What to wear to jury duty
Business casual, in quiet colors, with a layer. Jury duty can mean a long day of sitting and waiting. Check your summons or your court's juror page for its rules. Below: what to wear, what to skip, and quiet colors for each of the 12 color seasons.
By Jane MitchellCertified color analystPublished
The short answer
- Wear business casual: trousers or a skirt with a shirt, a blouse or a sweater.
- Bring a layer, such as a cardigan or a blazer, in case the room is cool.
- Wear comfortable shoes. You may wait, walk and sit for hours.
- Skip shorts, tank tops, hats, ripped clothes and clothes with slogans.
- Choose quiet colors: navy, gray, olive, plum or brown.
Why courts care what jurors wear
Jurors sit in the courtroom with the judge, the lawyers and the parties, so courts ask jurors to dress with respect. A slogan or a logo can also look like you have taken a side. Your summons or the juror page of your court may list what to wear. For one real court dress code, see what to wear to court.
Quiet colors for your color season
Quiet, mid to deep shades for a long day of business casual, from each season's own palette.
Quiet, comfortable colors
- Soft denim navy#5C6B8A
- Light taupe#9E8C74
Skip: buttercup.
Quiet, comfortable colors
- Warm denim#4E6E82
- Warm mushroom#A1887F
Skip: bright tangerine, golden yellow, terracotta.
Quiet, comfortable colors
- Bright navy#1A3A5C
- Warm cocoa#8D6E63
Skip: bright violet, vivid orchid, bright orange.
Quiet, comfortable colors
- Soft denim#6C97BF
- Soft plum#8E7C9E
- Soft navy#4A5C78
Nothing to skip in this palette.
Quiet, comfortable colors
- Soft plum#7E5A82
- Teal blue#4A8FA8
- Soft emerald#6E9E8A
Skip: rose red, cool raspberry.
Quiet, comfortable colors
- Soft berry#A5677A
- Dusty lilac#8E7C9E
- Slate blue#6E8CA0
Nothing to skip in this palette.
Quiet, comfortable colors
- Warm rose beige#C98F7A
- Sage green#87905F
- Soft mulberry#A86F7E
Nothing to skip in this palette.
Quiet, comfortable colors
- Terracotta#96604A
- Warm plum#A0637C
- Bronze olive#7B683F
Skip: rust, goldenrod, burnt orange.
Quiet, comfortable colors
- Wine rose#7B3F51
- Cinnamon#8A5A44
- Dark teal#0B5345
Skip: deep amber.
Quiet, comfortable colors
- Pine emerald#00695C
- Cool espresso#4E342E
- Charcoal#5A5A5A
Skip: indigo, deep violet, true red.
Quiet, comfortable colors
- Cool gray#78909C
- Charcoal#37474F
Skip: vivid purple, royal violet, cobalt.
Quiet, comfortable colors
- Cool slate#607D8B
- True black#212121
Skip: bright violet, electric purple, vivid orchid.
The same base colors work for what to wear to an interview.
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. A shade is on the card when it is quiet, mid to deep shades (L* 20 to 65, C* under 30), 35° of hue apart, for a long day of business casual. When fewer than two shades fall in that range, the card adds the shades of the same chroma closest to it in lightness.
The skip line lists up to three of the strongest colors of the palette (C* 60 or more). 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, so two cards can be compared.
What this page cannot do
This page lists quiet colors from each season's palette. It cannot tell you the rules of your court: your summons or the court's juror page can. It cannot tell you which season you are either. Our free analysis reads your season from one selfie, in your browser.
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
Can I wear jeans to jury duty?
Some courts accept clean, neat jeans and some do not. Check your summons or the court’s juror page. Trousers are the safe choice.
What should I not wear to jury duty?
Shorts, tank tops, hats, ripped clothes and clothes with slogans. Courts set their own rules, so check yours.
Do I need to wear a suit to jury duty?
A suit is rarely needed. Business casual is the usual advice, unless your court says otherwise.
Which quiet colors suit me?
Pick from your own season. For example, a True Autumn can wear terracotta, warm plum, bronze olive, and a True Summer soft plum, teal blue, soft emerald. This page lists quiet colors for all 12 seasons.
What you can do on this page
This page explains what to wear to jury duty: business casual in quiet colors, a layer, comfortable shoes, and what to skip, and it sends the reader to the summons and the court's juror page for the rules. It then lists, for each of the 12 color seasons, quiet mid to deep colors from that season's palette with hex codes, picked by a stated CIELAB rule, and the loud shades to leave at home. The free photo analysis finds a season from one selfie in the browser, with no upload and no account.