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In this article, we have tried to explain in simple terms the principle of the "Four Seasons Color Harmony Theory". This theory divides people based on their natural chromatic characteristics into 4 main groups: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn, each of which is divided into subgroups, usually 4 or 3. Therefore, it is sometimes also called the "16 (12) color type theory". We have tried to clarify the confusion on the Internet about this topic, especially regarding the names of the subgroups, and to bring everything to a logical system.
It should be immediately emphasized that the names of the color types based on the seasons are conventional. The palette corresponding to a given group has nothing to do with the dominant shades in nature during that time of year. However, there might be some coincidences.
Understanding how the theory works helps to easily choose a palette of shades for clothing, which harmonizes as much as possible with the chromatic characteristics of a person's face. Therefore, it is recommended for image consultants, stylists, and anyone interested in Armocromia.
To begin, it is necessary to understand the color characteristics that the theory operates with. The two main parameters are color temperature and portrait area contrast. If you know what these are, you can skip further down.
Color temperature is a subjective characteristic, meaning how warm or cold a perceived color seems to us. This concept is easier to illustrate with the help of Itten's color wheel:
Usually, Itten's wheel is represented in a simpler version, consisting of 12 sectors of pure colors. For example, like this: 
To consider this topic, we need a more complex version, divided into a large number of sectors and segments. The areas of pure colors are highlighted by gray dashed rings. Towards the center from it are the light shades, towards the edge are the dark ones. Therefore, we get almost all possible shades of existing colors here. Furthermore, on this layout, the difference in lightness of the shades of each color is clearly visible, which will serve us later for creating palettes.
On the color wheel, colors are grouped by temperature. All colors from red-violet to blue-green (left) are considered cool, those from red-orange to yellow-green (right) are warm. Pure red and green are intermediates. Sometimes pure red is considered warm and green cold.
Achromatic colors (black, white, shades of gray) in their pure form are neutral. But in practice, you need to look at their barely perceptible tint. For example, black hair can have a bluish (cool) tint, as they say "raven black hair", or a brownish (warm) tint.
Contrast is the ratio of the brightness of adjacent areas. In the context of this topic, we are primarily interested in how visually different the brightness of hair and facial skin is, and secondarily, the relative brightness of skin and eyes. According to this logic, people with dark hair have the maximum contrast. In advance, we can identify the first regularity: Winter and Autumn are "darker" color types, Spring and Summer are light.
In the image on the left: low contrast, in the center: medium contrast, on the right: high contrast of the portrait area. The contrast of the entire image must match the contrast of the face.
Lightness is the intensity of the light flux coming from an object. The lightness of any object depends on its illumination and saturation.
In the drawing in the top row are achromatic colors, in the bottom row is blue (chromatic). Squares with the same lightness are arranged opposite each other.
Saturation is the degree of "purity" of the color, its closeness to gray. The variation of color saturation causes a variation in visual lightness. The presence of saturated colors subjectively increases the feeling of image contrast. Understanding this is important for creating a personal palette of shades used in wardrobe selection. With low contrast of the color type, it is necessary to use less saturated shades in clothing and vice versa.
Illustration of blue saturation
Regarding the hue of lip color, their temperature is usually correlated with the skin's color temperature, so the skin color is taken as a base and, after determining the color type, the lipstick color is chosen from the red segment of the corresponding palette.
To simplify, let's start with the four main color types of this theory and then move on to the subgroups.
So, let's take the two main parameters, we repeat: they are color temperature (skin, hair, and eyes) and portrait area contrast. For simplicity, we divide temperature into warm and cool and contrast into high and low.
Let's create a coordinate system, as shown in the figure. The X-axis represents contrast and the Y-axis represents temperature. There are no specific values, everything is very relative, from low (temperature/contrast) to high.
The four main (pure or natural) color types of the seasons theory.
In the four extreme corners of such a coordinate system will be the four pure (canonical, basic) color types of Armocromia. They have the same color temperature for skin, hair, and eyes, and the contrast is in an extreme position (maximum or minimum). We will call them "Pure". We use the prefix "Pure" here for convenience of explaining the system, to clearly indicate the canonical color type for each season and not to confuse it with other subgroups.
Here are the characteristics for each basic color type:
Let's divide this cross-scheme into four equal parts. The drawn lines will represent the boundaries between the color types, and each part can be called "color type area".
Naturally, in practice, the specified parameters can be not only high or low, but also have some intermediate values. The color temperature of the skin, hair, and eyes cannot always match and be only warm or only cool, as in pure color types. For example, with a warm skin color, a person can have a cool hair and/or eye color.
This can be represented as a shift in the Temperature-Contrast coordinate system.
We have tried to illustrate as clearly as possible the logic of determining subgroups in this figure.
For example, we have a color type with slightly warmer skin than Pure Summer and slightly warmer hair color, but not warm enough for Spring. The overall contrast of the image is low, furthermore the eyes are clearly a cool blue color: this is Warm Summer.
If the color type is completely cool in all parameters. There is some contrast in the portrait area thanks to dark hair color, although not so great as to classify it as Winter, and overall the image is quite light: this is Deep Summer. If the hair is slightly darker and we decide that the contrast is sufficient for Winter, but it's not maximum, we will call such a color type Soft Winter.
The logic for determining the subgroup works like this: each pure color type can shift slightly in the coordinate system (table) presented above towards one of the other three color types. There are three options:
The variations must be small, otherwise from the subgroup we will move to another color type. This is a delicate point that requires the image specialist both a deep knowledge of colorimetry and extensive practical experience. And, of course, it is difficult to do without special tools such as color analysis drapes, capes for color type determination, frames for color testing, color wheel etc.
The temperature variation is considered small (within the color type area) if, of the three control parts of the portrait area (skin, hair, eyes), only one significantly changes temperature, even to the opposite, but the overall temperature of the face does not subjectively change to the opposite.
Let's take Winter as an example. In its pure form, by definition, it is cool and contrasted. Therefore, it can:
Following this logic, it is easy to notice that Soft Winter is a color type very similar to Contrast Summer. Where to draw the line? How much should Winter's contrast soften or Summer's contrast increase for the point on the diagram to move to another area? This is often a controversial issue.
The names of the subgroups may vary in different sources depending on the specific characteristics of this subgroup and the preferences of each individual image consultant. For example, a soft autumn color type with dark skin and brown eyes can be called "Dark Autumn". "Pure Autumn" can be called "Natural" or "Deep". "Pure Summer" is sometimes called "Soft", although by definition its contrast is already low (soft).
In general, there is complete confusion here, it seems that specialists have not yet reached a unified system of names for subgroups. So, we see that unequivocally determining one's color type with precision down to the subgroup can be very difficult. It also happens that different specialists come to slightly different conclusions in the color analysis of the same person. But let's remember the purpose of color analysis: the selection of a personal palette of shades in clothing. And here the name of the subgroup does not play a decisive role, since knowing at least approximately where we are on the scheme above, it becomes clear in which part of the spectrum (color wheel) to look for shades suitable for this color type.
When selecting clothing shades in accordance with the chromatic color type of appearance, these basic rules apply:
Here, everything seems quite simple. For a visual illustration of these principles, let's return again to Itten's color wheel, on which we will highlight the areas that meet the listed rules:
Colors from the color wheel suitable for different color types. As we can see, for cool seasons (Summer and Winter) the main palette is taken from the cool part of the spectrum, and the accent palette - from the opposite (warm) part. For warm seasons Spring and Autumn - vice versa.
For contrasting seasons (Autumn and Winter) the main palette of shades is generally darker and wider than for low-contrast seasons Spring and Summer.
In the pure area of the circle (the ring of pure shades) the palettes for seasons with the same temperature partially overlap.
Naturally, the boundaries shown in the figures indicate a general trend. They can be expanded, leaving out only some "undesirable" areas. There is always room for experimentation when working on the image. For subgroups, the boundaries shift, shades of opposite temperature are added for each specific variant, for example "shades for eye color".
As a result, after marking such boundaries on the color wheel and taking a certain collection of shades from the highlighted areas, we can compile palettes of shades suitable for different color types. In the next article, for example, we will compile a palette for Pure Winter.
Yes, of course, as the original characteristics are not a constant. The easiest way is to re-color your hair. For eyes, colored contact lenses can be used. With skin it is more difficult: for a radical change in its temperature, powerful Make Up tools are needed. In practice, we can only slightly change its shade without going beyond the natural temperature. Consequently, the color type, without particular difficulty, also changes only within the original temperature: cool - from Summer to Winter, and warm - from Spring to Autumn (and vice versa). People with a neutral skin color in this situation have greater freedom of choice, since with the help of cosmetics it is easier for them to vary the temperature of the skin tone.
Let's also not forget that skin color changes with tanning, hair can fade in the sun. This can naturally change the color type.
Furthermore, the natural change in color type occurs with age, as skin pales and hair turns white.
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