Soft Autumn vs True Autumn

How to tell which one you actually are.

The short answer. Warmer and richer than you. A True Autumn wears full-strength rust and mustard as whole pieces and looks well in them; a Soft Autumn looks slightly overwhelmed by the same colors and better in terracotta and soft mustard. If rust at full strength looks like you, look here.

Soft Autumn

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True Autumn

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What separates them, from each side

Each guide describes the other from its own point of view, and the two tests are different. This is the only page that carries both.

Read from Soft Autumn

Warmer and richer than you. A True Autumn wears full-strength rust and mustard as whole pieces and looks well in them; a Soft Autumn looks slightly overwhelmed by the same colors and better in terracotta and soft mustard. If rust at full strength looks like you, look here.

Read from True Autumn

Warm but softer and more blended than you. A Soft Autumn looks best when the colors are greyed a step: camel rather than mustard, salmon rather than rust. If full-strength rust looks too strong on you, look here.

Check it on yourself

The self-check from the Soft Autumn guide

Do these in daylight, with a bare face if you can.

Hold camel and greyed mauve against your face. If camel wins, you are on the warm side.
Hold cream and a soft, cool white. If cream looks fresh and the cool white looks flat, you are an autumn.
Wear rust as a whole top. If it looks slightly too much, stay here; if it looks like you, try True Autumn.

The self-check from the True Autumn guide

Do these in daylight, with a bare face if you can.

Wear rust as a whole top. If it looks like you, you are a True Autumn. If it looks too loud, try Soft Autumn; if it looks faded, try Deep Autumn.
Hold cream and pure white against your jaw. If cream is clean and white is harsh, you are on the warm side.
Hold camel and chocolate. If camel looks complete and chocolate looks heavy, stay here; if chocolate makes you look richer, try Deep Autumn.

Still not sure?

The Style-LORE quiz works it out from a photo taken in daylight and shows you the reasoning rather than just the label — then checks anything in your closet, or anything you are about to buy, against the answer. Free, and no account needed to start.

Settle it with the free quiz

The full guides

Soft Autumn — the complete guide
True Autumn — the complete guide

Style-LORE is a style quiz, closet and community built around the Kibbe body types and seasonal color analysis. These reads are a starting point, not a fixed label — daylight and your own eyes always win. Privacy · Terms · All 12 seasons · All 13 Kibbe types · All comparisons