Belgravia Cord Pants
Deep Grape
#55264F
Royal purple
A Deep Winter color
Royal purple
anchor color 7 of 10 in Deep Winter. Also called Dark Winter in other systems.
By Kathleen Olsen · Updated November 11, 2026
- Hex
- #55264F
- RGB
- 85, 38, 79
- HSL
- 308°, 38%, 24%
Royal purple is purple that has been darkened almost to the point of reading as a neutral. Red and blue in near balance, very little light. It is the Deep Winter purple, and it works where lighter violets would look costume.
Where it sits
Royal purple is an anchor color in Deep Winter. The nearest color on the same side of the warm–cool line is Muted plum #6E4A63, a True Summer color, at a distance of 17: close enough to mistake for it on a hanger, far enough to tell apart on a person.
This is a quiet color despite the name. At RGB 85, 38, 79 it sits a long way from the bright violets of Bright Winter and the dusty lavenders of the Summers. Indoors it can pass for a very dark plum or even an aubergine. In daylight the red in it comes forward and the purple is unmistakable.
A Deep Winter wears it as a near-neutral: a knit, a velvet jacket, a dress worn alone. It takes black and charcoal without effort and does something handsome with emerald and true white. It is a good winter alternative to burgundy for anyone who finds burgundy too warm. Against camel or olive it goes muddy.
Retailers call it plum, aubergine, deep purple, or mulberry. Velvet is the fabric where it appears most often and looks best, because the pile adds the depth the color asks for. In flat cotton it can look flat.
Easily confused with
The color this gets mistaken for is black cherry, Deep Winter's own darkened red, fifteen points away and redder. The two are both in the palette, so the confusion is harmless. The real mistake is True Summer's muted plum, seventeen points off: lighter, greyer, and softer. On a Deep Winter it looks faded. On a True Summer, royal purple looks heavy.
The nearest named colors in other seasons, by perceptual distance (ΔE in CIELAB; under 10 is hard to tell apart on a screen, over 25 is a different color).
Muted plum #6E4A63
True Summer anchor · ΔE 17
Warm navy #2A3B63
Bright Spring neutral · ΔE 24
Warm navy #2C3D66
True Spring neutral · ΔE 24
Warm burgundy #6E2233
Dark Autumn anchor · ΔE 24
True navy #1B2A4A
True Winter and Bright Winter neutral · ΔE 25
Soft plum #7A5F72
Soft Summer anchor · ΔE 26
In stock in this color today
As of November 11, 2026, 6 in-stock pieces across Boden and STAUD sample within a close match of #55264F. The dot on each card is the color we sampled from the garment itself; trust it over the photograph. Links are affiliate links: we earn a commission when you buy through them, at no cost to you.
What it's sold as
Retailers almost never use the palette name. These are the color names on the in-stock pieces that sample within a close match of #55264F today, so they are the words to search for.
- Boden
- Deep Grape, Dark Cherry, Bordeaux, Night Shade
- STAUD
- Amethyst
A retailer's name for a color says nothing about its undertone. "Navy" at one shop is a True Winter color and at another a Spring one. The sampled dot on each card above is what we trust.
Questions
Is royal purple a Deep Winter color?
Yes. Royal purple (#55264F) is an anchor color in the Deep Winter palette. No other palette on the same side of the warm–cool line has a color near it, which makes it a reliable test for the season.
Is royal purple the same as plum?
They overlap. Plum on a shop floor runs from this color through to a redder, lighter version. Royal purple as the Deep Winter palette uses it is RGB 85, 38, 79: dark, with red and blue in near balance. If a plum reads as clearly purple rather than wine, it is probably this.
Can a True Winter wear royal purple?
Yes. It is a shade deeper than True Winter's cool violet and less blue, but it is cool and dark and sits well with True Winter's black and white.
Can a Soft Summer or True Summer wear royal purple?
Usually not near the face. The Summers' purples are muted plum and dusty lavender, both lighter and greyer. Royal purple's saturation reads heavy on them.
What colors go with royal purple?
For a Deep Winter: black, charcoal, true white, emerald, icy pink. Royal purple and emerald is a strong jewel pairing. It also works as the single color in an otherwise black outfit.
The Deep Winter guide · All in-stock Deep Winter pieces · ← Pine green · Cool blue-red → · All colors