Sit and think for a moment. Do you remember the wall color at your dentist’s office? Or your favorite super market? Or the gymnasium at your local park? Odds are, you don’t (and if you do, it’s most likely a bold color). Neutrals are a very common choice for wall color, and the fact that you don’t remember them is because the shades are doing their job of NOT taking center stage.
Neutrals in the Soft Autumn wardrobe are like the best kind of party guests—they don’t steal the spotlight, but they make everyone else look amazing. They are a canvas that wants to be painted on. They beg to be dressed up or accessorized because by themselves, they can be a little plain. However, the wrong color of neutral will do just the opposite. Something too bright or with clashing undertones will end up fighting for attention rather than being a member of the cooperative support team.
In the Soft Autumn palette, our best depth of colors is right in that medium range. Beiges and lighter neutrals fall outside that range and most likely aren’t our “best” colors on their own. Their purpose is to be the foundational building blocks for our outfits and may tend to wash us out if they’re not paired with slightly darker colors.
Our neutrals need to stay in the neutral to slightly warm range, which automatically excludes pure white for us. Fortunately, we can comfortably wear several off-white and beige colors as long as they’re in our “Goldilocks” spectrum. We want our neutrals to be not too yellow, too green, too gray, or too peach. I tend to look for shades that look like a really faded form of brown. Take a look at the following images. Can you see where our sweet spot is?
No
White is too cool and bright
Yes
Slightly warm
Yes
Slightly warm and a little darker
No
This is getting too warm/yellow
No
Extremely warm
If you’re looking for a good neutral color for your Soft Autumn wardrobe, here are a few for you to consider:
Oatmeal. Oatmeal is about as close as Soft Autumn gets to white, but it’s far from stark or cold. It has a creamy, cozy feel with warm beige and buttery undertones that make it soft and easy on the eyes. Unlike true white, which can look harsh on this palette, oatmeal blends in gently with the rest of the earthy tone in our palette. This shade is the perfect minimal backdrop to our deeper autumn colors.
Khaki. Soft Autumn khaki is a true workhorse in the Soft Autumn palette. It’s easygoing, versatile, and not fussy. It sits somewhere between beige and olive, with just enough warmth and softness to feel right at home with the rest of our muted colors. Our khaki has a gentle, golden undertone that plays nicely with terracotta, soft teal, or even dusty rose. It’s the kind of color that doesn’t demand attention but always pulls its weight. To say it’s a staple of the Soft Autumn wardrobe would be an understatement.
Camel. This warm, golden beige is a ray of sunshine in the Soft Autumn palette. Camel is a practical, go-with-everything neutral for the Soft Autumn wardrobe. It’s warmer and richer than beige, but still soft enough to work as a base color without overpowering the rest of your outfit. It’s especially useful in fall and winter wardrobes where you want warmth without going too dark. If you’re looking to replace black or gray with something more flattering, camel is a great alternative. Look for shades that have subtle hints of yellow or orange as this color can run very warm if we’re not mindful of the undertones.
Neutrals to Wear
Here are some examples of neutrals that may be a great addition to your Soft Autumn closet. Notice how creamy they are. Some resemble a faded “chocolate milk” color. A small splash of gray or yellow in the color is okay as long as it’s subtle.
Neutrals to Avoid
Here are some examples of neutral colors to avoid. Your experience with these neutrals will vary, and you may find that some of the colors in this collection work “well enough” for you. But in general, these colors fall outside they typical Soft Autumn range. When searching for these images, I was looking for colors that were extremely gray, yellow, or peach in their undertones. All of these images were described as white, beige, off-white, and camel. Notice how many of them are extremely gray while others are just way too yellow/warm. We have a sweet spot, and these images serve to help you see the boundaries for it.
