What colors go with brown?

Cream and light blue give brown contrast, tan keeps it tonal, and olive or dusty rose add color without breaking its earthy calm.

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What to wear with brown

brown #6F4A2F
cream #F2E8CF

Brown and cream

Neutral base High contrast

Cream is a white with some warmth in it, so it lifts brown without the glare pure white brings to an earthy color. The light-dark gap is wide enough to look clean, and the shared warmth keeps the pair soft.

When to wear it: A cream cable knit with brown cords in fall, a cream silk blouse under a brown suede jacket, or brown linen pants with a cream tee on a summer evening.

What to avoid: Cream that has yellowed with washing looks grubby against brown, so keep the light piece fresh. Bluish, very cool whites lose the softness this pairing is worn for.

Suits: Warm Autumn Deep Autumn Soft Autumn

brown #6F4A2F
light blue #A8C8E8

Brown and light blue

Opposites on the color wheel High contrast

Brown is a darkened orange and light blue a pale blue, so the two sit on opposite sides of the wheel and each pulls the other's color forward. The pale blue also brings the brightness brown lacks, which keeps a brown outfit from feeling heavy.

When to wear it: A light blue shirt with a brown suit or brown wool slacks is a smart office choice from fall into spring. More casually, wear a pale blue oxford with brown chinos and suede desert boots, or a light blue knit with a brown skirt.

What to avoid: Half light blue and half brown splits the body into two blocks. Keep the blue near your face and the brown below it, or frame a blue shirt with a brown jacket, so one color clearly leads.

Suits: Soft Summer Deep Winter

brown #6F4A2F
tan #D2B48C

Brown and tan

Tonal: one color, light and dark High contrast

Tan is brown with plenty of light added, so the pair is one hue at two depths. The step between them is big enough to show, which makes a brown-on-brown outfit look planned, not accidental.

When to wear it: Tan chinos with a brown knit polo, a brown dress under a tan trench coat, tan suede loafers with brown flannel pants. It is a natural look for fall and early spring, best in matte fabrics such as suede, wool and cotton twill.

What to avoid: Two browns of almost the same depth look like a failed match. Keep a clear jump between them, and if a third brown joins, put it at the feet or the belt, away from the middle of the outfit.

Suits: Warm Autumn Soft Autumn Deep Autumn

brown #6F4A2F
olive green #708238

Brown and olive green

Contrasting hues Low contrast

Olive is a dark, yellowish green and brown a dark orange, two hues that sit well apart on the wheel. Both are muted and earthy, though, so the contrast stays quiet and the pair takes on the relaxed, outdoorsy look of workwear and field jackets.

When to wear it: An olive field jacket over a brown sweater, olive cargo pants with brown leather boots and belt, a brown corduroy shirt with olive chinos. It suits weekends, trips to the country and travel days, mostly in fall and winter.

What to avoid: The two sit at a similar depth, so on their own they can look drab or swampy. Add one light piece, such as a cream tee or an ivory shirt, to give the outfit an edge, and keep shiny or bright greens out of it.

Suits: Warm Autumn Deep Autumn Soft Autumn

brown #6F4A2F
dusty rose #C9939B

Brown and dusty rose

Neutral base Medium contrast

Here brown is the base and dusty rose the color. A muted pink carries a little warmth of its own, so it softens brown instead of fighting it, and brown makes the pink look more grown-up than it would beside white.

When to wear it: A dusty rose blouse with a brown skirt or pants, a brown leather jacket over a rose slip dress, or a rose knit with brown boots in early spring. It suits dinners, gallery visits and relaxed office days.

What to avoid: A sugary candy pink looks childish beside brown; the pink needs some grey in it. Keep brown the larger area and rose the accent, or the outfit loses its base.

Suits: Soft Autumn Soft Summer Deep Winter

Which of these flatter you depends on your color season. Find my season →

Colors to keep away from brown

- grey #808080
Mid grey and mid brown sit at almost the same depth, yet one is cool and the other warm. Side by side, the grey looks cold and the brown looks muddy. Light grey works far better, since it adds the light-dark contrast the pair is missing.
- hot pink #E8178A
Hot pink is cool, bright and loud; brown is warm and muted. Beside a saturated pink, brown loses its richness and looks dull and dusty, and the pink turns harsher than it is. If you want pink with brown, choose a softer, greyed pink.

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Brown cords, a suede jacket, a walnut knit: most brown clothes are matte, textured and warm, and that is the key to wearing the color. Brown is orange with the light and most of the brightness taken out. This mid shade, the color of strong coffee, sits between camel and chocolate, so it can play either role: under a cream sweater it is the dark anchor, beside navy the lighter, warmer piece.

Treat it as a neutral with a temperature. By the face it looks rich on muted, warm coloring and can look heavy on very clear, icy coloring, which does better with brown in pants, boots and belts. Cream keeps the outfit soft and warm, a pale blue shirt cools it with real contrast, tan builds a brown-on-brown look for fall, and olive or dusty rose bring color without leaving the earthy family. Skip thin, shiny brown fabrics, which tend to look dated.

FAQ

Can you wear brown and black together?

Yes, as long as there is a clear gap between them. A dark brown next to black can look like a mistake, while a mid or light brown, such as a brown suede jacket over a black knit, reads as chosen. Repeating each color once more, black pants with a black belt and a brown jacket with brown boots, makes the mix look deliberate.

What color shoes go with brown pants?

Darker brown leather is the safe choice, from chocolate loafers to dark brown boots, because shoes a shade deeper than the pants ground the outfit. Tan or cognac suede works in spring and summer, white leather sneakers suit casual brown chinos, and burgundy gives a dressier look. Black shoes are the hardest, since they look heavy beneath a warm mid brown.

Does brown go with blue jeans?

Yes, and it is one of the most reliable casual pairings: denim is blue and brown is a dark orange, so they sit opposite each other on the wheel. A brown suede jacket, a brown knit or brown leather boots suit mid-wash and dark-wash jeans. With pale, light-wash denim, a mid brown looks better than a very dark one, which can feel top-heavy.

Does gold or silver jewelry go better with brown?

Gold is the easy match, because its yellow warmth repeats the warmth in brown. Silver works too, especially when the outfit includes light blue, a greyed pink or other cool notes, and it can make brown look more modern. Brushed or antique finishes of either metal suit the matte, earthy character of brown better than high polish.

Which color seasons look best in brown?

A mid brown sits closest to the autumn palettes: Warm Autumn, Deep Autumn and Soft Autumn wear it near the face with ease. Warm Spring, Soft Summer and Deep Winter can wear it too, usually with a lighter or brighter color by the face. Clear, icy coloring tends to look better with brown kept to shoes and belts, well away from the collar.