Color Analysis Changed My Approach to Fashion—Here's How I'm Dressing for Fall

If you're on a certain side of TikTok, you've probably come across color-analysis videos—from using filters to determine your season, to asking ChatGPT, to getting professional readings in Korea. It piqued my interest, and I went down a rabbit hole trying to figure it out myself, only to quickly realize I had no idea what I was doing. I knew I wasn't a winter, but beyond that, I wanted help.

That led me to Lily's Color Lab, where I received an in-depth draping and analysis, which included a full take-home guide detailing my results. The point of getting a reading was figuring out what naturally works with my features, which then guides what suits me best when it comes to fashion and beauty.

Going into fall, I'm using my results to make more informed decisions while shopping based on what truly complements me. While I'm not going to totally overhaul my wardrobe, I want to be more mindful about colors that wash me out and ways I can incorporate different shades. As someone who’s historically worn a lot of black, here’s everything I found out.

Clothing

At first, I was split between "soft autumn" and "soft summer." In the end, my incredible analyst Riley leaned toward soft autumn, which, according to my guide, means: "The dominant characteristic of your overall appearance is opaque, and the secondary is warm, which means that colors with warmer undertones are best suited to your beauty. The tone of the skin, eyes, and hair blend together, giving a soft appearance, and your features seem a little toned down. In soft autumns, the contrast between skin, eyes, and hair is low to medium, and the important thing is that your natural colors blend, rather than contrast. In addition to white and black, avoid cold and intense colors that don't match your undertone, such as pink and royal blue. They will make you disappear. Extremely bright colors, such as neons, should also be avoided, as they clash with your naturally soft contrast and will appear more than you."

As a visual learner, it can be helpful to think about celebrity soft autumns often referenced, such as Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Kate Moss, Sofia Richie Grainge, Lily-Rose Depp, and Hailey Bieber.

For neutrals, this season looks better in off-whites, warm-toned grays, navy, greens, rose browns, chocolate browns, taupe, and teal. True white and black tend to overpower the gentle contrast.

Jewelry-wise, gold is ideal, while grenade, kyanite, jasper, and green malachite are suggested for stones.

Beauty

Lily's Color Lab even goes beyond clothing, offering guidance on hair (with exact Wella shades tailored to you) and cosmetics. When it comes to soft autumn makeup, warm roses, brick reds, and terra cotta are most flattering for lip products. One combination their team told me to try was Mac's Whirl lip liner and Dior's Lip Glow Oil in Rosewood, so I'm excited to see how it looks.

The guide explains, "The contrast in soft autumn's natural appearance is medium. The skin, normally lighter, harmonizes delicately with medium-toned hair and eyes. The combination of all these factors makes this season seem very gentle and subdued. Makeup tones should repeat these natural characteristics. And remember: A natural soft autumn look is discreet, without major excesses."

To learn more about color analysis, I've been referring to Drops de Cor and Four Seasons Studio.