There’s often talk of all-black outfits. Sometimes all-white or other neutral monochromatic looks take center stage. But I rarely see brown as the protagonist. So today, since fall is one of the best times to wear brown, I’m bringing you four monochromatic outfits that play with different shades of brown: taupe, tan, chocolate, and copper.
But first, let me tell you a short story.
How I Learned to Love The Color Brown
I used to own and love brown pieces while living in Colombia over twelve years ago. But then, brown became an “old people color,” hence “not fashionable,” so I stopped wearing it. One day, however, while trying to figure out my own color palette, I focused on my eyes.
Oh, how much I’d grown up wanting my eyes to be blue or green — but no, they were brown…and dull, or so I thought, in my self-loathing opinion.
Top l Jacket l Pants (more colors at Saks) l Bag
But after looking at them closely, I saw their beautiful pattern and bright golden specks, which are hard for others to see unless the sun is hitting my face. But what if all that mattered was that I could see the beautiful complex colors of my eyes? So I learned to love them and I dress to enhance them, just like blue-eyed people do when they wear blue. Brown became my blue.
Eventually, when I got into color analysis, I was reaffirmed that brown was one of the most flattering colors I could wear, and I haven’t looked back ever since.
Color Analysis Note
You might feel that brown is not for you. But every person has at least one shade of brown that looks good with their complexions. There are cold, neutral, and warm shades of brown to try. Take a look!
Monochrome Brown Outfit Ideas
This is a small example of the different range of browns you can wear; some people will find the cool or the warmer tones are better, while others will feel they can flow from one to the other depending on the styling.
You can do monochrome brown outfits two ways by going for the exact color in all pieces or mixing and matching different shades of brown. This applies to any color!
Monochrome Brown Outfit #1: Taupe
Whenever I have a client with a cool undertone, I suggest going for greyish browns or browns without a warm orangy tone. Here I went for head-to-toe taupe, adding depth and contrast with the deep berry (almost brown) jacket.
Sweater l Jacket l Pants l Shoes l Bag l Earrings
Monochrome Brown Outfit #2: Toffee & Tan
Here we have the other extreme. While taupe can drain warm complexions, sand, toffee, and tan will bring out all the glow. I used the same Cinq à Sept cargo joggers in a different brown, which can look warm or cool depending on the styling, and paired it with a cozy wrap sweater, J.Crew’s sweater blazer in off-white to keep it fresh, and this stunning Madewell tan bag. I can see this easily going from day to night with a change of shoes, which is why I love these joggers so much.
Sweater l Coat l Pants l Bag l Necklace
Monochrome Brown Outfit #3: Chocolate
Chocolate brown is reigning this season, and I’m here for it. I’ve searched for dark brown pieces for years, and the selection used to be much more limited. Thanks to these coated jeans from Hudson (which read like brown leather pants) and these bronze Veja sneakers, this outfit revolves around feeling comfortable but looking like a million bucks.
Monochrome Brown Outfit #4: Copper
This outfit started when I fell in love with these copper-colored Cinq à Sept cargo joggers. You may remember when I first shared them here. They were out of my price range for joggers, even on sale, but after trying them on with pretty much everything in my closet, I decided to keep them. I promise to do a full review soon.
Top l Jacket l Pants (more colors at Saks) l Bag
I have a neutral-warm undertone and deep, saturated colors really make me glow. So I can play between medium and deep shades in an outfit. The brown top, copper-bronze joggers, and tan accessories blend harmoniously, even if they all have different saturations. And while the jacket is a deep berry, the color is close enough to dark brown that it also blends in beautifully.
*I’ve also worn this exact monochromatic outfit with ivory sneakers instead of boots for a more casual look.
How’s your relationship with the color brown? Which browns are your favorite?
Besos,
Julieta
For more ways to look casually put together, join me on IG (@julietatorresd). I’d love to see you there. And if you want to discover your best browns and more colors virtually from the comfort of your home, find more info here.
Photography by the talented @jpenaph and @gisetorresd
