Light Summer outfits

The reason these colors fit you

Of all the Summer seasons, Light Summer is the lightest. Its palette is cool, muted and airy, made for fair coloring where skin, hair and eyes don't differ much from each other. Dark, heavy shades can swallow that kind of look.

You've probably noticed this yourself in the mirror. Baby blues and gentle cool pinks wake your face up at once. Black worn near the face can drain your skin and emphasize dark circles. Warm, heavy colors such as rust or mustard can make you look sallow.

Keeping contrast low

Contrast is the distance between the lightest and darkest colors you put together. Since your own coloring is soft, a big gap steals the eye away from your face. When the pieces you wear sit close to each other in lightness, the whole outfit stays calm and matches you.

One simple trick is to let 1 neutral do the anchoring while 1 or 2 soft main colors join in. Think of a neutral as a calm base shade that gets along with nearly anything else. For an office outfit, try a Dove Grey blazer over a Light Rose Pink blouse with Soft White trousers, and every shade stays light and cool.

Getting more from Dove Grey and other neutrals

Dove Grey leads your neutrals because it stays cool and light yet never looks dull. Good bases for coats, trousers and shoes also include Pale Stone, Greige, Light Blue Grey and Soft White. If you'd like something gentler than grey, Dusty Powder Blue, Dusty Lavender and Icy Lilac act as neutrals in your palette as well.

Where an accent belongs

An accent is a somewhat deeper color you use in a small dose to finish a look. Yours are Turquoise, Cornflower, Rose, Mauve and Light Amethyst. They sit a step below the rest of the palette in softness, so they shine in small pieces like a bag, a belt or a cardigan instead of a full outfit.

Pieces for a light summer capsule

A capsule wardrobe is a compact set of clothes that all work together, so any bottom pairs with any top. Once every item comes from your cool, light palette, the mixing happens on its own. These 7 pieces are a fine place to begin:

• A Dove Grey blazer for polished work days
• Trousers in Soft White
• Jeans in a Dusty Powder Blue wash
• A blouse in Light Rose Pink
• A cotton tee in Soft Mint
• A sweater in Lavender
• A wool coat in Light Blue Grey for chilly days

Greige ankle boots and Pale Stone sneakers round out the set and pair with everything listed here.

Prints and patterns

A print suits you if its background stays light and its colors stay soft and cool. Gentle florals or thin stripes in shades such as Pale Watermelon, Icy Lilac and Seafoam keep things easy. Prints on dark or warm backgrounds, like Moss or Dark Cognac, bring back the heaviness that swallows your coloring.

Shoes, bags and metals

Light bags and shoes keep an outfit feeling soft so attention stays on your face. Greige ankle boots, Pale Mushroom sandals and Pale Stone sneakers all belong in your palette. A Light Turquoise tote brings in a touch of color without any weight.

Silver and white gold are the metals that suit you best. Silver melts into your skin easily, while yellow gold can turn brassy on you.

Clothes you own in skip colors

There's no need to toss clothes in Moss, Bright Terracotta or Dark Emerald. Keep them away from your face as shoes, skirts or trousers, where nothing dark sits beside your skin.

Tops in Dark Magenta or Deep True Red are trickier, since they rest right beneath your chin. Loop a scarf in a palette shade like Light Lavender or Soft White around your neck, and you get a soft, cool layer between your face and the dark fabric.