By Chris Smith
Considering how many everyday items that we love are coloured brown it seems a bit unfair that it’s the Cinderella colour when it comes to wearing it for clothes. Being ‘browned off’ means to be a bit miserable. Which could be why the last time it was popular was in the seventies. This Summer however brown has featured in tan and golden shades often with olive green and teal and is going to continue into the Autumn together with orange and forest green. So forget dark and dingy, which it can look on its own, and team it with a whole palette of colours to show off its warmth and versatility.
Here are five brilliant ways to help you to look at brown in a whole new light and to enjoy wearing it.
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Warmer Than Black
Brown is the colour of earth and of nature and comes in many shades and tones, from chocolate, coffee and mahogany through to golden and tan, it flatters any skin tone and hair colour. For those with pale or fair skin it’s much less harsh than black and doesn’t give you that ‘washed out’ look. Fabrics such as velvet and wool for coats and jackets look cosier than black, when worn with jewel bright accessories.
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Stripes and Spots
Other colours bring out the best in brown, so choose a top or dress with stripes in another colour and team with matching accessories. A mid brown dress with white spots would be really striking if you are aiming for a vintage vibe.
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Bags and Shoes
The way to wear the new brown is to mix and match different shades for each item of your outfit, as each will complement the other. Shoes in chestnut and as shiny as conkers will look great with say a teal blue dress. Over-sized bags, slouchy style, are going to be really popular this Autumn in shades of chocolate, tan and beige. Suddenly black seems a bit boring!
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Brown and Gold
When worn with black, gold can look a bit harsh whereas brown and gold have similar tones and lights and create warmth which complements each other. So gold jewellery is perfect when worn with brown. For a special occasion, instead of a little black dress, try warm chocolate brown and drape it with a golden shawl or pashmina around your shoulders.
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Buy One Brown Thing!
To prove how versatile brown is buy a simple scarf or belt and lay it beside some of the different coloured items already in your wardrobe, those that you have maybe never been able to match with any others such as yellow, olive green and orange and see how they make each come alive. Maybe you’ll be tempted to buy a new brown coat this autumn to replace the conventional black!
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