Rust and burgundy is the warmest pairing of fall, two shades that share a lot of brown. These five outfits put rust suede, corduroy and ribbed wool with burgundy satin, cashmere, twill and alpaca. Mix the textures and let one color take the big piece.
Rust and Burgundy Outfits to Try This Fall
For Wonka (2023), the costume designer Lindy Hemming, who also worked on Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and the Paddington films, dressed the cast in what Daron James at the MPA's The Credits called "a stew of burnt oranges, burgundies, yellows, greens, and blues." It covered three aristocratic chocolatiers, Olivia Colman's wretched innkeeper, an entire police force and Willy Wonka's own coat and hat.
Take out the yellows, greens and blues and what is left is rust and burgundy, which is more or less the color of a chocolate shop in fall. It is the warmest pairing in this series: rust is orange with brown in it, burgundy is red with brown in it, and together they look like one rich color in two moods.
A quick test: hold a rust piece against a burgundy one in daylight. If they look like they came from the same box of chocolates, wear them together.
Rust and Burgundy Suede
Staud's Maude tote is rust suede with two round handles, soft and slouchy, and Saint Laurent's Le Loafer mules are rust-brown suede on a block heel with the gold YSL on top. Roger Vivier's Belle Vivier bag is a burgundy suede crescent with the square buckle, and Le Monde Beryl's Luna pumps are burgundy leather on a tiny heel. One rust piece and one burgundy piece with jeans and a cream sweater is a very good first try.
A Burgundy Rib Knit, Rust Corduroy Flares
Gabriela Hearst's Browning sweater is slim burgundy rib in wool and silk, and Mother's Doozy flares are rust corduroy, high-waisted and long. It is the most 1970s outfit here, in the best way. Aquazzura's Sloan boots are rust suede on a curved little heel, and Liffner's bucket bag is burgundy suede with a thin belt cinching the side. How to wear it: tuck the sweater in and let the flares cover most of the boot.
A Rust Zip Cardigan, Burgundy Twill Trousers
Zimmermann's Valiant cardigan is rust ribbed wool with a big collar, a zip and a flared hem, and Mother's Drawn Full Pipe Flood trousers are burgundy cotton twill with a drawstring and a wide, slightly cropped leg. Neous' Moriah slingbacks are burgundy suede on a slim heel, and Isabel Marant's Maia bag is a big, slouchy rust suede shoulder bag with knotted leather ties. What I would skip: a rust shoe here. Burgundy at the feet ties back to the trousers.
The Burgundy Satin Dress and a Rust Suede Jacket
Blazé Milano's Skyros dress is burgundy satin jersey, long and sleeveless, and it moves like liquid. Arma's Emy jacket is rust suede cut like a shirt, with a collar and big buttons, and it makes the dress feel like daytime. Stuart Weitzman's Lucie boots are tall rust suede on a block heel, and Dragon Diffusion's Santa Cano tote is burgundy woven leather, the kind of basket you could carry for years. If I could only keep one look from this edit, it would be this one.
A Burgundy Alpaca Coat Over Rust Suede
Max Mara's Malcuno coat is burgundy alpaca, wool and silk, fluffy and double-breasted, and by far the warmest thing in this edit. Under it, Kallmeyer's Domi turtleneck is rust merino and cashmere, and Magda Butrym's straight-leg trousers are rust suede with a faint corduroy texture. Aeyde's Ellie flats are burgundy suede with an almond toe. Rust in the middle, burgundy on the outside and at your feet, and nothing else.
Let the Brown Do the Work
Rust and burgundy go together because both have brown in them, so they read as one rich color in two moods. Mix the textures, suede with satin and corduroy with cashmere, and let one color take the big piece while the other takes the shoes and bag. Cream or camel is the only neutral I would add. Burgundy on top and rust corduroy below is where I would begin.
