What colors go with mauve?

Mauve likes partners as soft as it is: dark grey, camel, plum, dusty blue and a muted olive green.

What to wear with mauve

mauve #A87C8B
dark grey #4A4D52

Mauve and dark grey

Neutral base Medium contrast

Dark grey shares mauve's cool, smoky quality but sits much deeper, so it frames the soft rose-purple without overpowering it. The pairing looks sophisticated and calm.

When to wear it: Office wear and autumn: a mauve silk blouse with charcoal pants, a charcoal suit with a mauve shirt or tie, or a mauve knit dress with dark grey tights and boots.

What to avoid: Black in charcoal's place is often too strong and makes mauve look dusty. Finish the look with silver or pewter; yellow gold fights mauve's cool grey.

Suits: Soft Summer Cool Summer Deep Winter

mauve #A87C8B
camel #C19A6B

Mauve and camel

Neutral base Low contrast

Camel is a soft, warm neutral, and mauve has just enough warmth on its pink side to meet it. Both colors are muted and close in lightness, so the effect is mellow and warm.

When to wear it: Autumn and winter: a camel coat over a mauve sweater, a mauve dress with camel boots and belt, or camel pants with a mauve cashmere roll-neck.

What to avoid: Camel, mauve and a third mid-tone together turn the outfit into one beige-pink haze. Add a deeper accent, such as dark brown boots or a plum bag.

Suits: Soft Autumn Soft Summer Light Spring

mauve #A87C8B
plum #6E2F5E

Mauve and plum

Tonal: one color, light and dark Medium contrast

Plum is mauve with the grey pulled out and the depth turned up, so the two share a rose-purple hue. Mauve looks lighter and fresher beside it, and plum gives the outfit a deep anchor.

When to wear it: Fall and evenings: a plum skirt with a mauve blouse, a mauve shirt under a plum blazer, or plum velvet with mauve silk for a dinner or a winter wedding.

What to avoid: A plum that leans brown or a mauve that leans beige weakens the tonal link. Keep both on the rose-purple side, and leave out any third pink brighter than either.

Suits: Deep Winter Cool Summer Cool Winter

mauve #A87C8B
dusty blue #7F9BB3

Mauve and dusty blue

Contrasting hues Low contrast

Dusty blue and mauve are both greyed, so they share a soft, low-saturation mood even though their hues sit a third of the wheel apart. Cool blue against rose-purple gives a gentle contrast that never shouts.

When to wear it: Spring and late summer: a dusty blue linen shirt with a mauve skirt, a mauve dress with a dusty blue cardigan, or both in a printed tie or scarf. It is a popular palette for bridesmaids.

What to avoid: Because the two sit at a similar depth, the pairing can look flat. Add a white or ivory piece, or one darker shoe, so the outfit has a light and a dark end.

Suits: Soft Summer Cool Summer Light Summer

mauve #A87C8B
olive green #708238

Mauve and olive green

Opposites on the color wheel Low contrast

Olive is a muted green and mauve a muted rose, so they are opposites on the color wheel with the same earthy saturation. The complement brings warmth and depth without the brightness of pink and green.

When to wear it: Autumn: olive cargo pants with a mauve sweater, an olive utility jacket over a mauve dress, or a mauve scarf with an olive coat. It suits relaxed weekends more than formal events.

What to avoid: A yellowish, khaki-like olive makes mauve look pinker and sweeter than you want. Pick a deeper, greener olive, and let one of the two colors dominate.

Suits: Soft Autumn

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

Colors to keep away from mauve

- hot pink #E8178A
Hot pink is mauve's family with all the grey removed, so beside it mauve stops looking soft and starts looking faded. If you want brightness with mauve, keep it to a small piece, or reach for a deeper plum instead.
- orange #F37A1F
A saturated orange is warm, loud and clear, while mauve is cool, quiet and greyed. Next to the orange, mauve turns drab, and the orange looks harsh against it. A soft terracotta or rust gives warmth without the fight.

Step 1 / 1

Take a selfie in daylight

Face a window, without makeup if you can, hair as it naturally falls. Daylight and no filter keep your real skin tone — colored lamps and beauty filters change the result.

🙂

Your selfie is used for your reading and saved in your private Color Suite only if you go on to a try-on. Never shared, never used for training.

In an office full of navy and grey, a mauve blouse or tie adds color that still looks quiet. Mauve sits between pink and purple with a good dose of grey in it, a muted, mid-depth rose-purple, and that greyness is its strength: it calms louder colors around it and looks expensive in fabrics with a gentle sheen, such as silk, satin and fine merino. Worn as a top it suits soft, muted coloring best, blending in instead of competing; beside very clear, high-contrast coloring it can look faded.

Most of mauve's best partners are just as muted. Dark grey and camel make it an everyday color, plum gives a tonal outfit with more depth, dusty blue a cool, gentle contrast, and olive green the earthy opposite. Loud colors are the ones that trouble mauve, because brightness beside it makes its softness look dull.

FAQ

Is mauve pink or purple?

Both, in a way. Mauve is a greyed rose-purple: pinker than lavender, more purple than dusty rose, and softer than either. Some mauves lean toward pink, others toward lilac. The pinker ones are easier with camel and cream, the more purple ones with grey and navy.

What color heels go with mauve?

Taupe, grey and soft metallics such as pewter or rose gold keep a mauve dress gentle. Burgundy or plum shoes add depth for evening, and tan suede suits autumn days. Very bright shoes, such as red or cobalt, pull the eye away from the dress and make mauve look faded.

Is mauve warm-toned or cool-toned?

Mauve is mostly cool, because of its grey and its purple, but the pinker versions carry some warmth. That middle position is why so many seasons can wear one. It sits closest to the soft, muted palettes, Soft Summer above all, and also turns up in Light Summer, Cool Summer and Light Spring.

Is mauve a good color for a wedding?

Yes, for guests and bridesmaids alike. A mauve dress or tie suits a spring or autumn wedding and photographs softly. Bridal parties often combine it with dusty blue, sage and ivory. Mauve is muted enough not to compete with the couple, and it works with silver as well as soft gold jewelry.

Does mauve go with black?

It can, but black is much stronger and can make mauve look dusty. Keep black to shoes, a belt or a bag, or choose a deeper, pinker mauve that holds its own. For an evening outfit with a dark partner, charcoal or plum beside mauve looks softer and more polished than black.