Earlier this week at Heathrow, I was forced (forced!) to peruse Loewe’s duty-free boutique while my husband picked out a sandwich from Pret. Amongst the slew of covetable accessories was Loewe’s Knot T pouch in a deep ox-blood, with knotted leather accents in an unexpectedly bright emerald hue. It got me thinking about how burgundy—one of the biggest trends of the season—is massively under-rated in terms of its compatibility with other colors. And how, perhaps, a little styling inspo might be in order? Just to make sure all our burgundy purchases are fulfilling their true potential.
Even before this current buzzy moment, burgundy has long been one of the fashion set’s favorite rich-looking neutrals. It’s more interesting than your standard black and camel but feels every bit as luxe, resonating a bit like an olive green or deep navy. And like any good neutral, it’s endlessly versatile in terms of the colors with which it pairs perfectly—a few of them might even surprise you. Whether you lean towards a classic palette or love to inject a little personality into your looks, these burgundy color combos are here to inspire your fall outfit rotation.
With Buttery Yellow
Monikh Dale’s feed is an accidental masterclass in burgundy color combos, thanks to the Bottega Veneta sardine bag she inserts flawlessly into many of her looks. It creates delightfully unexpected palettes like this one, with a soft buttery yellow (perfect alone, but even better with an olive green layer). I appreciate the little reminder to be brave enough to buy investment bags in something other than black.
With Bright Red
Great news for all of us who invested (and reinvested) in bright red pieces last year—they truly make for the perfect pairing with burgundy. A red turtleneck peeping out from your burgundy jacket? A red clutch to punctuate a burgundy dress? Red socks with your burgundy loafers? They all work, and even better than you think.
With Sky Blue
The contrast stripes of any Adidas Originals x Wales Bonner pants could be a color trend story all by itself. Since these are long sold out in almost every size (although you can find the sneakers in the same color combo here, if you don’t mind paying a premium), it’s up to us to recreate the magic—it translates really well into an office-friendly look, just find yourself the right tailored burgundy separates to pair with the classic blue pinstriped shirt you likely already have in your closet.
With Navy
No matter what else happens, this will always be the exact color combo of so many school uniforms when I was growing up—and to be clear, given my ongoing obsession with uniform-inspired V-neck sweaters (and more recently, T-bar flats) that’s very much a compliment.
With Winter Whites
I’m on the record more than once hyping Scandi-chic ivory denim for the cooler months, but head-to-toe white layers anchored with burgundy accessories? Pure luxe.
With Brown Suede
Since suede is currently everywhere we look, it was only a matter of time before we collectively realized how perfectly it pairs with fall’s other top trend. The juxtaposition of the more casual textured brown and the deep, luxe burgundy feels just right—this cardigan’s embellishments play up even more, although I prefer to DIY the vibe by adding a brooch.
With Cool Grey
If your job is of the more serious office variety, then grey and burgundy is your weekday happy place. But please note, per Nnenna Echem, that a trending suede blazer works as the perfect transition piece to carry you straight to after-work drinks.
With Olive Green
Red and green are a classic primary/secondary pairing from opposite side on the color wheel, like blue and orange or yellow and purple. IMO it’s all about finding the right shades to avoid feeling Christmassy—deep olive and khaki green shades paired with bright burgundies do the trick, particularly when layered (à la Anouk Yve) with other classic fall hues.
Source: WhoWhatWear
