A brown and cherry red outfit looks like a Black Forest cake, such as a red sweater with brown cropped flares or a brown turtleneck with a red skirt. I put together four looks, down to a red tweed jacket over brown.
Cherry Red and Chocolate Brown Outfits to Try This Fall
The Black Forest cake is chocolate sponge, whipped cream and dark cherries, and almost nobody agrees on who invented it. The story you hear most credits a pastry chef named Josef Keller in 1915, but historians dispute it, and the first written recipe only turns up in a 1934 book. Whoever made it first got the colors exactly right.
Cherry red and chocolate brown work the same way the cake does. The brown is deep and soft, the red is bright and a little sweet, and together they feel warm in a way red and black never do. Brown takes the edge off red, so you can wear more of it.
A quick test: put a red lipstick or nail color next to a brown sweater. If the red looks juicy rather than harsh, this pairing is for you.
Start With One Piece of Each
Start with one red thing and one brown thing you would wear with jeans. Manolo Blahnik's Hangisi 90 pumps are red satin with the crystal buckle, and Simone Rocha's Double Ribbon Rosette bag is red satin covered in ribbon rosettes. For brown, Ralph Lauren Collection's fringed scarf is a deep chocolate wool blend, and Aquazzura's Val d'Isere boots are chocolate suede with a cream shearling cuff and laces up the front. Any one of these makes a plain outfit feel planned.
A Red Sweater, Brown Trousers
This is the one for a cold Saturday. High Sport's Haley sweater is a bright red wool and cashmere crewneck, and Brunello Cucinelli's cropped flared pants are chocolate brown with a little kick at the hem. Jimmy Choo's Tamsin boots are dark brown leather with a knit cuff at the top, so the boot and trouser blend into one brown line. Toteme's canvas tote is a red that leans orange, which keeps it from matching the sweater too exactly.
How to wear it: tuck the sweater in loosely so the waist of the trousers shows and the flare has room.
A Brown Turtleneck, a Red Skirt
Here brown goes on top. Arch4's World's End turtleneck is chocolate cashmere with a slightly longer hem, and Auralee's pleated cotton-poplin midi skirt is a bright red that moves when you walk. Gabriela Hearst's Bocca 75 boots are tall brown suede on a stacked heel, and JW Anderson's Loafer Cabas tote is dark brown suede and leather. The skirt is the only red, and that is plenty.
The Red Dress, a Brown Shearling
Andres Otalora's Gesto Continuo maxi dress is red silk chiffon with ruffles and a tie at the waist, and Joseph's Nico shearling is a sleeveless brown vest that stops at the hip. The mix of soft chiffon and thick shearling is the whole point. Jude's Cave 60 ankle boots in brown suede keep it from going too formal, and Carolina Herrera's Margaret clutch is red satin with a ribbon bow.
What I would skip: a red shoe. With a dress this long and this red, brown boots let it read as a choice.
A Red Tweed Jacket Over Brown
Dolce&Gabbana's cropped tweed jacket is red with frayed edges, and it does all the talking. Under it, Lauren Manoogian's turtleneck is a soft brown knit in alpaca, merino and cotton, and Ulla Johnson's Azaria merino midi skirt is a brown pleated knit. Brown on brown underneath makes the red jacket feel like outerwear rather than a costume. Khaite's Blake clutch is red leather with a gold clasp.
Make It Taste Like Dessert
Chocolate brown is the gentlest partner red can have. Choose a cherry red that leans cool and clear, and a brown that is deep enough to look like dark chocolate rather than tan. Then let either color lead. If you only try one look, start with the red sweater and brown cropped flares, and add the boots once the weather turns. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Burgundy and Chocolate Brown Outfits to Try This Fall and Cream and Chocolate Brown Outfits to Try This Fall.
