Neutrals are probably the most important building block for your wardrobe, and the pieces that are worn the most. If you look at how much each item costs per time you wear it - a good neutral piece should be pennies. These pieces are timeless and versatile. They are certainly worth investing time and money into getting them perfect. However - when clients come for a colour analysis the last thing they want to look at (or to be fair that I instinctively want to spend a lot of time on) are the greys, navies, beiges and whites that they feel they already have in their wardrobe. They want COLOUR and INSPIRATION. It’s easy to get carried away and forget that lots of their clothes in the wardrobe - especially for Cool Summer - will be neutrals.

I have spent years trying to find the ten perfect neutrals for each season - neutrals that will support the colours in each palette and suit your undertone colours in your skin, hair and eyes. This means that my neutrals include a few unusual options that you may not have thought of when you initially think about neutrals.

Starting with white and your many greys - a neutral that is very present in your eyes and as the gentle softener in all your colours. Instead of black you have dark grey which is as dark as you should go, and if you are on the lighter side of the palette then already too dark. If you have blue eyes, look to dove grey and blued greys. If you have green eyes look to green greys such as wedgewood grey or north sea green. Your pink/lavender undertone looks amazing with lavender greys and greyed pinks. I find this so attractive on Cool Summer that I even recommend lighter shades of silver lilac and hint of pink as options to white.

After greys, the next most logical place to look are blues. Starting with the deepest navy I call galaxy which again may be too dark for the lighter Cool Summer. Slightly lighter steel blue, or in summer go slightly brighter with slate navy - a great summer tailoring colour. You can wear virtually any navy as long as it is not too vivid or has a very red undertone. For some Cool Summer clients navy is their only neutral.

Many people recommend cocoa browns but these really have to blend with your skin tone or they can look yellow. It is really important to get mink and cocoa brown with a pink undertone - and they are quite hard to find! If you are on the warmer side of the season you may find these very flattering. It is always good to try and match your browns to either your pink undertone of your skin, or your hair. If you can’t find your perfect brown then I would recommend borrowing a gentle purple neutral from Soft Summer - purple whisper which will not fight with your skin if you have a strong pink undertone.

Your version of white is a tissue white, which is not as brilliant white as Cool Winter and just slightly softened. Avoid creams as again these have a yellow undertone.

These are my top ten neutrals, finally available on this website or Etsy:

I have included dark grey, pewter, galaxy, steel blue, slate navy, silver lavender, silver lilac, hint of pink, tissue white and north sea green. You have the option to pick and mix the swatch cards, and within neutrals I also have available dove grey, wedgewood, silver, soft denim, navy, purple whisper, shadow brown and mink. Just go into the shop and under Cool Summer Neutral Swatches you will find a form of the names and you can email me your selection.

On a final note - neutrals are not boring. They can have textures, design details, luxury fabrics. You may add a key colour such as soft turquoise if you have green eyes as a base, or ice blue as an option for light tops - these are YOUR neutral and base colours for YOUR wardrobe .