Summer’s chic new fashion shade isn’t one you’d expect
Switch up your summer wardrobe by swapping white and bright for rich, earthy tones.
Brown, the Cinderella colour in your wardrobe, is ready to go to the ball. Ignore the dated images of drudgery and dreariness the colour conjures and dive instead into evocative, rich of tones such as tan, chocolate and fawn to appreciate brown’s often overlooked outer beauty.
Zara waistcoat, $70. Elka Collective “Lumi” pants, $269. Lucy Folk “Pisces” choker, $750. Dinosaur Designs bangles, from $55 (worn throughout). A.Emery “Jalen” sandals, $220 (worn throughout).Credit: Hugh Stewart
Outside New York Fashion Week in September, street-style subjects chose browns over brat lime green to stand out from the crowd. The Washington Post clocked the shift away from vivid green, cool greige and navy blue: “It’s anti-tech. It’s quiet luxury. It’s brown, and it’s everywhere.”
Unlike tech-bro marle grey, brown is associated with the considered craftsmanship found in hand-tooled handbags and belts. It’s the personal touch sweeping fashion after seasons that careened from bland black boxiness to distracting, in-your-face colours.
The runway shows in Paris and Milan saw influential labels Miu Miu, Bottega Veneta and Courrèges spin the colour wheel to tap into the earthy appeal of leathers and suede, but brown can also be a summer staple. With the right weight and cut, allowing for crucial ventilation on hot days, brown leather is the burnished weapon in your summer party arsenal.
Viktoria & Woods “Badlands” leather dress, $890.Credit: Hugh Stewart
“We’ve embraced the timeless appeal of brown leather, treating it as an extension of our foundational colour palette,” says Margie Woods, founder of Viktoria & Woods. “Its rich, earthy tones encourage wearers to confidently detour from a monochromatic wardrobe while offering the versatility to transition seamlessly from day to night.
“Brown’s warmth naturally lends itself to a summer climate, and when crafted in lightweight finishes and breathable silhouettes, leather defies seasonal norms, bringing a modern edge to warm-weather dressing.”
Leather tunic dresses, miniskirts and tailored shorts will give your summer uniform a Parisian touch, even if you’re a long-haul flight from the Eiffel Tower.
Albus Lumen suede shirt jacket, $890, and belt, $90. Lee Mathews “Agnes” dress, $499.Credit: Hugh Stewart
Spread across silks, browns that stop just short of bronze – think Jennifer Lawrence in Bottega Veneta’s body-skimming dress at the 2024 Governors Awards in New York – are visions of cool sophistication. On loosely cut linen and cotton it shifts your mood board from the pastels of the Mediterranean to the souks of Marrakesh.
The easiest way to introduce brown into your wardrobe is with top-to-toe tonal looks. Choose different textures, such as suede with cotton, or silk with leather, to create a high-impact contrast that could never be described as beige.
Once you’ve gained enough confidence to go to town with brown, you can introduce soft pinks, washed denim blues and pale lilac to soften the mood. White jeans are an easy addition to brown shirts if you feel safer in neutral territory, while red accessories make for a show of strength. Hammered gold, polished silver and pearl jewellery all work easily with the surprisingly versatile colour.
Everyone is happy to describe pink, blue or purple as their favourite colour, and now it’s time to add brown to the list. As Coco Chanel said, “The best colour in the whole world is the one that looks good on you.”
Lucy Folk “Ritual” silk dress, $1400. Agmes “Giselle” silver cuff, $2300.Credit: Hugh Stewart
Fashion editor, Penny McCarthy; Hair, Michael Brennan using Eleven Australia; Make-up Aimie Fiebig for Sisley Paris; Model Anisha at Kult.
STOCKISTS A.Emery; Agmes ; Albus Lumen; Dinosaur Designs; Elka Collective; Lee Mathews; Lucy Folk; Viktoria & Woods; Zara
Get the best of Sunday Life magazine delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning. Sign up here for our free newsletter.