I run the fashion blog for Teen Ink, a national literary magazine for middle and high school students, and receive reader questions from time to time. Whenever possible, I respond to these questions and turn them into a post all their own. One reader asked a question about combining black and brown back in May that I found particularly important to answer:    

Reader Question: Ok, so I’ve heard all over the place that black and brown don’t go together. Ooh, what a faux pas.

But, uhm, I like the way brown and black look together. So what’s the deal? Who’s wacky idea was it to coldheartedly ban black and brown’s happy love affair?

 Christine’s Answer: The deal is that fashion has changed and will continue to change—change is what it allows it to thrive. Thus, rules created circa 1953 no longer apply in today’s world. While combining black and brown may have been a major faux pas years, months, or even weeks ago, as far as I am concerned, it is no longer relevant. (I could launch into my rant about the stupidity of clinging to trends right now but I’ll reserve that for a future post; after all, I’ve already alluded to it briefly in the past). Regardless of what your friends or foes tell you, black and brown make for an appealing duo.

Black and the shade of brown I describe as “milk chocolate” are lovely. Add a hint of burgundy or forest green, maybe in the form of a necklace, belt or scarf, and you have a complete outfit. Why makes this hypothetical combo jive? Black, that specific shade of brown, burgundy, and forest green are all in the same family of Autumn colors. Staying within the same color family guarantees that your outfit will match every time—it’s one of the simplest fashion rules of all. (In an upcoming post, I promise to go into detail about basic tips for matching colors).

Now, I advise against wearing black with deep, deep brown that almost looks black. Why? Because it looks like a desperate attempt to match gone wrong. I feel the same way about black and navy, too: if the navy is light enough that it is discernibly blue from a distance, pair it with black. If you practically have to inspect it with a magnifying glass to determine that it’s blue and not black, pair it with gray instead.

-Christine Stoddard