The Light Summer Edit

The twelve seasons

All 12 color seasons

The twelve-season system sorts colors by three qualities: light or deep, warm or cool, clear or soft. Think of each season as a neighborhood rather than a fence. Plenty of people live near a border.

A gentle reminder: color seasons are a convention, a lovely shorthand for talking about color, not a scientific fact about anyone. Fabric, dye, screens and daylight all shift how a color looks.

Nature scene in Light Summer color palette tonesSummerLight SummerLight, cool-leaning and gently clear, like a morning sea under thin mist.Nature scene in Cool Summer color palette tonesSummerCool SummerThe coolest of the Summers: blue-based, medium-light and calmly elegant.Nature scene in Soft Summer color palette tonesSummerSoft SummerSmoky, gentle and cool-neutral, like sea fog over gray-green water.Nature scene in Light Spring color palette tonesSpringLight SpringLight and warm-leaning, with a fresh, sunlit clarity.Nature scene in Warm Spring color palette tonesSpringWarm SpringThe warmest Spring: golden, fresh and lively.Nature scene in Bright Spring color palette tonesSpringBright SpringClear, vivid and warm-neutral, with crisp contrast.Nature scene in Soft Autumn color palette tonesAutumnSoft AutumnWarm-neutral and hazy, like dry grasses in golden fog.Nature scene in Warm Autumn color palette tonesAutumnWarm AutumnRich, warm and earthy, like a river valley in October.Nature scene in Deep Autumn color palette tonesAutumnDeep AutumnDeep and warm-neutral, like evergreen woods at dusk.Nature scene in Deep Winter color palette tonesWinterDeep WinterDeep and cool-neutral, with dramatic, inky contrast.Nature scene in Cool Winter color palette tonesWinterCool WinterThe coolest Winter: icy, crisp and high contrast.Nature scene in Bright Winter color palette tonesWinterBright WinterVivid and cool-neutral, like ice and sunset on a glacier lagoon.

About this site

I'm Diana, and Light Summer is my palette. This is my own personal guide, written and designed by me. The nature scenes, flat-lays and textures are original images made for this site. The palette charts are my own approximations of each season, informed by common twelve-season references.

This is an independent project. I'm not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Quince, Dream Wardrobe or any brand mentioned here. Product names, photos and prices belong to their owners and link to the original product pages.