People often ask me how to wear this controversial color combo, so today I wanted to talk about the best way to rock both brown and black in the same outfit. Yes, you can wear black and brown together, and if styled correctly, these colors actually make up one of my favorite combinations!
The most important thing to remember:
The most important thing you need to know when you’re trying to figure out how to wear this controversial color combo is that they need to contrast each other. What does this mean? This means that you shouldn’t be pairing chocolate brown with black.
Why? Because when the colors are too close to the same hue, it looks mismatched, however when the colors are contrasting (like in my outfit pictured) it looks like they were meant to go together. In the famous words of Clinton Kelly, colors and prints don’t have to match, they just have to go together.
How to work with this color combo:
Think about the color wheel and how contrasting colors are considered complimentary: i.e. orange and blue, yellow and purple. To make black and brown work, ensure that there is enough contrast between the two to make both colors pop.
Try a warm chestnut brown belt with black pants or a black skirt as I’ve done here. As long as they are differentiated, black and brown will always work together. For men, I’d follow the rule of thumb to match your belt to your shoe. For instance, a black suit looks amazing with a chestnut brown belt and shoes.
For women, try an all black outfit with a gorgeous chestnut bag to make a statement. The goal is to make the colors pop, so have fun with it!
Just remember:
Just remember that dark brown and dark black won’t go together because they’ll look too similar. It’s like when you pair navy and black. Navy and black work together if the navy has a distinctly blue hue against the black. If the navy is too dark, it will be the same concept as with the brown. Unmatched and unpolished.
If you’re wondering how to wear this controversial color combo, opt for lighter browns and dark blacks to give your look a unique and contrasting look!