Hi everyone, welcome back. I have another entry in my 12 seasonal color palette series for men. Today we are focusing on Deep or Dark Autumn.

Understanding Deep Autumn

Deep Autumn sits between True Autumn and Deep Winter. If you need any background information on this, I’ve linked helpful articles below:

Guide to the 12 Seasonal Color System Pt. 1

Guide to the 12 Seasonal Color System Pt. 2

Exploring the Autumn Subseasons

For context, Deep Autumn is positioned between True Autumn, which is much warmer and more ember-like, and Deep Winter, which is cooler and more shadowy. True Autumn is much more golden, with warm and rich shades that glow, whereas Deep Winter has cooler and darker shades that create stark contrast. Deep Autumn takes elements from both—retaining warmth but with a depth and richness that can handle some darker, slightly cooler shades without looking washed out.

Characteristics of Deep Autumn

Deep Autumn individuals have dark and deep coloring. Their darkest values are very dark, while their lighter values are noticeably lighter, creating contrast. Their pigmentation is generally rich and saturated, giving them a sultry, shadowy appearance.

In terms of undertones, Deep Autumn leans slightly warm, with honey, walnut, peach, or apricot tones. That being said, they can also wear slightly cooler colors because they lean warm but are not completely warm. This allows for versatility, but their best colors will always be rich, deep, and warm.

Deep Autumn Color Palette for Men

While the perfect palette is always customized for each individual, this deep autumn color palette should give a high probability of looking very harmonious because they are dark, deep, and lean warm. You’ll notice a variety of rich mustards, rusty oranges, warm greens and olives, blue-greens, purples, wine colored red tones, and warmer greys and browns.

Deep Autumn Celebrities and Their Best Colors

Jamie Dornan

Jamie Dornan’s hair, skin, and features look flawless, smooth, and well-defined in Deep Autumn colors. These rich hues add dimension to his face and enhance his natural warmth. Compare this to cool, crisp colors, which rob his complexion of its natural richness and look out of place against his shading. The wrong shades create distraction rather than harmony.

Jason Momoa

Jason Momoa looks incredibly natural, defined, and striking in Deep Autumn shades. Warm charcoal grays, burgundies, dark olive grays, and even the cognac tone of his leather bag all work effortlessly for him. These colors enhance the definition in his hair, beard, eyes, and skin, making everything appear smooth and cohesive. Compare this to the cooler blacks, which are too harsh and flatten his features, or the muted pink tones, which lack the necessary warmth and richness, making his complexion appear dull.

Taye Diggs

Taye Diggs looks flawless, smooth, rich, and lustrous in mustard, warm deep chocolate, and eggplant shades. These colors bring out the natural glow in his skin and create harmony in his overall appearance. By contrast, the highly contrasting black and pastel orange combination appears separate and disjointed from his natural warmth. Similarly, the muted gray ensemble drains the life from his face, lacking the necessary depth and richness to complement his coloring.

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal looks effortlessly harmonious in Deep Autumn shades. These colors support and enhance his natural features, allowing his complexion to appear even, smooth, and dimensional. Compare this to the cool, shiny gray fabric, which looks completely separate from him—it’s too crisp and sharp. The muted striped shirt combined with black creates too much contrast, lacking warmth, richness, and depth, ultimately draining the color from his face.

Choosing Patterns for Deep Autumn

If you want to wear patterns, go for ones where darker colors dominate and the contrast between the lightest and darkest shades isn’t overly harsh. If you can find a pattern where the edges blend into each other, or where the transitions are softer rather than high-contrast, those will work best. Avoid anything where the lightest color is dominant, and definitely avoid geometric patterns with high contrast, where light shades stand out sharply against the darker ones. Cool colors, of course, are not the best choice.

That’s it for today’s post! If you need help with color or styling, check out my services.