Brown Color Combos: Olive

Today I am continuing my brown color combos for fall/winter outfits series with olive, which gives wonderful tree/leaf vibes for fall but looks great in any season...yes, including winter! I have 4 olive+ brown outfit examples to inspire you in ways to wear the season's trendiest color.

My featured brown item for this post is a dark, warmish brown faux suede midi skirt that I purchased last winter to bolster my winter brown options; although I haven't worn it much yet, I play a long game where my wardrobe is concerned, and I know that I will find a zillion ways to wear it in the months/years to come. In a different climate, a more skirt with a more versatile fabric could make more sense, but in Minnesota, a fall/winter fabric gets worn more than half the year.

Now, on to the outfits...

Outfit #1: As a demonstration of our long winters, here is an outfit with this skirt that I wore in February of this year, styled with an aloe vera/olive green cardigan that is longer and looser than I remember each time I wear it. But I actually like the combination of the midi skirt with how the front of the cardigan drapes into triangular points - it may not be the most flattering silhouette (in terms of creating an illusion of height, thinness, or an hourglass figure) but it looks so interesting and adds some nice drapey drama to the outfit.

OOTD #1: 2/21/25

Up close and directly under the light, you can see that the skirt is a bit lighter and a warmer brown than the dark brown tights and boots, but looking at the outfit overall, the skirt blends well and you just get a general "brown" vibe.

My default preference is to wear outfits where the colors are tied together (what I call being a Color Integrator), so this dark brown print top with a variety of autumn shades (a 2024 birthday gift) was perfect in this outfit. It even pulled in the ivory and tan/taupe tones of the scarf. I am more and more pleased with this shade of slightly greyed-down olive-y green combined with the brown the more I look at it! It hits a sweet spot for me of adding some contrast and lightening up the dark brown without being so contrasting that it overpowers me. I have a pullover sweater in this same green color that I need to try with the brown skirt; adding to my outfit list now...

My all-DIY daily bracelet stack started with a paper bead bracelet set I made in dark green, rust, and golden tones. I supplemented with beaded bracelets in dark green quartz, warm brown stripes, and some golden camel stone beads. {bicone paper bead tutorial} {tube paper bead tutorial} {stretch bracelet tutorial}

I wore a pair of simple DIY stack earrings with beige wood beads in various shapes and gold spacers.

Outfit #2: This is an example of a probably-too-high-contrast outfit with an ivory cardigan over a dark print blouse and olive pants. I like the look of this but it's a bit overwhelming on me; however, it might look better on me now that I'm wearing black eyeglasses, which brings more contrast to my face. I picked up the brown in the print with my Frye brown leather flats and my DIY jewelry picks.

OOTD #2: 11/11/24

Outfit #3: This print mix outfit may look like a typical Sally combination at first glance, but it's actually a bit unusual because it's not color integrated! I'm wearing an outer column/"suit" consisting of a brown quilted vest, brown jeans, and lighter brown boots. Yes, this is a super casual combination that no one would confuse for business dress, but it's the exact same color formula of "topper and bottom in the same/similar color" regardless of how formal or informal the pieces. I repeated the colors of the "suit" and the boots in my cool beige/brown leopard print scarf, but the sweater is a wild card: an olive and ivory striped one. The ivory stripes relate to the colors of the scarf but the olive doesn't appear elsewhere in the outfit. Of course, all the colors here are muted neutrals that coordinate readily without much effort.

OOTD #3: 12/21/22

Outfit #4: My last look for the post combines a "modern twin set" of olive T + cardigan with taupe-brown smoking slippers and the same brown jeans as in Outfit #3. I layered two short brown-based necklaces with a bird print scarf as my third "layer" of necklace knotted at a low point on my torso. The bridge piece scarf integrates the brown and olive while also adding a nice punch of burgundy with bits of white, yellow, pink, and aqua. This is a good example of "a neutral outfit...but make it Sally style."

OOTD #4: 4/29/22

Want more inspiration for wearing olive as fall turns to winter? InStyle has some color combination ideas for you.

Do you think of olive green as solely an autumn color or do you/would you wear it in other seasons? What do you think of these muted warm green tones with the various shades of brown? Would you choose to wear these colors in a more colorblocked/pop of color manner or would you like to add a bridge piece that ties the colors together?

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