5 min read
Brown has moved from the back of the wardrobe to the front, and it is one of the easiest colours to combine because it lives in the same warm family as so much of what we already own.
Treat brown as a neutral and pick its partner by temperature: warm tones to blend, cool tones to contrast.
Within the warm family
Cream, camel, tan and rust all sit close to brown, so the outfit reads tonal and calm. Vary the depth instead of the hue: a dark brown jacket over a camel knit with a cream shirt gives three steps of the same warmth.
Texture keeps a tonal outfit from looking flat. Suede, wool and leather in similar tones read richer together than one colour in a single fabric.
With olive and green
Olive and brown are close cousins, both earthy and muted. A brown coat over an olive knit is one of the most reliable cold-weather pairings there is.
A deeper forest green adds more contrast while staying in the same natural register.
With cool tones
Navy sharpens brown and stops it feeling heavy. Denim blue does the same in a more casual key, which is why brown boots and blue jeans are so easy together.
White and pale grey lighten brown and lift the whole outfit. Use them when the brown is dark and the day is bright.
The takeaway · Wear brown tonal with cream, camel and olive, or give it contrast with navy, denim blue and white.