Colour · Winter season
Cool Winter color palette.
Cool, crisp and clear. Blue-based colours with strong contrast. Six illustrative swatches with hex codes, their measured lightness, chroma and warmth, and how Cool Winter differs from the seasons next to it. Also called True Winter.
Cool Winter swatches
| Swatch | L* | C* | b* | h° |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1D4ED8 | 39.0 | 83.1 | -74.6 | 296 |
| #BE185D | 41.8 | 64.9 | 5.2 | 5 |
| #0E7490 | 45.1 | 28.0 | -22.8 | 234 |
| #6D28D9 | 37.4 | 101.2 | -77.5 | 310 |
| #B91C1C | 40.0 | 72.7 | 42.2 | 35 |
| #E5E7EB | 91.6 | 2.2 | -2.2 | 271 |
Measured profile
| Lightness L* | 49.2 |
| Chroma C* | 58.7 |
| Warmth (mean b*) | -21.6 |
| Hue angle h° | 328.2 |
How Cool Winter differs from its neighbours
The three seasons whose reference points sit closest to Cool Winter in this tool's warm-cool, light-deep, soft-clear space:
- Deep Winter (compare): chroma (C*) differs most, Cool Winter is more saturated by 28 units.
- Bright Winter (compare): chroma (C*) differs most, Cool Winter is more muted by 9.9 units.
- Cool Summer (compare): chroma (C*) differs most, Cool Winter is more saturated by 32 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 Winter Color Palette,” tools.tnaado.ca/color/cool-winter-color-palette/. A style guide, not a validated instrument.
Cool Winter palette FAQ
What colours are in a Cool Winter palette?
In this tool, Cool Winter is shown as six illustrative swatches: #1D4ED8, #BE185D, #0E7490, #6D28D9, #B91C1C, #E5E7EB. Cool, crisp and clear. Blue-based colours with strong contrast. These are TNAADO's own values, and other sources draw Cool Winter with different colours.
How is Cool Winter different from Deep Winter?
The biggest separator is chroma (C*): Cool Winter is more saturated than Deep Winter by 28 units. Next is lightness (L*): Cool Winter is lighter by 27.9 units. The full side-by-side is on the compare page.
Is Cool Winter also called something else?
Some sources call it True Winter. Naming varies between stylists, so check which palette a source means.
Do I have to wear only Cool Winter colours if I am Cool Winter?
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 Winter?
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.