I’m not totally surprised to find myself being attracted to the return of deep browns to the fashion landscape. I’ve worn them in the past, especially chocolate brown that doesn’t skew too warm. They can pair so well with the blues I like to wear too!

I think I crave them for the contrast they provide for all the cool tones in my wardrobe. It can start to feel a little stale to only wear head-to-toe cool colors, as much as I love them.

I tried on this pair of wide leg linen blend pants last week, and went back to the store and bought them yesterday after finding they kept popping into my head as a good piece to pair with my summer tops in blues, whites, and greens. The brown is “henna” according to the maker (Bella Dahl), and I find it’s easy for me to wear on the bottom half, not near my face so much. So far, my favorite pairing I’ve looked at in my closet is with my blue denim Rag & Bone top below (although I don’t like how they styled it in the stock photo). I love and wear that top so much, I ordered it in the white version too, which is really nice — breezy without being see-through. I’m not averse to duplicating an item so distinctive if it’s this much of a summer workhorse!

So begins my return to brown. The same cut in navy wouldn’t interest me as much. These work as a color and a neutral for me.

Does anyone else find brown useful this way?