Being a Dark Autumn

Here the desert colors of Autumn move to the Moroccan spice market, with saffron, paprika, turmeric, nutmeg, curry, cayenne pepper, black and pink pepper, tarragon, chia seeds, chili powder, allspice, mustard powder, cinnamon sticks, anise… You get the picture. While we’re talking about food, let’s not forget eggplant. It’s the fiery colors of a spewing volcano and its remnant lava rocks. It’s also a dark teal bird, brown burgundy wine, and an army green wool blanket.

This warm neutral palette is characterized by deep, rich, warm colors. They are more saturated than their Soft Autumn cousins—never faded. With the influence of nearby Winter, there is more formality to Dark Autumn, so luxurious fabrics and more tailored silhouettes suit this season. Dark Autumn likes stronger contrasts, in textures and hues. Mix dark pine wool trousers with a gold satin blouse, or crisp dark navy jeans with an orchid washable silk t-shirt.  Pair dark blue or brown-black denim with a cashmere Wedgwood-blue sweater.

Deep colors can act as neutrals in clothing as well as accessories: draw people to you by wearing these expressive, non-black options, including dark-chocolate brown, raisin, eggplant, army green, rich butterscotch, and squid-ink blue. The black of this Dark Season is a warm coal color, not a cold blue-black. Denim is very dark blue or warm black.

Bronze is a perfect metal, as is copper. Silver and dark gold jewelry also work. Turquoise and coral are good accents, too. Shoes and purses in cognac, chestnut, dark reddish brown, eggplant, and dark olive suit this season.

In eye makeup, bronze, cinnamon, eggplant, and dark olive can all look surprisingly neutral. Try brown-black mascara to keep it warm. For cheeks and lips, raisin, dark cinnamon, and salmon are all options. Warm, dark-colored lipsticks tend to look more natural on Dark Autumn women of any ethnicity than they might expect.