Is It A Controversy to Wear Black and Brown?

It is funny to me that this is a controversial combination…black and brown.  But, I love it.  Wearing these two together, I believe, it such a rich and elegant choice…even with a casual style such as the one I am wearing.

I suppose there are some who think they are too similar.  I am not sure why the controversy, I just know from all my reading and studying about fashion merchandising, that a controversy does exists.  I think it is the same with wearing black and navy blue.  Another chic, elegant combination.

But, I always find different ways to combine black and brown…so are you in or are you out?  How do you feel about black and brown worn together?  If you like it, like I do, I found some black and brown options below.  Happy Fall and

Please Keep Smiling!

Breaking News:

Jennifer and I are taking Saturday off…so there will be no WOULD YOU WEAR IT this week…thank you for your patience.  We will return next Saturday for more mannequin fun…until then we have more posts for you on our individual blogs…we hope you enjoy!

24 Comments

  1. I think it depends on the brown. The brown you are wearing has just enough black base in it to make it, as you said, very elegant. And that fabulous necklace pulls the whole look together beautifully. Browns that are more muddy are not as good with black, to my eye. I don’t wear muddy browns well though, so that might be the reason I feel this way. I would positively wear the shade of brown you are wearing with black. Navy is a little more difficult. I have some navy pants and a navy blazer that it is very hard to tell apart from my black pants. I would go with navy that is a little lighter to avoid looking like I got dressed in the dark. I do love cobalt with black. I think it is easier to wear brown with black than to find just the right shade of navy, but I’d wear both IF it was the brown you have on here and a lighter shade of navy.

  2. I love black and brown together and you make it look great! Enjoy your Saturday off, although I hope we’ll be seeing some mannequins from Japan! Happy Friday and thanks for all the great inspiration.

  3. I used to feel that way until I began seeing it in catalogs, online and in stores. Ref. leopard print. Brown by itself is not a good color on me but the combination works. I’m grateful to see black and navy blue together, because my eyes are beginning to have a difficult time differentiating between Talbot’s navy and black LOL.

  4. Love that color combo and especially with your hair color, Karen. You look great. I’m inspired to wear that color combo today. Thanks!

    My mom always said dark blue and black “makes you look like a bruise”. That’s another color combo “rule” that’s made to be broken. Thanks for leading the rebellion.

  5. Black (and white)goes with everything. Black with lighter shades of the brown family, (camels), are classic. I like your outfit, it looks dressy, yet cozy, probably because of the long cardigan sweater.

  6. I think your photos prove that black and brown do go together. I love the pretty necklace which also combines the colours.

  7. You mentioned contrast and I think that is the key. Your outfit has just the right contrast to make it work well. The shoes also bring the brown in and jewelry pieces like yours make the outfit. For me, the browns are easier than combining black with navy. I also find scarves that combine brown and black as both inspiration and a unifying accessory.

  8. I love that all those old fashion rules have been abandoned and we feel free to wear combinations that our mothers and grandmothers would have shuddered at. As you have clearly shown here, brown and black can look lovely together. The only reason that I haven’t worn it myself is that I used to wear so much brown that I tired of it and there is almost none in my present wardrobe.

  9. I’ve worn brown and black together for years. I enjoy the combination and think it works well for me because of my brown hair. Your outfit today is exactly what I would love to wear!

    I never thought I’d like navy with black, but that combination has grown on me over the past year or so. I think it depends on the shade of navy and the individual pieces. Accessories usually make the outfit!

  10. I think it depends on the shade of brown. I prefer the lighter shades of brown with black as opposed to deep chocolate brown with black. It’s just a personal preference. While I have worn cobalt & other shades of blue with black, I haven’t tried navy & black. The closest I have come to that combo is dark wash jeans & a black top.

  11. Some people notice a lot of saturated colors worn together in France. Not sure if that’s still the case but I like it!

  12. I’ve never cared for those shades together to be honest but you’ve proved it can look good. I would try it but not likely wear it mostly because it feels too dark for me. I prefer colour and contrast.

  13. I like wearing black & brown together. You necklace is a beautiful addition!
    When I was in the corporate world, I wore a khaki tan shirt with a black skirt, black tights, black heels & it looked great together.

  14. I think the thing is to be sure you’re hair is styled, that you’ve put some thoughtful accessories with it, and to avoid looking like you’ve moved from your bathrobe to whatever was on the floor of your closet.
    Brown isn’t a powerful color and it needs to look styled, not random.
    Otherwise you risk edging into matronly or mousey, which is not the edge most of us are after 🙂

    The jewelry and the metallic accent shoes are nice pick me ups. If you had a scarf with similar colors in your closet you could add that instead.

  15. It is not, Jill. I got it sometime back at Soft Surroundings. If I see one, I will let you know.

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