Colour · Winter season
Deep Winter color palette.
Deep and cool. Dark, intense colours with a blue base. Six illustrative swatches with hex codes, their measured lightness, chroma and warmth, and how Deep Winter differs from the seasons next to it. Also called Dark Winter.
Deep Winter swatches
| Swatch | L* | C* | b* | h° |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #14213D | 13.1 | 20.3 | -19.7 | 284 |
| #5B0F2E | 19.1 | 35.9 | 1.0 | 2 |
| #0F4C45 | 28.6 | 20.7 | -1.3 | 184 |
| #3B1F5E | 18.9 | 43.1 | -32.7 | 311 |
| #8B1E3F | 31.3 | 47.7 | 8.2 | 10 |
| #1B2A41 | 16.8 | 16.6 | -16.5 | 276 |
Measured profile
| Lightness L* | 21.3 |
| Chroma C* | 30.7 |
| Warmth (mean b*) | -10.2 |
| Hue angle h° | 327.8 |
How Deep Winter differs from its neighbours
The three seasons whose reference points sit closest to Deep Winter in this tool's warm-cool, light-deep, soft-clear space:
- Cool Winter (compare): chroma (C*) differs most, Deep Winter is more muted by 28 units.
- Deep Autumn (compare): warmth (b*) differs most, Deep Winter is cooler by 33.9 units.
- Bright Winter (compare): chroma (C*) differs most, Deep Winter is more muted by 37.9 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, “Deep Winter Color Palette,” tools.tnaado.ca/color/deep-winter-color-palette/. A style guide, not a validated instrument.
Deep Winter palette FAQ
What colours are in a Deep Winter palette?
In this tool, Deep Winter is shown as six illustrative swatches: #14213D, #5B0F2E, #0F4C45, #3B1F5E, #8B1E3F, #1B2A41. Deep and cool. Dark, intense colours with a blue base. These are TNAADO's own values, and other sources draw Deep Winter with different colours.
How is Deep Winter different from Cool Winter?
The biggest separator is chroma (C*): Deep Winter is more muted than Cool Winter by 28 units. Next is lightness (L*): Deep Winter is deeper by 27.9 units. The full side-by-side is on the compare page.
Is Deep Winter also called something else?
Some sources call it Dark Winter. Naming varies between stylists, so check which palette a source means.
Do I have to wear only Deep Winter colours if I am Deep 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 Deep 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.