Brown is a rich, versatile color that brings warmth and depth to men’s fashion. Far from being dull, brown offers a sophisticated palette that ranges from light camel to deep chocolate tones.
This guide explores how to strategically incorporate brown into your wardrobe, highlighting its potential to create refined, earthy looks across various styles and occasions.
Brown Color Combinations For Men
On the men’s color wardrobe spectrum, brown is all too often a maligned member of the family: sleek grey suits, sophisticated black coats, and navy blue striped clothing. But natural tones like tan, cinnamon, and sepia are happy companions for hints of brown as part of your look, and they create a certain mood. Brown color in clothes has its nuances, but it still looks subtle and collegiate.
In the world of tailoring, darker shades tend to dominate, but brown is a refreshing antidote. It’s elegant, subdued, but not corporate. Professional athletes Odell Beckham Jr. and JJ Redick have proven their edge in the combination of brown in clothing. Textured fabrics benefit from shades too.
The patina on worn leather or shiny suede surfaces can be lost in black; cognac or tan colors add a certain richness and depth. A man’s winter wardrobe reserve can often be black – like a black shaded winter coat or a tailored suit – but this softer alternative falls into the sartorial sweet spot.
The trusty overcoat
The history of the overcoat – it evolved as a dress for officers in World War I – brings with it certain stylistic colors, such as epaulettes, wide lapels, and polished brass buttons, the sheen of which is perfectly offset by a deep shade of nutmeg.
Wear this coat neatly buttoned up with elegant trousers to show off your stately look, or dilute your look with light, understated knits.
Old is new and old with new
Plaid, checkerboard, and herringbone patterns — anything that might come under the term heritage — can be a cunning beast of tailoring to master. Add some corduroy pants. Traditional fabrics are beautiful and show British supremacy in the textile industry but bypass the history lesson and bring things into the 21st century.
A bright, minimalist shirt (wear not tucked in), perhaps a neat T-shirt, or a slouchy silhouette. If you love streetwear, wear a cap, and you will be the most stylish.
Play with patterns
The natural connotations of brown — autumn leaves, mossy hills — add flavor to outdoor clothing, most effectively in a subtle, evocative pattern. Add Colorado tops and rustic jeans to the look above to complete the effect.
Play with the brown tone by mixing it with similar shades such as latte, hazelnut, and caramel. An entire Starbucks color menu adds a warm element to your outfit.
Sprezzatura styles
Italian designers such as Brunello Cucinelli, Barena, and Canali have long made brown the signature of their collections, teamed up with solid navy blue.
The overall effect is masculine, meaning dark blue is exclusively for the boardroom. Try the sprezzatura style – this is ease and carelessness in clothes.
Retro style
For all the 1970s fashion misfires, this was the decade that tailoring bias was eliminated. The suit your dad wore in the office ten years ago is suddenly ripe for dancing in the disco, with a tapered waist, exaggerated lapels, and shoulders, and a turtleneck instead of a shirt.
Throw in the fact that the shades of tawny and taupe can’t help but succumb to some 1970s hindsight, and combining a brown jacket with polo is a stylistically double punch. Avoid the extra bulk and choose two shades – perhaps cocoa with tan to bring out all the subtleties.
Textured textiles
Quilted, textured jackets are winter perennials because they provide warmth and comfort. Dark brown is the standard here, but it can sometimes feel like a bit of 1980s detective.
And, even more, the darker tone will appear more sophisticated and less mellow. Wear a rustic look with a cotton shirt to look more sophisticated.
Brown trousers
While cream chinos are an option for the summer months for warm weather, brown trousers in sturdy fabric are a more mature and sophisticated piece of clothing.
The trick is to avoid the daddy dressing trap and add a warm jersey or knit shirt for winter or a silk one for summer, and you run the risk of looking very stylish.
In Closing
Navigating brown in men’s fashion is about understanding its nuanced versatility. Whether used as a primary color or a strategic accent, brown provides a grounding element that can add a dash of elegance and style to any outfit.
By mastering brown’s subtle art of styling, you can create looks that are both sophisticated and effortlessly natural.
Before you go, you may be interested in this guide on Mixing and Matching Clothing Colors for Men.
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