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What’s This About
The VOU places 15 well-known men in Light Summer, Soft Summer or True/Cool Summer, and pairs each one with an outfit and a styling idea you can adapt.
Each palette group shows how cool, soft colours work in real clothes, such as
a mint green premiere suit and a greige double-breasted suit, for Light Summer
a pale blue casual suit and a grey-green tailored suit, for Soft Summer
a teal double-breasted suit and a grey and blue suit rotation, for True/Cool Summer
a “Try this” outfit for every man on the list
one office outfit worked three ways
and many more!
Compare the colours against your own face before you buy anything new.
Key Points
01All three Summer palettes lean cool and soft; Light Summer leads with lightness, Soft Summer with mutedness and True/Cool Summer with coolness.
02The VOU’s placements are its own styling assessments, and your own palette is found by comparing colours against your face.
03The useful comparison is one garment in three versions, such as a powder blue, a dusty steel blue and a soft cornflower shirt.
04Nothing in your wardrobe is banned, and dress codes come before any palette.
The Summer family is the cool, soft side of the twelve-season system, and its three palettes are Light Summer, Soft Summer and True/Cool Summer.
Below, The VOU places 15 well-known men in one of the three palettes, with an outfit for each man and a practical idea to try.
The VOU’s placements are its own styling assessments, and your own palette is found by comparing colours against your face, as the seasonal colour analysis guide explains.
Each documented outfit links to the report it comes from.
The “Try this” ideas, and the one outfit marked as a suggestion, are The VOU’s suggestions rather than outfits the men have worn.
How the three Summer palettes differ
In the twelve-season convention used across The VOU’s colour guides, the three Summer palettes share a cool lean and a soft, slightly greyed quality, and differ in which quality leads.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
| Colour family | Light Summer | Soft Summer | True/Cool Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leading quality | Lightness | Mutedness | Coolness |
| Blue | Powder blue | Dusty steel blue | Soft cornflower blue |
| Pink | Baby pink | Mauve | Cool rose |
| Green | Soft mint | Greyed sage | Cool sage |
| Neutral | Pearl grey | Cool taupe | Cool grey |
The colour examples follow The VOU’s Summer colour season guide, which explains the convention and how to compare the palettes with clothes you own.
Light Summer celebrities
Light Summer keeps the largest areas of an outfit light, with small darker accents if you want them.
It sits next to Light Spring, which is warmer, and is far softer in contrast than Bright Winter.
Daniel Craig
The VOU places him in Light Summer.
At the London premiere of Queer, Craig wore Giorgio Armani separates, namely a double-breasted suit and an oversized coat in the house’s greige, a mix of grey and beige, with a matching scarf and yellow-tinted sunglasses, according to the South China Morning Post (February 2025).
A suit, coat and scarf in one soft neutral keep the whole outfit close in depth.
Try this. A pearl grey double-breasted suit with a pale blue shirt, and a light grey coat and scarf in winter.
Alexander Skarsgard
The VOU places him in Light Summer.
At the Cannes premiere of Eagles of the Republic in May 2025, Skarsgard wore a Magliano pinstripe wool jacket with dark blue sequinned trousers by Bianca Saunders, a white button-down shirt and a pink bow tie, according to W Magazine.
The pink bow tie, a small, light accent near the face, is the colour lesson.
Try this. A light grey pinstripe suit with a white shirt and a baby pink tie for an evening party where black tie is not required.
Ryan Gosling
The VOU places him in Light Summer.
At the Los Angeles premiere of The Fall Guy in 2024, Gosling wore a custom mint green Gucci suit with a matching mint green silk shirt and white leather lace-up shoes, according to MR Magazine (May 2024).
One light colour from collar to trousers is a strong version of the Light Summer idea.
Try this. A soft mint knit with pearl grey trousers and white trainers, which keeps the mint without a full suit.
Jesse Williams
The VOU places him in Light Summer.
At the New York premiere of The Butler in 2013, Williams wore a dark blue Givenchy tuxedo with a white poplin shirt and black nappa leather derbies, according to The Fashionisto (August 2013).
Evening dress follows the dress code first, whatever your palette.
Try this. For daytime, a powder blue shirt under a light grey jacket with soft navy trousers.
Michael Ealy
The VOU places him in Light Summer.
No dated report of a specific outfit could be verified for this page, so this is a suggested outfit in the palette.
The suggested outfit is a blue-grey suit, a powder blue shirt and a medium blue knitted tie, with grey suede shoes.
Try this. A sky blue linen shirt with light grey trousers and white trainers for warm weekends.
See more on the Light Summer outfit page and the Light Summer palette guide.
Soft Summer celebrities
Soft Summer works with greyed colours that sit close together in depth, so no single colour jumps forward.
Idris Elba
The VOU places him in Soft Summer.
At the New York premiere of Beast in August 2022, Elba wore a custom pale blue Gucci suit over a fitted white T-shirt with tasselled loafers, according to InsideHook.
Try this. A dusty blue casual suit over a soft white T-shirt with grey suede loafers.
Ashton Kutcher
The VOU places him in Soft Summer.
At the UK premiere of The Beauty in January 2026, Kutcher wore an oversized light blue corduroy suit with a black button-down shirt, black shoes and a black watch, according to The List (May 2026).
Corduroy softens a pale blue through texture.
Try this. Keep the light blue corduroy suit and swap the black shirt for a dove grey one to lower the contrast near the face.
Mahershala Ali
The VOU places him in Soft Summer.
This outfit is a television costume, chosen by the costume department for the character Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes in Luke Cage, not Ali’s own wardrobe.
BAMF Style‘s 2018 costume analysis describes a solid grey suit with a matching waistcoat, which it identifies as appearing to be Dolce & Gabbana, worn once with a blue-grey and white Bengal stripe shirt and later with a pale blue shirt and a dark grey or blue tie, plus dark brown derby shoes.
Try this. A mid grey suit with a blue-grey striped shirt and a pale blue shirt in rotation, and ties in dusty steel blue or greyed navy.
Benicio del Toro
The VOU places him in Soft Summer.
At the 98th Academy Awards in 2026, del Toro wore a Giorgio Armani Made to Measure black wool tuxedo with a single button and satin-trimmed peak lapels, a black evening shirt and a bow tie, according to Town & Country (via AOL).
Black remains the traditional dinner jacket colour and is always correct for black tie.
Try this. For a dinner without a dress code, a charcoal suit with a dusty blue shirt and a greyed navy knitted tie.
Jake Gyllenhaal
The VOU places him in Soft Summer.
At the 2026 New York premiere of The Bride!, Gyllenhaal wore a grey-green Anderson & Sheppard suit with a white shirt, a light grey tie and black double-buckle shoes, according to Stylectory.
Try this. A greyed sage jumper over a dusty blue oxford shirt with cool taupe chinos.
See more on the Soft Summer outfit page and the Soft Summer palette guide.
True/Cool Summer celebrities
True/Cool Summer leads with coolness and works in mid-tones and blue-based accents, a little clearer than Soft Summer.
Matt Bomer
The VOU places him in True/Cool Summer.
At the 2025 Los Angeles premiere of Mid-Century Modern, Bomer wore a teal double-breasted Caruso suit with black pointed boots and gold jewellery, according to Stylectory.
Try this. A softened teal knit under a soft navy blazer with grey trousers.
Chadwick Boseman
The VOU places him in True/Cool Summer.
At the 2018 Met Gala, whose theme was Heavenly Bodies, Boseman wore an all-white Versace outfit of ivory trousers, a white shirt, a white jacket and a matching cape with gold crosses, with gold Christian Louboutin loafers, according to First Classe (April 2023).
Themed events invite costume-like dressing; our fashion aesthetic style guide covers everyday looks.
Try this. A cool grey suit with a soft white shirt and a cool rose tie for a daytime celebration.
Barack Obama
The VOU places him in True/Cool Summer.
In a 2012 NPR interview about his Vanity Fair profile, Michael Lewis said Obama had reduced his suits to grey and blue to cut down daily decisions (NPR, September 2012).
A short suit rotation is a simple way to build a personal style.
Try this. A mid grey suit and a soft navy suit, each with a pale blue shirt and a cool rose or soft navy tie.
Édgar Ramírez
The VOU places him in True/Cool Summer.
At the Los Angeles premiere of Zero Dark Thirty in 2012, Ramírez wore a navy wool Dior Homme suit with a white shirt and a navy silk tie, according to The Fashionisto (December 2012).
Try this. The same navy suit with a pale blue shirt and a soft raspberry tie.
Gong Yoo
The VOU places him in True/Cool Summer.
At the Louis Vuitton Spring 2020 menswear show in Paris in June 2019, Gong Yoo wore an all-black outfit from the brand’s Fall 2019 collection, according to Soompi.
Try this. Swap all-black for a cool grey tailored suit with a pale blue shirt and a soft cornflower tie.
See more on the True/Cool Summer outfit page and the True/Cool Summer palette guide.
One office outfit, three Summer versions
These are editorial suggestions, built on a suit you may already own.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
| Palette | Suit | Shirt | Tie |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Summer | Light grey | Powder blue | Medium blue |
| Soft Summer | Dove grey | Dusty blue | Mauve |
| True/Cool Summer | Soft navy | Pale blue | Soft raspberry |
If your office expects navy or charcoal, keep the suit and change only the shirt and tie.
Questions about Summer celebrities
Q. Why do different websites give the same celebrity different seasons?
A season assigned from photographs is shaped by lighting, editing and the writer’s interpretation, so sources can disagree.
The VOU’s placements are its own styling assessments, and your own palette is found by comparing colours against your face.
Q. How do I tell which Summer palette suits me?
Compare one garment in three versions against your face in daylight, for example a powder blue, a dusty steel blue and a soft cornflower shirt of similar finish.
The Summer colour season guide explains the comparisons, and the result can stay open if the differences are small.
Q. Can a Summer man wear black or bright white?
Yes; many men prefer charcoal or soft white near the face, but black shoes and a white dress shirt remain useful.
Black remains the traditional dinner jacket colour and is always correct for black tie.
Emily Post explains the black tie variations.
Related guides on The VOU are linked below.
Light Summer seasonal colour palette
Style Like A True Gentleman
Before you go, here is a simple way to put this guide into practice, and when to ask an image consultant for help.
Professional styling starts with knowing your body shape and seasonal colour palette, which help you choose clothes that fit well, in colours that suit your skin, eyes and hair.
Our guides also cover styling by occasion, location, season and time of day, garments, footwear, accessories and heritage fashion brands.
Take our three quizzes to find your body shape, seasonal colour palette and fashion style, then book a consultation if you want personal help.
1. Find Your Body Shape
Different garments flatter different silhouettes, so knowing your body shape is the first step in dressing like a confident man.
To find out your unique body shape, take our body shape quiz for men.
Once you know your unique body shape, take the second quiz to discover your unique colour palette.
2. Find Your Seasonal Colours
The garments in your outfits come in many colours, so it helps to check which colours suit your natural colouring.
To do that, you can find out your seasonal colour palette, and you can do it by taking our seasonal colour quiz for men.
3. Find Your Fashion Style
By now, you should already know your body shape and unique colour palette; the next step is to discover your personal fashion style.
To find it, take our fashion style quiz for men; it includes a suggested style, outfit ideas, relevant fashion brands, and much more.
Personal Help from The VOU
For personal help, you can book a consultation with our image consultants and fashion stylists.
Our styling services for men are paid consultations; the shop page lists what each one includes.
Wearing luxury brands is not enough on its own (see our guide to logo-heavy luxury brands and how to wear them); knowing your body shape, colour palette and personal style first makes styling by occasion, location, season and time of day easier.
Contact us to book a consultation once you have taken the three quizzes.