Shades of Green - Warm or Cool?

Your local river may not turn into Shades of Green this week but you can certainly celebrate the fact that GREEN is a BIG color for 2024. 

Don't worry about the neon brights on the runways, there are so many fabulous shades of green out there and there's one that's just right for YOU! 

Green, the colour of nature and life, has a multitude of shades from palest mint through to darkest pine, from softest olive to vibrant emerald; and yet many people never wear it! 

Identifying the best shade can, however, cause confusion so I'll try to simplify it. Any shade that echoes the undertone of your skin will look good on you.

Most people have a discernible undertone which makes it easy. If you don't know your skin tone already take a look HERE. 

What is Green?

TRUE GREEN is made up of an equal mix of YELLOW (considered Warm) and BLUE (considered Cool). When the quantities are varied it means that we can have many different shades of both Warm Green and Cool Green. 

More yellow in the Green means that the shade becomes Warmer and more blue added means the shade becomes Cooler as you see above. 

The two dresses in the main picture above show J-Lo in Warm Green and Mila Kunis in Cool Green. These shades are perfectly suited to each of their skin tones. 

Shades of Green for the 4 Seasons

When white is added to the mix green becomes lighter and when gray or black is added it makes it deeper. Now we have the four quite different sets of Green which relate to the 4 Seasons of Color Analysis - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. 

Although I've highlighted just a few, there are lots of different shades of green to suit you once you've found your best undertone. 

Garments from Kettlewell Colors range of 150+ colors

How to identify Warm or Cool Green? 

If you know your color direction then all you need is a color swatch. How to use a Color Swatch will show you exactly how to recognize the colors when you're out. Or I suggest either a Warm or Cool Color Brief here showing you all the digital colors. 

Alternatively, let's say you are Cool and looking to buy. Then take a few minutes and try to find a couple of items that are extreme colors i.e. a very yellowy green and a very blue green as I show below. It's always easier if you choose extremes or ask an assistant to help you!

When you find something you like hold it against the extremes that you've isolated. No shade will exactly match but your garment is likely to 'sit' more happily with either the Warm or Cool example. This 'should' help you decide whether it is Warm or Cool and you'll be tuning your eye in too!  

and now Kettlewell for the Tonals too!

If you know whether you're Warm or Cool then Kettlewell have you covered too! 

Click on the image below to find You'll find a whole range of GREENS in the Tonal Color Families too.