All About Deep Winter: Explore the 12 Seasons at Radiantly Dressed (2023)

Deep Winter is cool and dark and shares characteristics with winter and autumn in the 12 season system of color analysis.

Are your features deeply dark with cool tones? Are you drawn to the deepest colors of plum, navy, and forest green? Do you love the nighttime colors of a winter landscape?

If this sounds like you, you might be a Deep Winter!

The is a comprehensive guide to deep winter in the 12 season system of color analysis. Keep reading to learn the physical characteristics, best makeup, a color palette, wardrobe staples for deep winter, and how to create your own custom palette.

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Table of Contents

The 12 Seasons

In seasonal color analysis we look at the skin, eyes, and hair to find a common color family. The 6 main color components are warm, cool, deep, light, soft, and bright.

The winter color family is cool and includes deep autumn, true/cool winter, and clear winter.

Deep Winter
True/Cool Winter
Clear Winter

Today we’ll be exploring the dark beauty of deep winter.

Cool and Dark

Deep Winter is classified in the following ways: cool hue, dark value, neutral chroma.

Cool hue
Dark value
Neutral chroma

Deep winter differs from its fellow winter seasons in that value is the primary characteristic. Although there is definite coolness, the features are very dark overall.

The skin is likely to be light beige to deep cocoa. The eyes will typically be brown or dark gray. Occasionally the eyes will be a deep blue or green color.

Hair is the in the brown or black color family, and very dark. Black hair may have blue tones.

The features are overall similar in depth, dark on dark on dark. However, high contrast is also a possibility with light skin and dark hair and eyes. Deep winter is similar to deep autumn, but looks best in cool toned rich dark colors.

Makeup for the Deep Winter Woman

To emphasize the features of deep winter, makeup colors should be both cool and dark as well.

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For the eyes, choose dark neutrals such as mauve, gold, pewter, and charcoal. Accent colors could be eggplant, forest, and espresso.

For the cheeks, bold cool shades of deep pink, coral, and rosewood are wonderful to bring out a dramatic glow for deep winter.

Nude lips should be avoided completely, sticking with darker colors like rose and sangria for a natural look. Raspberry and mulberry create a bold look, while crimson and deep red are both suitable for a sexy red lip.

Avoid warm tones like orange or caramel lips, orange and pastel eyeshadows, and sandy cheek colors. Deep winter should also stay away from all light lip colors.

Inspiration

Deep winter is known by its bold dark colors. Think of any nighttime snow scene. Since it’s in the cool color family, its heavy with blues, purples, and greens.

Here we see some different elements where deep winter is naturally found. The 6 color rainbow depicts the truest, most neutral form of colors, but the deep winter rainbow is cooler and much darker.

The snowy nighttime landscape with frosted trees illustrates the blues and purples of deep winter.

Aubergine and ripe figs with blackberry depict the winter spectrum headed into autumn, while the snowy owl illustrates the deep neutrals of deep winter.

A deep pink Christmas ornament against twinkling lights shows the range of pinks in the palette.

Deep Winter Color Palette

In creating a palette for deep winter we start with neutrals, and work through the major color families.

Black and white are all stars in the winter palettes, along with deep grays and the lightest of silver. Midnight navy, olive, and espresso are colored neutrals that will be staples in the deep winter wardrobe.

Many deep reds are suitable, along with bold dark pinks. Yellows appear as mustard and honey. Many greens can be worn from ocean to dark green. The deepest blues and purples are extremely flattering on deep winter.

There is usually a version of every color that can be worn by any season, but some may be more difficult to match and find. Warm reds often become burgundy, some pinks may be too orange, any pure yellow is too light. Purples are best that lean towards blue instead of red.

There are some colors that deep winter should always avoid. Warm tones such as orange and lime green are unflattering. Soft light pastels are not suitable for the deep winter woman as they clash with the skin. Deep bold colors, specifically wine and royal purple are some of the best colors.

Wardrobe Essentials for Deep and Cool Coloring

No matter your style or personal aesthetic, there are a few items that every woman should have in their wardrobe.

The basics of any wardrobe should be neutrals, and you could certainly choose the same neutrals. Layering similar shades of the same color will create a rich luxe look.

For those that enjoy a more colorful look, the basics are still appropriate, but fun and funky accessories in the blue, purple, green, and red color families will add interest.

Frequently Asked Questions about Deep Winter

Is deep winter the same as dark winter?

Yes! They are used interchangeable and deep and dark winter are the same subseason. In the 16 season systems these may be called burnished winter or sultry winter. Deep Winters can sometimes be confused with Deep Summer in the 16 season system.

Can Deep Winter wear Gold?

The answer to this depends on your personal hue attribute, aka whether your are cool or neutral. Since Deep Winter sits next to a warm season, many of these types can wear gold. Rose Gold may be a perfect middle ground.

Can Deep Winter wear Beige?

Beige is a classic neutral and works well with other neutrals. For the Deep Winter, beige may be a color that is kept away from the face. It is likely too light and warm.

Can Deep Winter wear Orange?

Orange is a color best suited to the warm seasons. Orange on a deep winter is likely to create a yellow cast to the skin and look unflattering.

Can Deep Winter wear White?

Absolutely! As a high contrast season with a mostly cool undertone, white is perfect. However, depending on depth, deep winter may find off white, cream, or alabaster more congruent.

Can Deep Winter wear Yellow?

Pure yellow is in the big 4 winter season, so deep winter can play with this color. Leaning into deep autumn, the deep winter may find that warmer yellows like honey are a good fit. Every season has a perfect yellow, you just have to find yours!

Can Deep Winter wear Olive?

Olive is another great “color” neutral and works well for deep winter. Choose an olive that is dark and neutral, rather than one that is muted and murky.

Can Deep Winter wear Coral?

Coral is classified as a warm pink, and many deep winter types can wear this color. It will depend on your personal attributes, particularly hue and chroma as to whether true coral works.

Can I still wear black?

Of COURSE you can still wear black. I personally believe that black is a staple in any wardrobe. Fortunately black is a powerhouse for deep winter and this color makes a great base for a capsule wardrobe.

I hate these colors, could my season be wrong?

Yes absolutely, it could be true. But I want to challenge you, what is it that you hate? Is it the neutrals that you don’t like? Perhaps you don’t like gray? Is it one of the color families, yellow or green perhaps? Don’t wear them! Just because a palette includes all these colors doesn’t mean you should wear them all. I dare you to look at your closet and see if you naturally gravitate to any of these colors. If the answer is no, and you still feel this is completely wrong, let me know! I can help!

Should I wear all of these colors?

Well, that depends on you and what you consider minimalism! If you like a lot of variety, then go for it! However, when building a small capsule, you’ll find that limiting your color options is the best idea. I recommend the following:

Black base
Dark neutral
Light neutral
Main color
2-3 Accent colors

Can I only wear these colors?

No way! You should wear what you love! If you want to wear blush pink, then go for it! You may find, however, that learning your season affects how other colors make you feel. If you feel confident rocking a color, then it’s yours to own. But if you don’t, feel free to leave it to the seasons that wear it well. If you’re looking to expand your palette, you can also consider sister seasons.

The following are sister seasons for deep winter: