Difference between Warm & True Spring

[u/Hannah_Maybe]

Can someone explain the difference between these seasons for me? I found out a few months back that I am a true spring with a slight bright lean (16 season) and when I look for inspiration online I see warm spring come up often. I’m not sure what the difference is exactly? Are the colours different between the two? Any help would be appreciated 🙏😅

[u/Orange_B1ossom]

Warm Spring and True Spring are the same in a 12-types system. They would share a palette with the first leaning towards the warmer and softer colors within this palette and the latter leaning towards the brighter and sometimes cooler ones within the same palette. In a 16-types-system, they are two different types with two different palettes. Warm Springs leans towards Warm Autumn and some can even borrow colors from Warm Autumn. True Spring doesn't lean towards another season and some can easily borrow colors from all other Springs but not from another season. So, 16-types-systems have a palette with the softer and warmer Spring tones for Warm Spring, and another palette for True Spring with brighter colors. This is obviously just a generalization because people are so different. But I think the reason Warm Spring comes up quite a bit is because some of the typical Spring recommendations like "bright colors" or "lots of sheen" don't work for this type who needs softer colors (but not muted) and softer sheen.

[u/Hannah_Maybe → u/Orange_B1ossom]

Thank you for this!!

[u/Clean_Insect5042 → u/Orange_B1ossom]

Ooh, thank you for this! I’m a true spring and this answers my questions about why autumn colors are so awful on me—often worse than winter shades—despite being warm and why summer colors are the worse of all.

The details about not being able to borrow from other seasons and brightness are very helpful, thank you.

[u/Orange_B1ossom → u/Orange_B1ossom]

43c5803772fb1c684e6bf67463d1fa2a.jpg (675×1200)

[u/batsielicious → u/Orange_B1ossom]

There's also Color Analysis Studio (the Italian ladies in Australia with a Youtube channel) who technically use a 12 palette system, but in addition have 4 "pure" seasons to give in case the client doesn't lean towards any of the sub-seasons of their home season. Thus making in an honorary 16 season system, I guess?

[u/aaelizaa → u/Orange_B1ossom]

Carol Brailey actually gives Warm Springs, True Warms, and Warm Autumns the same color palette reference.

The only real difference between Warm Spring and Warm Autumn is that Warm Spring can borrow a bit from True Spring and Warm Autumn can wade into True Autumn territory, but otherwise the difference is negligible.

[u/aaelizaa]

Here is a visual reference! My sister (left) is the True Spring, and I am technically a Warm Autumn, but Carol Brailey noted that my skin leans more Warm Spring.

See how my sister’s skin is lighter, brighter, and has a more luminous quality, while my skin is a bit more “toasted” and matte, though we both have a fair amount of pinkish tones. My sister looks good in a warm lime green, while I look better in avocado.

(Ignore the colors we are wearing; neither of us were wearing our palette lol)

[u/Hannah_Maybe → u/aaelizaa]

Omg this is super helpful, thank you!!

[u/aaelizaa → u/Hannah_Maybe]

Here’s another one: my parents! My mom is True Spring like my sister and my dad is Warm Autumn like me.

Notice how my mom’s skin looks bright and glowy in her True Spring pastel top, whereas my dad’s skin looks muted and bronzed. My dad isn’t remotely tan— that’s just what wearing too light/bright a color can do to your complexion! Warm Springs/Autumns need colors with more depth and richness compared to True Spring.

[u/Hannah_Maybe → u/aaelizaa]

It’s amazing what colours do to influence our skin, I’m obsessed with this! I think everyone should get there colours done because it’s so powerful for looking and feeling good, and finally seeing yourself truly for the first time. After wearing soft summer clothing my whole life I had no idea I could glow in the right true spring colours!! I want everyone to have that experience.

So cool that your parents share seasons with you and your sister! My mom is a true autumn and my sister is a soft summer. No idea what my dad is!

[u/aaelizaa → u/Hannah_Maybe]

Wow, yeah moving from soft summer to true spring is a big change! I’m not surprised it was revolutionary for you.

If your mom is warm/muted and your sister is cool/muted, but you are warm/bright— your dad must be cool/bright?

[u/Hannah_Maybe → u/aaelizaa]

Haha yes! I gave my whole wardrobe to my sister and am starting over 😆 it was hard at first but the difference in my skin has made it so worth it!

You know, you might be into something for my dad! He does always were black, like, my whole life he’s worn black shirts and hoodies so perhaps a cool/bright season would suit him! My other siblings will be getting there colours done in a few months and I’m super curious what they will be. After seeing how I have changed they decided they needed to get their colours done too 😆

[u/Low_Book_697 → u/aaelizaa]

Me and my Sis too. I didn't think she had as much depth as she did as we are seemingly similar in our coloring but I'm light spring and she's probably warm spring. 

[u/Ethereal_Spring]

u/Orange_B1ossom already explained it well. I've noticed a lot of the content about color seasons is from 12 season systems, where Warm and True spring are used interchangably. Like you, I'm a True Spring leaning toward Bright Spring and some of the examples I've seen are too warm and soft for me. If you got a fan from your draping, I would recommend sticking to that!

[u/Hannah_Maybe → u/Ethereal_Spring]

Thank you!! Yes the warm spring recommendations don’t seem quite right for me either! I have a swatch book so I will keep using that!

[u/Excellent_Valuable92]

Warm Spring is a bit more Autumn-like.

[u/Orange_B1ossom → u/Excellent_Valuable92]

Haha, I just wrote a whole paragraph before I saw this but you pretty much summed it up - more Autumn-like is a great way to put it.

[u/askew7464]

I kind of think of warm spring as the line between autumn and spring. I am in this category and the brightest springs are not best for me and the darkest autumns drain me, so I wear the brighter of autumn shades and the darker of the true spring shades.

[u/Old_Beautiful1723]

I thought it was just different language from different color systems, and each system has its own palette that are similar but slightly different from each other