Colour · Summer season
Cool Summer color palette.
Cool and muted-leaning. Blue-based colours of medium depth. Six illustrative swatches with hex codes, their measured lightness, chroma and warmth, and how Cool Summer differs from the seasons next to it. Also called True Summer.
Cool Summer swatches
| Swatch | L* | C* | b* | h° |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #6C8EBF | 58.3 | 29.2 | -29.2 | 272 |
| #B5688C | 53.6 | 36.1 | -6.3 | 350 |
| #7A9E9F | 62.6 | 12.9 | -4.6 | 201 |
| #8E7CC3 | 56.2 | 41.2 | -34.6 | 303 |
| #C9A2B8 | 70.7 | 18.9 | -5.9 | 342 |
| #4F6D8F | 45.1 | 22.1 | -22.0 | 267 |
Measured profile
| Lightness L* | 57.7 |
| Chroma C* | 26.7 |
| Warmth (mean b*) | -17.1 |
| Hue angle h° | 301.8 |
How Cool Summer differs from its neighbours
The three seasons whose reference points sit closest to Cool Summer in this tool's warm-cool, light-deep, soft-clear space:
- Soft Summer (compare): chroma (C*) differs most, Cool Summer is more saturated by 14.1 units.
- Cool Winter (compare): chroma (C*) differs most, Cool Summer is more muted by 32 units.
- Light Summer (compare): lightness (L*) differs most, Cool Summer is deeper by 25.6 units.
Compare any two seasons side by side
How the numbers are computed
- Each swatch's hex value is converted from sRGB to linear light, then to CIE XYZ under D65, then to CIELAB (L*, a*, b*).
- Average lightness is the mean L* of the six swatches (0 is black, 100 is white).
- Average chroma is the mean C* = sqrt(a*² + b*²) of the six swatches. Higher means more saturated.
- Warmth is the mean b* of the swatches: positive is toward yellow, negative toward blue. The hue angle h° is the angle of the mean (a*, b*) point.
- ΔE*ab (CIE76) is the straight-line distance between the two palettes' mean (L*, a*, b*) points.
These numbers describe TNAADO's illustrative swatches, not skin, hair or any person. Other sites draw the same season names with different colours, so their numbers would differ.
Sources
- CIELAB and its LCh form: CIE 15, Colorimetry, and ISO/CIE 11664-4:2019, Colorimetry, Part 4: CIE 1976 L*a*b* colour space.
- sRGB to XYZ: IEC 61966-2-1, Multimedia systems and equipment, Colour measurement and management, Part 2-1: sRGB, with the D65 white point (Xn 95.047, Yn 100, Zn 108.883).
- The season system itself has no scientific source. It is a stylist tradition and this tool treats it as one. The palettes are TNAADO's own illustrative values, not copied from any consultant's deck.
Cite this page: TNAADO Tools, “Cool Summer Color Palette,” tools.tnaado.ca/color/cool-summer-color-palette/. A style guide, not a validated instrument.
Cool Summer palette FAQ
What colours are in a Cool Summer palette?
In this tool, Cool Summer is shown as six illustrative swatches: #6C8EBF, #B5688C, #7A9E9F, #8E7CC3, #C9A2B8, #4F6D8F. Cool and muted-leaning. Blue-based colours of medium depth. These are TNAADO's own values, and other sources draw Cool Summer with different colours.
How is Cool Summer different from Soft Summer?
The biggest separator is chroma (C*): Cool Summer is more saturated than Soft Summer by 14.1 units. Next is warmth (b*): Cool Summer is cooler by 13.8 units. The full side-by-side is on the compare page.
Is Cool Summer also called something else?
Some sources call it True Summer. Naming varies between stylists, so check which palette a source means.
Do I have to wear only Cool Summer colours if I am Cool Summer?
No. A season is a style-guide suggestion, not a rule. Colours near your face matter most, so a shade outside the palette is easier to wear as trousers, shoes or a bag. Taste, occasion and what you own count for more than a label.
How do I find out if I am Cool Summer?
Hold swatches from the palette near your face in daylight, ideally next to a neighbouring season's palette, and see which looks healthier. This page cannot confirm a season; the system is a style tradition, not a measured fact.
What this is, and what it is not
This is a popular style guide, not a scientific test. No peer-reviewed research validates the 12-season system, and results vary with lighting, screens and the system used. The palettes are our own illustrative hex values and will look different on different displays. Use them as a prompt to try colours in daylight, not as a rule.