Colours a True Spring should avoid
These are the shades that consistently work against True Spring colouring. The reason matters more than the list: once you can see why a colour fails, you can judge any shade in a shop for yourself.
Black #000000
Too cold and too deep — it kills the golden glow that defines the season.
Charcoal grey #4A4A4A
Cool and lifeless next to warm, sunlit colouring.
Burgundy #7A2048
Blue-based red; warm tomato and terracotta do the job properly.
Dusty blue-grey #B0BEC5
The greyness mutes a season whose whole point is clarity.
Icy pink #F8BBD0
Blue-based pastel — it turns warm skin sallow.
Indigo #311B92
Cold and heavy; warm violet gives the same drama.
What to wear instead
Every colour above has a counterpart in the palette that does the same job without the cost.
- Coral orange#FF7043
- Bright tangerine#F4511E
- Salmon coral#FF8A5C
- Warm poppy#E85D4E
- Golden yellow#FFB300
- Daffodil#FFD54F
- Amber#F9A825
- Chartreuse#C0CA33
- Grass green#7CB342
- Leaf green#43A047
Frequently asked
Why do certain colours make a True Spring look tired?
A colour that fights your natural colouring pulls the eye to the wrong things: shadows under the eyes, redness around the nose, any unevenness in the skin. A colour that harmonises does the opposite — it makes those things recede. Nothing changes about your face; the colour changes what people notice about it.
Do I have to throw these clothes away?
No. Move them away from your face. A colour on your bottom half, in a bag, or in a jacket you wear open has almost no effect on how your skin reads. The rule is only strict for the roughly 30 cm around your face.
What if my favourite colour is on this list?
Wear it anyway — but change where or how. A shade of it closer to your palette, the same colour in a lower-contrast fabric, or simply worn below the waist all work. Colour analysis is a tool for looking your best on the days you care, not a rulebook.