Could brown be a new black?

Stating upfront, there can really be no true replacement for black, which has become a standard color in our wardrobes.

I have have to point out that brown has managed to work its way into many least expected elements of style.

Could it be that brown may soon become a new sort of black? I don't ever believe that black will ever be replaced entirely, but isn't there a chance we'll continue to see a lot more brown in the future?

Brown is the a nice color however it doesn't help to enhance the nice color of healthy tan skin. Black is a much better color because it matches with everything except maybe yellow. Brown is gross disgusting. Brown belongs on pants not shirts. If a person wore a all-black outfit they look fine but if you wear brown you look like a puddle of mud.

Yeah, but brown is a more natural, earthy colour. It can be used to accent your clothing also.

Black is more mechanical though- its official, more formal. You can't use it to accent, and its analagous colours are shades of gray. That is part of the reason it is so important in a wardrobe.

My two cents:

Brown will never supplant black.
Anyone who tells you brown is or will become the new black is b.s.'ing you.

Originally Posted by SantaCruzGuy

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My two cents:

Brown will never supplant black.
Anyone who tells you brown is or will become the new black is b.s.'ing you.


thanks for telling me this too late.

i did get scammed by someone online a few weeks ago when he told me that brown was the new black. i believed him, going on to thinking that black then maybe became the new brown. but in hindsight, i now know he was just throwing out gratuitous statements, in hopes to get me to believe in a fallacy.
this is a lesson learned and i cannot do anything about it now. just best thing for me to do is to tell the truth to others to try to not let them to be scammed as well.

Asian women are the new black and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

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Brown is offering more tones and depth than black but black is a blank canvas ....

Brown is getting more acceptable in very formal circles and the "brown is for farmers" adage is getting a bit rusty lately...

Black will always be up there because of the etiquette and pure aesthetics.....

Is this only about shoes again? I never quite know.

I only ask because black against certain skin types looks very harsh and washes the wearer out. With some complexions, brown or gray looks better.

Black is the original black not because everyone looks good in it, but because there are few situations in the modern world where it is considered inappropriate, it is neutral without being weak, and it has connotations of coolness, sophistication, etc. Certain browns can fill these functions, but none will supplant black. Slightly OT, but I think a lot of black's ubiquity came from women's fashion and has somehow grown to encompass menswear. A woman can look great wearing only black; a man cannot. For a lot of women, their best look is a black dress, black shoes, and black hosiery, because it sets off their skin and figure so simply. A man dressed completely in black is boring at best and laughable at worst. Also slightly OT, but another part of the story is that the word 'brown' must encompass a wider range of actual colors than any other word in English. Does it mean umber or chocolate or tan? I have the feeling some people mistakenly write off all 'browns' because they don't feel comfortable in one or two shades. In short, bistre is the new black.

I have some black shoes and socks, as well as a tuxedo. That's it. I think it makes people of northern European descent such as myself look washed out and sickly, and the only reason it works in a tuxedo is the large swath of white provided by the shirt.

Originally Posted by Nantucket Red

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Asian women are the new black and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

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Good Lord. I could wear out my tongue on her.




I own 1, maybe 2 black items. One is a pair of shoes, the other is a pair of socks. I can't count how many brown items I have.

I heard that black is the new black.

Did I accidentally step into the Wayback Machine? Weren't "brown is the new black" articles au courant around 1998 or so?

well this thread is from 2002, so they weren't too many years behind. I do find it interesting that the first few contirbutors to this thread, the ones saying "brown is gross, wear all black and you'll look slammin'" have since departed StyleForum and moved on to other pastures.

Originally Posted by Joel_Cairo

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well this thread is from 2002, so they weren't too many years behind. I do find it interesting that the first few contirbutors to this thread, the ones saying "brown is gross, wear all black and you'll look slammin'" have since departed StyleForum and moved on to other pastures.

Ha, good catch on the timing (I missed that, obviously), and a keen observation on the latter point.