Which Color Goes With Brown Pants?

It’s true to say every color goes with brown pants. Bright cerulean blue, tomato red, kelly green and sun yellow calm down next to brown pants’ darker hue. Soft pastel mauve, cream, sky blue isn’t overpowered by brown pants’ gentle color contrast. Classic black or white also pop next to brown pants.

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I’m not gonna lie.

Of the three most versatile men’s pant colors, green, navy and brown, it’s the brown tone that invokes the most fear into guys who don’t work in fashion. Isn’t it too heavy a color, too wintery, too librarian, too UPS delivery driver? 

And the answer is yes, it is. But these banalities are what makes brown so wearable. 

There should only be one hero, one lead singer, one piece of clothing that makes a statement in each outfit you put together. And when it comes to brown pants, they politely, selflessly, take a back seat to your bolder colored/designed t-shirts or sneakers. And we love them for that.   

So when stylists say brown’s a fashionable pant color, they are more referring to this subtle act of self-sacrifice, and less to brown not being a mainstream choice.

Here then is a Willy Wonka-esque guide to 10 t-shirt colors and 7 shoe colors wearable with brown pants, to elevate your wardrobe from Umpa-Loompa to uber-looker. 

Burgundy Color Goes With Brown Pants

Pairing burgundy and black with brown pants expresses all the best features of this pant color, all at once. Brown pants’ military undertones are mirrored by the tough demeanour of black color Dr Martens. And brown’s soft tone doesn’t drown out a subtle burgundy t-shirt the way black pants would.

Navy Blue Works With Light Brown Pants

If the previous look was GI-strong, this one is Zen-smooth. At first glance it’s a simple brown and blue look. But the coffee Converse contrast with the light brown color chino pants enough to avoid looking like a uniform. The navy tee’s minimal white graphic complements the shoe’s white accents. 

Given Japan’s love of all things classic Americana, applying their native tobi pant silhouette to chinos makes perfect sense. As does pairing them with old school Californian Converse Chucks.

To complete this pan-Pacific pose, pair with a Japanese language graphic tee by globe-trotting brand Many Migos. The Kanji text for people, 人 (hito) is anthropomorphised as a head/face to symbolise language is a living, breathing, evolving entity.

White Colors Go Pop With Brown Corduroy Pants

Another natural expression of brown color pants is in corduroy. Its posh connotations are perfect for the genteel end of streetwear. Pair rich brown pants with some equally premium white color Gucci sneakers, and mirror their green/red accents with a similarly colored graphic t-shirt.

Kelly Green Color Love Brown Pants

Another aspect of corduroy is its retro-ness. While you don’t have to wear these brown pants as flares to re-capture their 70s spirit, you can pair them with old school Nike Air Pegasus 83 sneakers in cream and brown color. Balance out all this vintage vogue with a contemporary kelly green t-shirt.

Yellow Works Best With Mid-Brown Pants

Drawn to its unfettered happy vibe, yellow is a color I think all men secretly love to wear, but worry it’s too loud to pull off. And it can be, when worn with say, black pants. The contrast between the two colors is stark, no doubt. But with mid-brown pants, yellow color shirts work well. 

Pastel Army Greens Fire With Dark Brown Chinos

What makes brown pants more versatile than black color is its less austere aura. For example, black pants’ tough, gruff vibe may not suit this light-hearted cartoon tee and pink suede sneakers. But brown is more nuanced, more welcoming, and these diffuse elements actually work well together.

The tee’s artwork is by masters of minimalist caricature, Pulp Brik. It denotes Samuel L. Jackson’s character in the movie Pulp Fiction, Jules Winnfield. The sneakers are pink suede Adidas Hamburgs with blue trim.

Try Lemon Rather than White With Brown Pants

Some believe brown is solely a winter shade. But pair with a lemon color t-shirt, and your brown pants look perfectly summery. This soft yellow looks washed out above black trousers, and too neon with white pants, but above mid-brown leg wear…it’s just a citrus fresh color. Pair with black shoes.

You Never Go Wrong Pairing Black And Brown

Should you wish to wear brown in winter, consider a wool fabric dress pant. Off-set their genteel vibe with punk rock Dr Marten boots and a black cotton slim-fit tee. Red graphics always work well with brown pants to add a pop of color, and cartoon artwork lightens the mature trousers. 

Pastels Love Deep Browns

Mauve is another pastel tee color that comes alive when worn above brown pants. Not as bright as pink, not as common as red, it’s a refined, cultured color that few men know about. Pick one with black ink artwork. This quiet pairing creates space for loud Adidas Hamburg orange suede sneakers.

Cerulean Blue And Espresso Brown

Cerulean blue is tee color not many guys seem to want to mess with. For shame. It’s a bold but not brash color, good for summer and winter, and when worn with thick gauge corduroy, offsets these grown-up brown pants with youthful whim. Mirror the cords’ maturity with some vintage Adidas Shell Toe in cream.