#A79BB0
Dusty lavender
A Soft Summer color
anchor color 8 of 10 in Soft Summer. Also called Muted Summer in other systems.
By Kathleen Olsen · Updated November 11, 2026
Dusty lavender is purple with most of the purple taken out. Grey first, violet second, cool throughout. It is the Soft Summer lavender, and it works as a neutral in a palette that is built almost entirely from neutrals.
Dusty lavender is an anchor color in Soft Summer. The nearest color on the same side of the warm–cool line is Cool grey #9AA0A6, a True Summer color, at a distance of 11: close enough to mistake for it on a hanger, far enough to tell apart on a person.
At RGB 167, 155, 176 this color is close to grey. The violet shows up next to a true grey and disappears next to anything more saturated. That is the point. On a Soft Summer it reads as a tinted neutral, not as a color, and it sits next to the face without pulling attention.
It pairs with soft navy, dove taupe, and the palette's greyed aqua. It is good in knitwear and in anything with texture, where the grey in it reads as softness rather than dullness. Against black it looks dirty. Against bright white it looks like it needs a wash. Against a soft white it looks right.
Retailers call it lavender, lilac, mauve, or heather. Most lavender on a shop floor is lighter and clearer than this, which makes it Light Summer. Hold the garment against a mid-grey. If it is barely distinguishable, it is in range.
The nearest color is Soft Summer's own soft mauve, six points away and a touch pinker. True Summer's cool grey is eleven points off, which says how close to grey this color is. Light Summer's lavender, twelve points off, is the one people reach for by mistake: lighter and clearer, and on a Soft Summer it looks a little sweet.
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).
Cool grey #9AA0A6
True Summer neutral · ΔE 11
Lavender #B7A7D0
Light Summer anchor · ΔE 12
Soft grey-blue #8FA6BC
Light Summer anchor · ΔE 12
Periwinkle #8E9BC4
True Summer anchor · ΔE 14
Grey-taupe #A79E96
True Summer neutral · ΔE 16
Light cool grey #B9BFC4
Light Summer neutral · ΔE 16
As of November 11, 2026, nothing in stock samples close to #A79BB0. The guide below has the nearest colors that do. 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.
Yes. Dusty lavender (#A79BB0) is an anchor color in the Soft Summer 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.
Nearly. Soft Summer's soft mauve is six points away and slightly pinker. Dusty lavender as the palette uses it is RGB 167, 155, 176: grey with violet in it. Both are in the palette, so the distinction is academic.
Yes. It is greyer than Light Summer's own lavender and can look a little muted on a Light Summer, but it is cool and soft and pairs with the same greys.
Yes. True Summer's cool grey is eleven points away. On a True Summer, dusty lavender reads as a grey with a hint of color, which is a good thing in that palette.
For a Soft Summer: soft navy, dove taupe, greyed aqua, soft white, soft cool raspberry. Dusty lavender and soft navy is the easiest pairing. Avoid black and bright white.
The Soft Summer guide · All in-stock Soft Summer pieces · ← Soft plum · Greyed aqua → · All colors