Expressing Your Season At Christmas… DARK WINTER
Christmas Red
Dark Winter is Winter influenced by Autumn. Bringing a dash of Autumn into Winter produces a palette that’s slightly warmed and slightly softened relative to the other Winters.
Since both Winter and Autumn colors are comparatively dark, depth of color is the most obvious trait of this season’s look. Burgundy, oxblood, maroon, merlot or wine… these go-to colours for Dark Winter are probably the most common colours associated with Christmas. The warmth and darkness of the various burgundies feels cosy, like drinking hot chocolate nestled in a big blanket by the fire.
As is with all Winters, contrast level for Dark Winter is high – Winter is not a tone-on-tone look. For a traditional Christmas feel, pair burgundy with your Dark Winter greens. Or, for a more modern vibe, pair your reds or burgundies with black & white.
Black & White & Gold
Dark Winter can and should wear black – not the True Winter black, which is too blue-black and too shiny – but a black that is a bit warmer and a bit duller. That said, wearing head-to-toe black is not your best look and can be aging. Rather, pair your very light colours with black and have very clear dividing lines between the colour blocks. And please don’t limit yourself to only black – wearing saturated dark brown, deep charcoal, or dark navy with other colours makes for a modern/hip alternative.
For your Christmas decor, choose a warm, matte black and your Dark Winter white, accented with plenty of gold (this is a warmer version of True Winter’s pure, shiny black and stark white + silver combination).
Winter Icy Colours
Icy colours are light, pure, clear colours that are not grayed or dusty (grayed = a pastel colour). Icy colours are very, very light. On a light/dark scale, they are much closer to white than pastels are. Because this light-dark range extends much closer to white than Summer’s light-dark range, icy colours will harmonize best with the Winter palettes.
For your Christmas decor, pair an icy ballet pink with plenty of white and silver, reminiscent of a crisp winter landscape of glittering, fresh fallen snow.
