Chocolate brown - YouLookFab Forum

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Dressing

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Chocolate brown

Gigi

Veteran

This winter, I want to try wearing more chocolate brown, as that is the color of my hair and I want to try more bookending. However, I am kind of stumped for good color pairings. White and cream would be no-brainers, but aside from that, what are your favorite colors to pair with chocolate brown?

Dressing

18 replies

Latest reply was from Alassë

Liz A.

Veteran

What about other earth tones if they suit you? Shades of orange, yellow, baby blue, red...

Gigi

Veteran

I look terrible in baby blue :^). I hadn't thought of orange or yellow, probably because I have worn so little of those colors in my life (actually, I don't think I have *ever* worn orange!). Maybe it is time for a change. :^)

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Pink -- (like in your avatar!) but from palest to fuchsia or magenta. Some reds. Quite a lot of blues, from icy pale blue to teal to denim to some brighter navies. Taupe (for a tonal look). Gold, tan, or camel (if you can wear these). Apple green. Orange (if you can stand the 70s vibe). Here's a sample.

Adelfa

Veteran

Blue denim, burgundy, eggplant, cobalt, black.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I like it with rich blues, turquoise & coral too.

nancylee

Veteran

I'm with caro...blues (especially turquoise blue) seem like a natural pairing with chocolate brown. You can also wear black with chocolate brown for a totally neutral look.

sopranomom

In addition to all the other great ideas, I like teal and turquoise (like Caro) with chocolate. In fact, my daughter's signature colors are chocolate brown & teal. Most of her clothes and her house are variations of those two colors and both she & the house looks great.

MsLuna

Veteran

rust would look good with chocolate brown. Blues would also be good. And teals! I'm thinking something like rust/chocolate brown/cream/teal together.

EDIT: I also think blush pink would go very well with this shade. Blush pink is a very trendy shade at the moment. Angie has been writing about it quite a bit!

K. Period.

Veteran

I've worn chocolate with everything and anything. It is truly a neutral, so what colors do you want to wear with it? I've worn it with every possible shade of blue, pinks from pale pink to raspberry to fuchsia, orange especially lighter orange (darker looks a little less appealing to me), red, yellows. Part of it will depend on whether your chocolate is a warmer or cooler chocolate color, but honestly, it really does go with everything. Seriously.

Aquamarine

Veteran

I have similar coloring and I love pairing chocolate brown with burgundies.

unfrumped

Veteran

Without getting too hung up on color theory, determine whether you're more cool or warm in skin tone , as to which colors are more flattering near your face. Along with which colors you love! That would give you some focus as to whether you're trying to collect more warm earth tones vs. cool blues & pinks. It also can affect which "chocolates" are best. You can still wear a host of combinations & colors, but can help you decide which items bring out your coloring, for top and toppers, vs which are worn as bottoms and accessories.

Golden

Veteran

I love almost every color with brown, just try some combinations...you may be surprised!

Alassë

Veteran

I second the earth tones suggestion as well as the figure out your warmth or coolness. If you're cool-colored, I retract the rust/pumpkin/olive green/mustard family! Medium pink/fuschia/medium blue/medium lavender would look good, I think.

NDMom

I love chocolate brown paired with black....with perhaps a leopard touch!

unfrumped

Veteran

I like to incorporate more browns due to my hair color as well. Am more cool brown so I avoid the reddish-toned browns, go for cool browns, gray-browns. Interestingly I can wear some types of camel/caramel, especially if combined with cooler colors like teal. So experiment--you can do color "research" and just go browsing and try on (or hold up) things that you might not even wear, necessarily, but in colors/textures that you are considering, and combos (pull some sweaters and scarves and things and play with the colors).

Thistle

Veteran

You have gotten lots of great advice!

I have been known to look at fabric as well to see what the designed put together.

I have also been known to take a paint chip of the color brown I am trying to match with me to clothing stores so I can see it. Weird, I know, but I am terrible with color and this helps me "see" it.

Gigi

Veteran

Thanks for all the great suggestions, everyone! I am very much a warm-skinned person, so I need to stay away from the pastel side of things--light blues, light pinks, etc. However, teal might work for me, because of the green in it.

I did try "shopping my closet" yesterday and putting some things together. I made a nice combo of my chocolate skirt, cream turtleneck, and mustard cardigan. I also had a T-shirt from Eddie Bauer in something called "Caribbean blue," which is kind of a green-heavy teal color, that looked nice; maybe I can find something heavier this winter that matches that color. It's interesting that a lot of the colors that have been suggested are ones that I have worn very, very little of in my life--that probably explains why I have had problems matching something nice with the chocolate color. I used to be a "dull, drab, and conservative" dresser, as my mom said, ha ha. I just don't have the experience of wearing certain colors enough to even have them come to mind when brainstorming new outfits.

I think part of my problem is that a lot of the tops that I have are quite dark, so when I go to match them with the chocolate skirt, it looks so drab. I am a very high-contrast dresser; that's my natural coloring (light skin, dark hair and eyes), and I look best dressed like that as well.

I love the suggestion of leopard too. I have been looking around for nice leopard prints, but everything I have found so far has been kind of washed-out looking for me--I've been looking for something on the warmer side. I wear an extremely small size (XXS petite), so my options are severely limited. And I don't have money to do alterations.

I'm so glad I joined the forum. It's great to be able to ask questions like this and not have to sit there googling on the internet forever trying to find an answer!

Alassë

Veteran

Same here on high contrast preference because of coloring. Autumn can have some pretty bright colors, though - I bet you'll find lots of choices. Think of the brilliant fall leaves (in northeastern states, at least). Leopard is a great idea too.