What Colours Go With Brown? Why We’re Wearing Brown With Blue This Autumn

If there is one colour we can’t escape this autumn, it’s brown — and we’re definitely not complaining.

Chocolate, tan, caramel, espresso… it’s everywhere at Dotique at the moment. But one question that comes up when you actually get your new brown trousers, skirt or jacket home is what do I wear with it?

Cream is easy. Black works. Beige is always going to be an option.

But the combination we’re loving at the moment is brown and blue.

It wasn’t necessarily the first pairing we’d have thought of either, but after putting together some outfits in store this week, we’re completely sold. Pale blue makes chocolate brown feel fresher, dark denim works brilliantly with warmer browns, and even a printed blue and brown blouse suddenly gives your usual evening trousers a completely different feel.

So if you’ve bought into brown this autumn and you’re wondering what to wear with it, here are four ways we’d do it.

This was the outfit that started the whole thing.

We paired a Stella Nova pale blue blouse with chocolate brown barrel jeans from Sofie Schnoor and immediately loved it.

The softness of the blue works so well against the deeper chocolate, while the contrast stops the brown feeling too heavy. Add trainers and a bag and it’s an easy outfit for lunch, shopping or a weekend away.

Sophie says: If you’ve been wearing your brown jeans with cream on repeat, swap the cream for pale blue. You might be surprised by how much fresher the whole outfit feels.

Probably the easiest way to try it.

The Tiny Big Sister Frank Polo actually combines powder blue, chocolate brown and cream in the knit itself, so you don’t really have to think about the colour combination at all.

We’ve put it with MAC Jeans dark indigo jeans and brown accessories.

And this is a really good one if you’ve fallen for a brown knit, jacket or pair of shoes this season but aren’t sure what to put with them: your blue denim is already the answer.

Absolutely — and this might be one of our favourites.

A chocolate cord skirt like this one from Part Two can immediately make you think cream knit, brown boots, done.

Instead, we’ve added the HV Society pale blue knit. With brown tights and knee-high boots, you’ve still got all those lovely autumnal tones, but the blue breaks everything up.

It’s also a good example of why you don’t necessarily need to buy an entirely new outfit. Sometimes it’s just about trying two things in your wardrobe together that you wouldn’t normally have considered.

This is where brown gets really interesting.

If you’re going out for dinner or drinks, chances are you’d normally reach for black coated trousers.

But chocolate brown gives you exactly the same ease while feeling a little different.

We’ve paired our MAC Jeans brown coated barrel trousers with a blue, cream and brown printed blouse from Herzen's, ankle boots and gold jewellery.

It’s still incredibly easy to wear — just not quite as predictable as black.

A chocolate cardigan from American Vintage gives blue wide-leg Paige jeans an instant autumn update, while the pale blue borg gilet brings the whole look together. It’s casual, practical and perfect for this in-between weather — and every piece can easily be worn in completely different ways throughout the season.

Or turn the combination around. Brown jeans are one of our favourite alternatives to classic blue denim this autumn, and this is exactly how we’d wear them now. The American Vintage powder blue cardigan lifts the chocolate brown Paige Jeans, while the borg gilet adds another layer without making the outfit feel too wintry. Add trainers and you’ve got an easy everyday September outfit.

If you love your neutrals but want to introduce a little colour, pale blue works beautifully with chocolate brown. We’ve paired this Part Two soft blue knit with wide-leg leather-look trousers from Robell— the knit keeps it relaxed while the trousers make it feel that little bit smarter. One for lunch, dinner or those days when jeans don’t quite feel enough.

Pale blue + chocolate brown — probably our favourite and the freshest combination.

Dark denim + brown — the easiest place to start because you probably already own it.

Navy + tan or caramel — classic and very easy to wear.

Mid-blue + chocolate — stronger contrast if you want the blue to stand out.

And you don’t have to match your browns. Chocolate trousers with a slightly lighter brown suede bag or shoe can actually make an outfit look more interesting.

Yes — very much so.

And perhaps that’s why we’re loving it. Brown has become such a big part of autumn wardrobes that it’s easy to fall into wearing it with the same cream, camel and black pieces every time.

Blue gives it something different.

Start with the blue jeans you already own. Try a pale blue shirt with your chocolate trousers. Or, next time you’re about to put a cream jumper over a brown skirt, try blue instead.

Sometimes the best new outfit is already sitting in your wardrobe — you just hadn’t thought about putting the two pieces together.