“There is a shade of red for every woman”
Audrey Hepburn
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What comes to mind when you think about the color red? Roses, fire, intense energy, burning passion? Red has so much symbolism and significance across many cultures. It can represent sensuality (red lingerie anyone?), it is the color of the red cross symbolizing healing/health services, and it can also signify anger or danger. It was also one of the first colors used in pre-historic cave paintings!
The Romans utilized it as a symbol of power, and in Chinese philosophy, it was a symbol of good fortune. We could go on. But the point is, that red communicates so many different things, and we find that truly powerful!
Reds for the seasons
Aside from all of that, there are so many different shades of red. Darker reds, lighter reds, warmer reds, cooler reds. I think you know where we are going with this. Just as there are the best neutrals and pinks for each season (as we have previously discussed), there are reds that resonate the best with each of the seasons. In case you’re new here, we don’t mean the actual seasons of the year. We are talking about seasonal color analysis.
What is seasonal color analysis? It is a service performed by a personal stylist that determines the set of colors that love you the most. It takes into consideration the undertones and hues of your skin, eyes, and natural hair color.
Introducing the seasons
There are four seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter) and at least three sub-seasons for each one. There are so many different harmonious color palettes out there! These seasons range from warm to cool, bright to muted. If you want more information, check out our previous blog posts about color theory.
Red is universal!
Fun fact: true red is a universal color! That means that every season has it in its palette, and it is a flattering color for every single person ever. If you ever want to incorporate something red into your wardrobe and want to play it safe, choose true red. BUT, who wants to play it safe?! Maybe a Classic or Ingenue style archetype, but we digress.
We also want to take a moment to talk about red lip color. The same types of reds you see below will be a good rule of thumb when choosing your shade of red lipstick or gloss. True red will, again, be a great choice for all. But if you want a color more specialized to your specific palette, look out for warm vs cool reds as a start. The palettes we make and post here are meant to serve as a helpful guide when shopping for clothes, makeup, and anything else you wish to tie into your own colors!
Spring Red Palette: warm, fun, bright
There are only a few reds that are truly great for Springs. Sorry, Springs! But, your reds are warm, bright, and fun! Poppy and geranium are your go-to reds, aside from true red. They have a bit more orange in them, and they’re kind of exactly what you would think of when you picture springtime blooms. You can also wear a redder version of coral, which we identified in our post about Pinks. Tomato is the darkest red that we would recommend wearing if you are a Spring.
Shop our Spring red obsessions!
Summer Red Palette: cool, mysterious, ethereal
Most of the reds in the Summer palette gravitate towards the burgundy end of the spectrum. Summers have cherry red, a classic, slightly cooler version of true red. It’s what we think of when we picture iconic 50s era pin-up gals or cherry-flavored candy. There is also musk red and cranberry, which you can see are more muted and cooler in tone than true red. The darker reds you see in this palette are darker without being heavy, and in our opinion, super sensual. With undertones of blue, they are not warm whatsoever.
Shop our Summer red obsessions!
Autumn Red Palette: warm, earthy, deep
Reds for Autumns are fairly varied. Autumns can wear the warmer, brighter reds that are in the Spring palette, like poppy and geranium. They can also musk red, which is in the Summer palette. As a season that embodies muted, deep warmth, reds like brick and mars would be our top picks. The reds exclusive to this palette are red chestnut and red earth, which bring to mind the shades of fall leaves and deep, earthy clay.
Shop our Autumn red obsessions!
Winter Red Palette: cool, sultry, intense
Winters have a little bit of crossover as well. In their palette, they have cherry red and mars red, which we have seen for Summers and Autumns. But they also have tango, carmine, and ruby, which get progressively deeper while still retaining their cool tone. These reds have much more blue undertones. Even though they do have depth to them, these colors are clear and bright, as if you can see straight through them.
Shop our Winter red obsessions!
Ready to discover your season?
As you can see, each season has its own unique spin on red, and it really does make a huge difference when you wear the ones that love you back. With the right reds you look cohesive, in harmony, and alive (literally)! We even have a variety of all colors within each season’s palette on our curated Pinterest boards if you would like to see more real-life examples. If you don’t know what your season is and are brimming with curiosity, reach out to us! Even if you are not located in Pittsburgh or Austin, we got you. We can start the process of not only uncovering the color palette that jives with your vibe, but we can also talk about style archetypes and really hone in on what makes you, YOU.
