Rust and olive green is fall's earthiest pairing, and it has a long history on screen. These five outfits put rust suede, cashmere and jersey with olive flares, a gathered dress and a belted coat. Let one color lead and the other follow.
Rust and Olive Green Outfits to Try This Fall
A RogerEbert.com essay on Janie Bryant's Mad Men costumes points out that Sal Romano is the only man in the office who wears ties of rust, olive green, mustard and bright red. Everyone around him is in browns, grays and blacks. The essay reads it as a small sign that he is a little different, and the colors still have that effect.
Rust and olive look good together because both are earthy and a little muted. Rust brings heat, olive cools it slightly, and neither is loud enough to shout over the other. The result looks like a forest in October (the nice part, not the muddy part).
A quick test: hold a rust knit next to an olive jacket. If the rust looks deeper rather than orange, the two shades are right for each other.
Bags and Shoes in Both Colors
Rust is the easier color to wear, so start there. Etro's shoulder bag is rust suede on a leather strap, and Gianvito Rossi's Piper pumps are almost the same shade on a block heel. Aquazzura's Amore boots are olive suede with a flared heel (a very good boot), and Ferragamo's Hug bag is olive leather with gold hardware on top. Pair any one of them with jeans and a cream sweater and you have started.
A Rust Sweater With Olive Flares
Allude's sweater is a plain rust crewneck in wool and cashmere, the kind you will wear twice a week. Victoria Beckham's olive pants are high-waisted and flared, which makes the whole outfit feel a little 1970s. Church's Peyton boots are tan leather pull-ons with a chunky sole, and Tod's small shoulder bag is rust suede with a T-shaped clasp. How to wear it: tuck the sweater in fully so the high waist shows.
Olive Cashmere, Suede Pants
Nili Lotan's Shon pants are the piece to build around here: rust suede, a barrel leg and patches at the knee, like workwear made fancy. La Ligne's olive cashmere sweater keeps the top simple. JW Anderson's suede mules are loafers with the backs cut off and a silver bar across the front, and Ulla Johnson's Charlotte bag is woven tan leather that slouches nicely. What I would skip: a matching rust top. With suede pants, one rust piece is enough.
The Olive Midi Dress and a Suede Bomber
Victoria Beckham's Bela dress is olive with puffed short sleeves and gathers at the waist, and it is the one to wear to lunch. Agolde's Blair jacket goes on top: rust suede, a stand collar and a zip, like a bomber from 1975. Isabel Marant's Lezra boots are tan suede with a wide folded top and a slim heel, and Toteme's T-Lock bag in tan leather has a curved clasp that looks like a small sculpture.
The Olive Trench and a Draped Blouse
Skall's Manilla coat is olive wool twill with a belt, epaulettes and patch pockets, close to a classic trench. Under it, Christopher Esber's Vienna blouse is rust jersey that drapes across the body and ends in a long scarf at the shoulder, so the outfit has one dramatic thing. Lauren Manoogian's pleated pants are a darker olive in cotton twill, and Neous' Tasha pumps are rust leather on a low heel.
Let One of Them Lead
Rust and olive are both warm, earthy colors, so they get along easily. What makes them look deliberate is letting one lead, in a coat or a pair of pants, while the other shows up smaller in a knit, a bag or a boot. Suede and wool make both colors look richer, and very shiny fabrics can push rust toward orange. If you own one rust sweater, you already have half of this.
