True Summer outfits

Pure black is one of True Summer's four avoid colors - its hard, saturated darkness overwhelms your soft, greyed coloring. Slate gray, slate blue, and dusty teal give you depth that harmonizes instead of dominating. For dress codes that insist, choose black in matte fabric, keep it below the neckline, and add a dusty rose or soft grey layer near the face.

Dusty rose, mauve, dusty teal, and slate blue in chiffon, satin, or crepe are your wedding-guest sweet spot - muted tones photograph as timeless rather than trendy. Silver jewelry and soft white or grey accessories complete the cool story. Avoid bright red and warm mustard; both are explicit avoid colors that will clash with your rose undertone in photos.

Warm, chocolatey browns are on your avoid list, but cool greyed browns work: taupe, misty taupe, and rosewood all carry the grey cast your palette needs. The test is whether the brown looks closer to grey or to orange - grey-brown flatters, orange-brown fights you. Swap the classic brown boot for dove grey or taupe suede and everything harmonizes.

Medium and faded blue washes with a grey cast are made for you - they are literally muted cool blue, the heart of your palette. Slate gray and soft white jeans extend the range. Avoid stark black denim and any wash with a yellow or orange tint, which introduces warmth your coloring cannot use.