 celebrity photos we collected. The results, misses included.
Questions
What 3 colors look good together?
Three neighbors on the color wheel, two opposites with a neutral, or three evenly spaced colors, as long as all three share the same strength: all soft, all clear or all deep.
How do I use three colors in an outfit or a room?
A common rule of thumb is 60-30-10: about 60% of the main color, 30% of the second and 10% of the accent.
Why do some three-color combinations look wrong?
Usually because one color is much stronger or softer than the other two. A dusty rose next to an electric blue clashes even though the hues could work.
Which three colors suit me?
Your own season's colors already share one strength. For example, a Soft Autumn can pair muted rust, sage green, soft gold, and a Bright Winter bright violet, electric red, vivid green. This page lists two trios for all 12 seasons.
What you can do on this page
This page explains which three colors look good together: analogous, complementary plus a neutral, triadic, and colors of the same strength, with the 60-30-10 split. It then shows, for each of the 12 color seasons, two trios from that season's palette (three colors far apart in hue, and two colors with a neutral) with hex codes, picked by a stated CIELAB rule. The free photo analysis finds a season from one selfie in the browser, with no upload and no account.