TLDR: Yes, there IS a way to pair them without looking like you got dressed in the dark.
I was asked this week if I ever wear brown and black together, and I said definitely! It's such a sophisticated look year-round but especially in the winter - there's something cozy about that combination. Both colors are neutrals which means they should play nicely together, but tradition tells us that you don't pair them because they're too close to each other on the color wheel and will conflict. But just like a lot of guidelines, it's open for interpretation and there are always ways to make it work. In a nutshell: it depends on the hue of brown that you pick and how the entire outfit works. Your goal is to have either a cohesive whole or a focus point, and varying shades of colors can help you do either.
I decided to go through my wardrobe and pull out all my browns and blacks, just to see how much I actually have. The number of brown pieces has definitely increased over the past few years, and I don't think it's because I've been deliberately looking for it, but rather that pieces I like happen to be available in those tones. Plus deep, rich browns are big on the runway this season, which means more of it is in the shops.
This tan windowpane coatigan from Gilt & Gossamer at 5th Street Market is a particular favorite:
And while both the jeans and shoes are brown, they could very easily be swapped out for black ones and everything would still look good together because the coatigan is a light brown. However, if I kept the brown jeans and added black shoes: dressed in the dark.
So the basic rule of thumb is to pair varying tones of brown with black, but avoid the dark espresso shades that could be mistaken for black. Different textures create different looks, too. I've got wool, suede, pleather, cashmere, denim, and silk mixed together, which adds further interest. And think of more than just your clothes when it comes to the colors: use them in accessories like coats, hats, scarves, gloves, handbags, jewelry, etc to add a pop of color, a feature, or to tie things together.
Using the coatigan as an example, I've popped a black cashmere turtleneck under it and either black jeans or skirt and two different boots. You can see the difference the color of the shoes makes. The black ones make the coatigan really stand out as a statement piece, but adding the light brown suede boots give it some balance.
So here are the same turtleneck and coatigan, but instead of black bottoms, I've put brown jeans. This combo would be better suited with either the light brown boots that complement the coatigan or dark brown boots (from Miss Meers at Oakway) that match the jeans. (Using a monochrome palette for pants and shoes really elongates your legs, by the way!) If the boots were black, it would look a little choppy and your eye wouldn't know where to land.
I hope this is helping clarify things for you! Here are some more outfit inspirations to consider. I've included alternate options if appropriate.
If you want to dip your toe into this, try finding a piece that has both black and brown already in it, or use white or cream items to act as a neutralizer.
This dress has a black background with flowers in cream and varying shades of brown, which means it goes with both brown and black coats, belts, and shoes.
The cream blouse and scarf lighten the outfit and provide a focus for the eye.
All of this is to say: give it a try! But do it in your own way - there really is no right or wrong and it's fun to experiment with different combinations over the long, cold winter. If you feel great, fabulous! If not, make a note on your style diary to fix it the next time.
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