The Le Shop 17 Guide
Understanding Your Colour Palette
There are colours that, placed near the face, light it up effortlessly. Others, just as beautiful in themselves, dim it slightly. Colour analysis does not judge a complexion: it simply explains why certain shades of clothing or jewellery work better than others, once you know your own.
The 4 Seasons method is the oldest and simplest to use: it sorts complexions into four broad families, Winter, Summer, Spring and Autumn, based on three criteria you can observe without any special tools: skin undertone (warm or cool), eye colour and natural hair colour. Together, these three elements outline a palette of colours that flatters the complexion, and another to handle with more caution.
Two notions come up constantly in this method. Undertone first: warm (golden, peach or ivory highlights), cool (pink, blue or olive highlights) or neutral. It is often spotted by looking at the colour of the veins on the wrist in daylight: more green, the undertone leans warm; more blue or purple, it leans cool. Depth and contrast next: a fair complexion with very dark hair creates strong contrast, while skin, eyes and hair in close tones give a softer, more blended look.
None of these categories is a fixed box or a ban: they are guideposts to steer a choice of clothing colour, jewellery or lipstick toward what, most of the time, most naturally flatters a face.
Winter: cool undertone, strong contrast
Fair or olive skin with a cool undertone (rosy, deep olive or porcelain), eyes often very dark or, conversely, very light and intense, brown, black or white hair, with sharp contrast between the complexion and the hair. Colours that flatter: black, pure white, navy, true red, fuchsia, emerald, silver. To avoid: washed-out pastels, orange and camel, which dull the complexion.
Summer: cool undertone, soft, blended tones
Fair to rosy skin with blue undertones, soft blue, grey or green eyes, ash blonde or light brown hair, the whole forming close shades rather than sharp contrast. Colours that flatter: sky blue, powder pink, lavender, pearl grey, soft navy, off-white. To avoid: harsh black and very bright or orange-toned colours, which harden the features.
Spring: warm undertone, light and luminous
Fair skin with a warm, golden undertone, often dotted with freckles, light eyes (bright blue, green or hazel), golden blonde or light red hair. Colours that flatter: coral, peach, gold, soft green, light camel, ivory. To avoid: total black and cool or greyed-out colours, which dim the complexion's natural glow.
Autumn: warm undertone, deep and earthy
Skin with a warm, golden or coppery undertone, sometimes olive, brown, hazel or deep green eyes, red, auburn or brown hair with warm highlights. Colours that flatter: khaki, terracotta, mustard, chocolate brown, burgundy, copper gold. To avoid: cool fuchsia pink, icy grey and pure white, which create an unflattering contrast with the complexion.
A selection of pieces to visualise these four colour worlds, from the sharp contrast of winter to the earthy tones of autumn.
Discover Your Colour Palette
This quiz is a simplified, fun starting point, not a professional colour analysis. For a personalised assessment of your colours, the Le Shop 17 team is on hand to help in the boutique.
Four simple questions, no tools or judgement required, for an initial sense of direction. The result gives a general trend: the best test always remains holding a coloured fabric near your face, in daylight.
1. What is your natural eye colour?
2. What is your natural hair colour?
3. What undertone do you notice in your skin?
4. How does your skin react to the sun?
Your Trend
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A guide, never a constraint
These four families remain guideposts for steering a choice, never an absolute rule: a complexion can change with light, a tan or age, and a colour theoretically ‘not recommended’ can work perfectly well worn away from the face, in trousers or an accessory. In the boutique, the Le Shop 17 team is happy to help try several shades side by side to see, in practice, which one lights up a given complexion the most. To go further on the overall look of an outfit, our guide to dressing for your body shape usefully complements this approach through colour.
Come talk about it in the boutique
For personalised colour advice, a fitting, or simply to talk about a piece you love, the Le Shop 17 team welcomes you Monday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm, at 15 rue Notre-Dame, 06400 Cannes. They can be reached at +33 (0)4 93 39 46 46, by email at info@leshop17.com, or on WhatsApp. You can also find more advice in the Le Shop 17 guides, and the boutique's news on Instagram, @leshop17.
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