Guide to Choosing the Right Frame for Each Colour Palette

Published on October 10th, 2024

Updated on December 16th, 2024

Choosing the right frame for each colour palette can be a helpful way to select frames that best suit you aesthetically. By learning how to find your season and utilising eye colour analysis you can enhance your features and express your personal style. This guide will assist you in finding your season, help you to learn the importance of colour palettes when choosing frames and more. A colour palette considers the skin, hair, and eyes, in relation to hue and temper, value and chroma according to the Concept Wardrobe. The different colour palettes include spring, summer, autumn and winter, which have subdivisions of cool, warm, neutral, light and dark and consider how bright or muted colours are. Continue reading to find your personal colour palette so you can choose the frames that compliment your natural features.

What are Colour Palettes for Eyewear?

Colour palettes for eyewear refer to the different combinations of colours that reflect each season according to your skin colour, hair colour and eye colour. Colour palettes can be used when selecting your ideal prescription glasses frame to enhance your natural aesthetic and complement skin tones. They can range from classic and neutral shades to bold, vibrant hues, allowing wearers to express their personal style while also considering factors such as seasonal trends and face shape.

What are Seasonal Colour Palettes and their Impact on Frame Choices?

The four main seasonal colour palettes are spring, summer, autumn and winter. Spring is characterised by light, warm undertones, whereas the summer seasonal palettes are typically for those with lighter, cool undertones. Winter seasonal colour palettes will suit those with darker, cool undertones and autumn best suits those with dark, warm undertones. The seasonal colour palettes are listed below.

Spring: The spring seasonal colour palette is characterised by warm, light undertones. People with a warmer undertone to their skin, lighter hair, and eyes that are blue, green or hazel will fit in the spring season.
Summer: The summer seasonal colour palette will complement those with light, cool undertones. People with cool blue or green eyes, light blonde or light brown muted hair colours and cool-toned skin will be well suited to the summer seasonal colour palette. Autumn: The autumn seasonal colour palette is characterised by warm, dark.
Autumn: The autumn seasonal colour palette is characterised by warm, dark undertones. Those with dark brown or auburn hair, dark brown or warm green eyes and a warmer skin undertone, will be well suited to the autumn seasonal colour palette.
Winter: The winter season seasonal colour palette will complement those with cooler, dark undertones. People with dark brown or black hair, dark or cool-toned eyes and cool-toned skin, will be well suited to the winter seasonal colour palette.

Why Do Colour Palettes Matter in Eyewear?

Colour palettes matter in eyewear as they can help you choose frames that suit your natural features. Colour palettes refer to the different groups of colours that each reflect summer, autumn, winter and spring. Colour palettes are based on the colours of your skin, hair and eyes. Selecting frames that fit with your skin tone, hair colour, and eye colour can help create a more flattering and aesthetically pleasing look, while the right colours can help exhibit personality. Additionally, a well-chosen colour palette can ensure that your eyewear complements your various outfits and occasions, making it a versatile accessory.

How to Find Your Colour Season Palette for Eyewear Selection?

To find your colour season palette for eyewear selection, it is important to first determine your natural undertones, look at your hair and eye colour, familiarise yourself with the seasons and finally select your frames. The steps on how to find your colour season palette for eyewear are listed below.

Determine your natural undertones: Determine your natural undertones by looking at the colour of your veins to find your colour season palette. If they are green, you may be more suited to a more warm palette. If they are blue/purple, you may be more suited to a cool palette.
Look at your hair and eye colour: Look at your hair and eye colour to find your colour seasonal palette when selecting eyewear. Common eye colours such as blue, green, brown and hazel can differ in either warm or cool tones. Hair colours with warm undertones such as golden blonde, light brunette and auburn may fit best with spring and autumn. However, cooler-toned hair like deep brunette, platinum blonde or black would suit summer and winter more.
Familiarise yourself with the seasons: Familiarise yourself with the seasons to narrow down your colour season palette when choosing eyewear. The different seasonal palettes include cool winter, bright winter, bright spring, warm spring, light spring, light summer, cool summer, soft summer, soft autumn, warm autumn and dark winter.
Select your frames: Select your frames based on your findings. Those with spring colour palettes may want to gravitate towards pastels and warm tones. If you have a summer colour palette, look into cool-toned or muted shades. Autumn colour palettes may suit rich and warm tones while winter colour palettes may want to opt for bold and intense colours and cool-tone shades.

Two images of the same woman with example colour palettes for winter and spring

What Frame Colours Complement Warm Colour Palettes?

The frame colours that compliment warm colour palettes are certain brown shades, deeper greens and oranges, rose gold, black, silver, grey and taupe shades. A warm colour palette may apply to those with green veins in their skin and golden, peachy or yellow hues. Red, orange, brown, blue, black, silver, grey and taupe shades may fit more aesthetically for individuals with a warm palette as it is harmonious with their complexion.

Which Frame Colours Work Best with Cool Colour Palettes?

The frame colours that work best with cool colour palettes can include deep blues and purples, lighter or soft purples and soft greys. A cool colour palette may align with individuals who have blue or purple veins in their skin and red and pink hues in their skin. Frame colours such as deep blues and purples, lighter or soft purples and soft greys are flattering to those with a cool colour palette as they won’t wash them out or clash with their natural skin tone colours.

How to Choose Frames for a Neutral Colour Palette?

To choose frames for a neutral colour palette you can try on different coloured frames as neutral colour palettes may be well suited to both warm and cool colours. Choosing frames for neutral colour palettes leaves you with a broad range of colours and shades whether they are soft, light, bold or deep. However, it is helpful to try on glasses in-store to narrow down what you personally like best so you can select frames that you feel most confident in.

How do Skin Tone and Hair Colour Influence Frame Selection?

Skin tone and hair colour can influence frame selection as it may be more aesthetically pleasing to choose frames that either pair well or match your natural colours. Choosing glasses for your hair colour can be helpful in creating an overall harmonious appearance in terms of colour combinations.

Illustration of different hair colours next to different coloured glasses

What are the Benefits of Matching Eyewear Frames to Your Colour Palette?

The benefits of matching eyewear frames to your colour palette is that it can help ensure your frames suit you better or can enhance your skin’s natural attributes. While it is completely up to your preference in choosing what frames you want to wear, wearing well-chosen colours can help bring out and enhance your natural features. Embracing your natural colours and features is a great way to showcase your personality and maintain what makes you unique, visually.

What Trends are Emerging in Eyewear Colours and Palettes?

The trends that are emerging in eyewear colours and palettes are colourful glasses, transparent frames, round silhouettes, wire frames, oversized ‘70s silhouettes, thick vintage-inspired frames, rectangular frames and browline frames. Many of these eyewear trends have either maintained their position in trending frames or have over the recent months made a resurgence. The inclusivity of more colour in eyewear has made its way back, with the trends shifting from neutrals and beiges to now adding pops of colour back into outfits. Transparent frames have been a long-time favourite in eyewear colours due to its versatility. Round frames are popular due to their minimal style and the aesthetically pleasing balance that they offer to our facial features. Wire frames are a crowd-favourite as they are super lightweight and comfortable and help create a smart and vintage look. Oversized 70s silhouettes are a recent resurgence that pair well with the current popularity of thrift and vintage attire. Old favourites such as rectangle frames and browline frames are classic pieces with rectangle frames being an excellent go-to for their simple design. Browline frames are distinct in design and help frame one’s face more with the thicker brow portion of the frame.

Can Frame Shape Influence the Effectiveness of Colour Matching?

No frame shape does not influence the effectiveness of colour matching. There are no frame shapes that are exclusive to certain colours and therefore are not relevant to colour matching. You can colour match however you like with any frame shape.