The Rise of Neutrals

The color brown has sprouted up to us from the Earth, evolved and grown to mean many different things in fashion. In many ancient societies, brown clothing was worn by lower-class citizens and symbolized their poverty. Brown became the color that monks wore in the Middle Ages to demonstrate modesty by not wearing bright colors. In modern times, brown is the color of the earth, coffee, or a peaceful autumn day. Most recently, brown is one of the trendiest colors in fashion in 2020 and 2021.

At Paris Fashion Week in 2019, beige neutral tones burst into the fashion world as the next hottest color trend. As a shade that is easy to style and match with a variety of other tones, like black, dark brown, or green earth tones, beige is still an excellent addition to any closet today. 

On the Paris Fashion Week Runway in 2020, chocolate brown stole the show, and this previously underrated neutral tone quickly erupted into 2020’s biggest color trend. Brown sweaters, pants, jackets, shoes and anything else that could be brown hit the market. Kim Kardashian West featured a variety of browns and neutrals in her SKIMS collection. Among the trend, the notable North Face Brown Puffer Jacket sold out, and resellers began selling the coat for a high upcharge due to how coveted it became as a winter 2020 fashion piece. On Tik Tok, videos began to trend of the app’s users dying their clothes and shoes brown in order to take part in the trend and save money. 

Black, gray and navy have often been used as dark neutral staples in anyone’s closet, but dark cocoa brown has made a name for itself in fashion by riding the wings of society’s newfound love for bringing out natural beauty. A sophisticated brown or neutral piece can make a statement itself and help bring out that grounded Mother Nature beauty in anyone.

One of the best things about the color brown is its versatility. A brown piece can complement a pop of color like pink to create a Y2K-inspired
look, match itself for a chic monochromatic outfit or even be paired and layered with different shades of neutrals for a clean, classy look.

Posted by @nnennachem on Instagram

For this fit, Nnenna paired a simple neutral top with dark brown corduroy pants. The bling jewelry and pop of color purse pull together and clean, casual look beaming with natural beauty.

If you’re looking for a good place to start incorporating brown into your daily wardrobe, try out different shades of brown to discover what tones suit you best. Try experimenting with a few simple brown pieces, like a solid shirt or jacket, and emphasizing those pieces with some simple, classic accessories. 

Tweet us your favorite brown fit on Twitter @VALLEYmag


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