YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Drawn to Brown

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Drawn to Brown https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:48:13 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Stagiaire Fash on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952780 Sun, 02 Sep 2018 08:16:04 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 1952780@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Good intentions, weak understanding, lol. I should’ve read more carefully—you said you didn’t have much green and blue, not none. Got it. On the Anthropologie comments: it’s a trendy store. I think that when people post about it (unless they’re saying “consider buying this”), they probably mean what I did—“yes, this is indeed where fashion is going right now”, a confirmation of your fashion sense, and a kind of compliment. anchie on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952779 Sun, 02 Sep 2018 08:09:01 +0000 anchie 1952779@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Fashintern- LOL lots of misunderstanding. I just noticed that many people mentioned Anthropology shop as good source for brown, not just for glasses but that is not easy solution for me. And about second point - I did not understand your question apparently. I don’t have anything brown, but do have those olive pants and 2 blue tops that I think can go with some potential brown. All items in my finds are exact color of what I own. Stagiaire Fash on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952775 Sun, 02 Sep 2018 07:54:48 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 1952775@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Lol. I don’t think you want more brown glasses to go with your brown glasses. The link is to their reading and sunglasses, all of which are brown. Like I said, I think they agree with you that brown glasses are on trend. I was not saying you needed to go to their store and buy their glasses. About green/blue, I was asking if the items that are green and blue in your finds are green and blue in your wardrobe, or if you have them in brown. Since you replied by saying that you don’t have green or blue, I’m guessing that you have those items in brown, and only posted green and blue pictures because you couldn’t find them in brown. anchie on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952774 Sun, 02 Sep 2018 07:48:53 +0000 anchie 1952774@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ L’Abeille - thank you, some really greta suggestions. You are also making interesting point about glasses being part of your personal coloring but not necessarily looking good as clothes. I haven’t committed to brown until I get the chance to see how I feel about it next to my face. I have never got my colors done, but I think I would have been autumn with my yellow based skin, dark brown eyes and hair. But now no idea with my white and silver hair wich is on the cool side. FashIntern - no anthropology shop here, not sure about online shopping, never tried them. DonnaF - i like your finds, and this particular shade of brown that looks little bit coppery and has enough contrast with the black. My eyes are solid color dark chocolate brown, and not sure that I would like to go that dark, would be difficult to mix with the black. My glasses are not dark brown and they have coppery metalic sides. anchie on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952771 Sun, 02 Sep 2018 07:30:08 +0000 anchie 1952771@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Apologies for disappearing, having really busy period, with start of the school year, medical appointments and various social obligations. Most days I am out the door at 8AM am and back home only after 9PM, exhausted. But looking forward to quiet Sunday at home today. Shevia - yes, light blue looks great with brown, but I don’t have much in that color unfortunately. Just sweater and chambray shirt that I posted above in finds. And I don’t wear them much, probably because I don’t have anything to match them and I am matchy-matchy at heart. That is probably the reason why I am so hesitant about introducing new color, I will not wear it if it is something stand alone. LisaP - I know what you mean about your hair clashing withe the brown. My white/silver hair can’t be more on the cool side, but I hope with so many different shades of brown, there must be some that will go with our hairs too. shiny - I am familiar with Vivienne Files, I am similarly analytical as her, and love to look at her color palettes for inspiration . But I don’t always like the clothes she chooses and how she pairs them, proportions often look wrong. Marilyn - I don’t see anything yet at my favorite retailers, and search for brown returns many different colors like mustard, rust and tan but almost nothing true brown. rachylou - I never thought about brown not being done, you mean it doesn’t look sharp enough? My daughter is into horseback riding and I am at the stables weekly, so I will fit in ;) Mainlady - thank you, some great color suggestions, especially orange red and turquoise are my favorites colors. Not sure about more earth colors, no experience with them, will probably need to experiment, but don’t want to go completely earth tones too. DonnaF on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952702 Sun, 02 Sep 2018 01:05:11 +0000 DonnaF 1952702@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I would start with the browns that match the various browns in your eyes. My hair used to have brown undertones, but well, no more so that avenue is gone. I also find that if a brown or other earthy color is too warm it makes me feel heavy and a little depressed. I can wear a larger dose of cooler browns. I showed the cordovan mules below because it is reddish and I think it goes with cooler browns. Petite sized clothing is rarely cutting edge so I doubt I will see solid brown items in years. But I'm thinking the top two Finds will work well because they combine brown with black. Or at least I think the plaid shirt has black, but I also think it would look fab with navy. Stagiaire Fash on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952541 Sat, 01 Sep 2018 08:31:06 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 1952541@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Anthropology certainly agrees with you on the glasses! <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.anthropologie.com/de-de/eyewear">https://www.anthropologie.com/de-de/eyewear</a> L'Abeille on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952511 Sat, 01 Sep 2018 02:26:48 +0000 L'Abeille 1952511@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think your colouring is warmer than mine (I'm a Winter through and through; my hair used to be dark brown but my eyes are grey-blue). But your closet looks an awful lot like mine, except you also have some sour brights. I wore browns and earth tones in the seventies because everyone did. But I discovered that wearing a brown top made my hair look greenish next to it. After that, I avoided brown completely, and my neutrals were black and navy. Then, I finally needed reading glasses. And, like you, the ones that felt most like me were tortoiseshell. It seems that the glasses are part of my personal colouring rather than my clothes, because I still can't wear brown next to my face. I have added some in the brown family though: a taupe-y tan in trench coats and khaki pants, because that is the classic shade they come in; and shoes/belt/handbag complements in cognac and in cordovan, which is more of a brownish burgundy. Also some leopard print, which mixes brown with my black--especially snow leopard with a white background. Apart from the glasses, which were pre-YLF, I got my start from a Friday post Angie did on a summer black dress with brown accents. That is still the formula I follow: the basic outfit is black, and brown serves as the accent colour. So, I suggest you start with your familiar black base, and find some lovely dark brown tall boots to wear with it. Then maybe some tweed that combines black with flecks of brown or tan. And leopard of course. All of those are "natural ", and should work for you whether or not you find that brown as a colour/neutral does. I can't wait to see what you come up with ! Mainelady on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952454 Fri, 31 Aug 2018 21:44:51 +0000 Mainelady 1952454@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am a big fan of brown. I always have been. Angie has given you a great list of colors to try pairing with your brown. I adore my browns with earth tones, specificially rusts, mustard, toffee. I think brown and turquoise is gorgeous as is a deep red orange. Have fun experimenting with your new browns! rachylou on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952383 Fri, 31 Aug 2018 15:57:43 +0000 rachylou 1952383@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ In the back of my mind there’s always this little voice saying ‘brown is not done’. It’s the colour you wear to muck out stables. But I love brown. I saw this outfit once - a navy a-line skirt and brown jumper, crisp white shirt under, that I just loved. Both pricey and of very fine quality. I hemmed and hawed, and by the time I went in to the shop, they were sold out. Boo hoo! Any case, I do think brown can be sharp, if the dye quality is high. Marilyn on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952380 Fri, 31 Aug 2018 15:28:57 +0000 Marilyn 1952380@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <div>I'm following this with interest and I'm hoping that brown starts showing up in retail.  I have a couple brown items but it seems like it's all but disappeared.</div><div> </div><div>Many years ago when I had my colours done I was told that cocoa brown was my best colour.  I used to wear this cool brown tone a lot. </div> shiny on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952376 Fri, 31 Aug 2018 15:04:03 +0000 shiny 1952376@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This thread reminds me of The Vivienne Files "start with art" capsules. Check that out if you aren't already familiar.  It also reminds me of this throw pillow I just bought for our sofa.... antelope/fawn print (if you can find it) might tie your black pieces in with the brown and is less expected than leopard. Incidentally our home is decorated in a range of cool AND warm tones, so lots of chocolate brown, beige, linen AND grey. There are other accent colors too -- sage green, yellow, orange, navy.  Anonymous on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952374 Fri, 31 Aug 2018 14:40:11 +0000 Anonymous 1952374@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm following this thread eagerly.. I used to buy every brown piece I could find - and had a nice collection of pieces.....until it seemed to disappear from retail.  The discussions about browns here on the forum and the blog have really piqued my interest and I'd love to broaden  my winter wardrobe a bit by doing just what you are doing too.  Adding in paler neutrals is a recommendation Angie made from last winter, and I'm still committed to it.  I am confused about how browns will work with my hair colour, which is decidedly cool and ashy, and wonder if I need to recolour to something warmer.   Jaime on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952297 Fri, 31 Aug 2018 02:39:43 +0000 Jaime 1952297@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am also feeling brown - I know the move in fashion is toward brown and earth tones and this is a trend that is definitely resonating (or causing?) my mood. I think light blue and brown would look great on you. Angie recently posted her new light blue bag with her animal print jacket and it looked perfect.  anchie on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952247 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 16:30:39 +0000 anchie 1952247@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Angie - thank you for this color combinations, we do love similar colors and I have a lot of those myself, like dark blue, white, citron, orange and tomato red. Unfortunately I have those colors only in my summer wardrobe. My winter wardrobe is very neutral and dark, with lot of black and some gray. I think I need to start adding some light neutrals first that work with black and gray but also with brown and other more earthy colors. Any suggestions? Angie on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952244 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 16:13:12 +0000 Angie 1952244@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Anchie, I've added quite a bit of toffee, cognac and true brown. I will wera it with: <ul> <li>all shades of white</li> <li>all shades of brown </li> <li>light blue</li> <li>dark blue </li> <li>black</li> <li>tomato red</li> <li>shocking pink</li> <li>citron</li> <li>orange</li> </ul> anchie on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952236 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 15:26:59 +0000 anchie 1952236@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ ChrisM - I really like browns in my glasses and I agree, it will be good place to start. Only question is how available this shade will be in retail. I have not seen much yet. I would mix lighter brow with black, but not very dark brown. I need some contrast to make it look intentional, and not like I dressed in dark, same as with black and dark navy.  Suz - I am looking at Angie's color palette for inspiration, but I think she has a head start - I think she started adding some earth tones in previous seasons. I don't think I have enough light neutrals for the fall/winter season and that could be my problem. Animal print or some other pattern that combines brown and black could be a good place to start.  FashIntern - I don't have a lot of blue or green at the moment unfortunately. All I have is already included in finds. I may post some outfit pictures later - probably in October. It is still pretty warm here - around 27C and I am still in my summer clothes. I will be probably looking and planning in September and do my shopping early October.  Chris987 - I definitely need to do some retail research and at least try different browns to make sure I like the color on me. I would try to find brown that is similar to my glasses, but it may not be easily available. But maybe some other brown can look good too. I may start with sweater or scarf, but I still don't have a clear picture how can I combine it with the rest of my wardrobe.  Janet - I just realized that glasses look best when you match them with hair and eyes, regardless of wardrobe colors. I was resisting the brown rims on glasses, but whenever I would put on some other color, I would go back to brown glasses and felt very natural and like me. I think 2 of my 3 pairs of glasses are some kind of tortoiseshell, because they are not solid brown. Third pair is solid metallic brown (still waiting for those). And I just love your suggestion of combining brow with turquoise, haven't thought of that. Maybe with teal too? I adore this two colors but so difficult to find.    Suntiger - some great color combination suggestion that I can use. I already have some blush and coral in my wardrobe, but I would never thought to combine them them with brown. It is probably because I never owned anything brown that I am drawing blanks at color combinations.  Angie - I don't own anything in true brown at the moment but would like to add it. I am having hard time with coming up with ways to combine brown with colors already in my wardrobe. And I also don't want to purchase a lot to make it work. I am trying to come up with a color palette that will include brown, but also some other colors that I already have. Looking forward to learning more about shades of brown, and hopefully also how to combine it with other colors. Angie on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952217 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 14:09:54 +0000 Angie 1952217@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Technically more cinnamon, tan, oatmeal, toffee and cognac than a true brown, but I hear you Anchie. Shades of brown and true browns LOOK FRESH. Makes sense that you like these colours with your complexion. You will hear all about shades of brown on the blog next month.  Anonymous on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952201 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 13:11:14 +0000 Anonymous 1952201@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Agreeing with the animal complement! I regularly wear cognac and black together, and dark brown looks nice with greys. I like to wear browns with my cooler colors (turquoise/teal, greens, and purples) rather than black to warm up the look. And i like it with my blush/coral colors for low contrast. Janet on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952199 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 13:09:25 +0000 Janet 1952199@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I like brown, but it tends to flow in and out of my wardrobe, and right now I have very little of it. Black is so much easier to find, and to match! But I’m open to shades of brown. My two most recent pairs of glasses echo my hair and eye color — blue/green and brown (in the form of a bit of tortoiseshell in the frame). I’ve always loved tortoiseshell and would like to add more to my wardrobe, but there usually tends to be a little too much yellow in it for my preference. I love how browns look with shades of blue and turquoise — that color combo was really big a decade or so ago (in home decor especially), and I enjoyed it. I would welcome a bit of that back. So I would say try some combinations with blue and also black. Cognac and burgundy in the right shades can look really great too. Chris987 on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952197 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 13:03:48 +0000 Chris987 1952197@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great idea! I'd suggest you start with two decisions: 1) what color brown do you want to start with? There are LOTS of different browns - tan, toffee, cognac, chocolate, and more, in various lights/darks  warms/cools... It seems these colors are popping up everywhere now so this should be a good year for it.   I'd pick one brown to start with and see h ow it works with one or two colors in your wardrobe. In other words start "small". For me the best way to do this would be to wear some of the colors I want to try with brown and go on a retail research shopping trip. Go into bigger stores that have lots of stuff like Zara or Nordstrom where you can see how various browns work with the colors you are wearing. Try on (or look at) all kinds of colors and prints, don't limit yourself. 2) what pieces do you want to start with? A top/sweater/scarf could be less of an investment than shoes/bags/jackets especially if you are unsure exactly how much of this color you will like. Totally personal choice here, just give it some thought. Personally, I think medium browns are gorgeous with black, and darker browns with light blue are magical to me. And Cognac/Tan goes with almost everything As Suz said,  Angie has also combined brown with sour brights so look at her for inspiration too. You need to find what YOU like. ) Have fun! .   Stagiaire Fash on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952181 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 11:43:25 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 1952181@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oooh—I like the finds you have added! Booties, belt, bags, and that camel coat—it’s all great. I assume you have the blue and green things in a light brown/tan shade? I think that green would go well with brown anyway. Will you be posting outfit photos? Suz on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952174 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 11:14:18 +0000 Suz 1952174@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Exciting! I love the idea of adding a brown or earth toned complement. And I think it is workable. For inspiration, you can look at how Angie has done it. You and she share a love of sour brights yet she has managed the transition to earth tones and brown items brilliantly.  I think some browns work really well with grey and white. It's a great neutral combination and you can throw some black and/or silver into the mix as well. The secret is enough white (in my opinion).  Browns can also work with blues. And sometimes with reds...that might be a bit trickier but items with the right patterns could help.  An animal print complement (shoes? blouse or scarf? belt or bag?) could work wonders to tie brown and black.  And a tweedy jacket with some browns would also do a lot to tie together items already in your closet with browns.  ChrisM on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952167 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 09:43:59 +0000 ChrisM 1952167@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ How about starting with a brown complement? Your eyeglasses are the start - tan seems too sedate but if you use the brown of your glasses frames as a guide since you know that’s a winner, that works! There are cooler shades of brown - they would play nice with your black too. And Angie said brown is “in” this season!. Fun! anchie on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952164 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 09:32:42 +0000 anchie 1952164@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ FashIntern - I like you suggestions - maybe I should keep it simple with only neutrals and some animal print.  Stagiaire Fash on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952157 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 07:18:28 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 1952157@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Those do look great on you! I can completely relate to not ever looking at brown. Having it suddenly show up like that would be a surprise! Black and Tan is a good look. I think the tan would read as another shade of brown and work well with the glasses. I just googled “black and tan work clothes” and got way too many to be able to choose. Take a look & I bet you’ll feel better/get ideas about combinations. The interpretation of that formula seems to be very strict. There were creams and ecrus and camel and other shades of tan/light brown mixed in, but no pops of color. A leopard print accessory might be a good way to start small. anchie on "Drawn to Brown" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/drawn-to-brown#post-1952147 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 05:52:50 +0000 anchie 1952147@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have to start by saying that I never considered brown as a color for my wardrobe, I never owned brown clothes and never even tried brown item of clothing on me, not even with brown in pattern. But this spring I decided to finally get progressive glasses and to my surprise after trying many pairs, I selected the brown. They just looked best on me, and while they are not matching anything in my wardrobe - they are matching me. I have brown eyes and eyebrows. My hair used to be dark brown before it turned white. What surprised me the most was that nobody noticed that I started wearing glasses. Even my close friends that I see on regular basis. Eventually I had to ask them about it and they looked puzzled. They asked me haven't I always wore the glasses, that they look so natural on me, like they are part of me. I had hard time convincing them that I just started wearing glasses in March LOL. So, last week I decided to add two more pairs - computer glasses, and prescription sunglasses. I was sure that this time I will select something different, I tried every red pair that was in the shop, and many other colors, but again brown glasses were looking the best, and I eventually got both pairs in brown. And now I am starting to think that maybe brown clothes can look good on me too. But I have no idea how to start adding brown. My main winter neutral is black, with some grey. Not sure that I feel comfortable mixing black and brown. There are so many shades of brown and it is difficult to match them. And don't even know which brown would be the best and if it will be available in retail. Any advice on adding completely new color that does not go with anything in my wardrobe at the moment? ETA - I do have some brown in my home decor. This is the picture that is hanging in my living room and that I may use as an inspiration. But it will require adjusting my color palette a lot. In finds are items from my wardrobe that can work with this color palette. No brown, but come camel, tan and cognac.