Earth Tones in Clothing: Which Colors Belong to Them?

Earth tones in clothing include muted natural colors such as beige, camel, brown, khaki, terracotta and taupe. The easiest way to wear them is tone on tone. A single piece in cream, navy or black sets a contrast.

Many people wonder how to wear these calm shades without the outfit turning dull. Here you can read which colors count as earth tones, how to combine them tone on tone or with a contrast, and which three outfits you can put together quickly. Which shades join in during fall is explained in the guide Fall colors in an outfit.

What are earth tones?

Earth tones are muted colors from nature. They come from soil (brown, terracotta, rust), from plants (khaki, olive) and from stone or sand (beige, sand, taupe). Camel sits in between. What they share is that none of them is bright. That is why they are easy to mix.

Which colors count as earth tones?

For orientation, the nine shades can be sorted into five groups:

• Light shades. Beige and sand. More about beige is in the guide Which color goes with beige.
• Mid shades. Camel, khaki and olive. More about khaki is in the guide Which color goes with khaki.
• Dark shades. Brown. More about it is in the guide Which color goes with brown.
• Reddish shades. Terracotta and rust.
• Gray-brown shades. Taupe. More about it is in the guide Combining taupe.

The basic sweater in beige, for example, goes with light jeans.

How do I combine earth tones?

Three simple rules help with combining:

• Tone on tone. Two or three earth tones side by side, for example beige, camel and brown, make a calm look.
• Warm with warm. Camel, brown, terracotta and rust share the same warm undertone and go well together.
• One contrast. A shade from another family, such as cream, navy or black, sets an accent.

The rest of the outfit stays calm. A single piece in the contrast color is enough.

Wearing earth tones tone on tone

Tone on tone means several earth tones in one outfit, without a contrast color. It works well when fabrics and textures differ, for example a smooth fabric with a knit. Beige with brown is the simplest combination. The relaxed pants in beige, for example, go with a dark top in brown. More about this principle is in the guide Monochrome outfit. Matching pieces are in the beige clothing collection.

The basic sweater in brown also goes with light jeans. Add brown boots and the earth tones stay connected. More pieces in this shade are in the brown clothing collection.

Warm and cool earth tones

Not all earth tones share the same undertone. Sorting them by warmth makes mixing safer:

• Warm earth tones. Camel, brown, terracotta and rust. The undertone is yellowish or reddish.
• Cool earth tones. Taupe, khaki and olive. The undertone is grayer or greener.

Warm shades go together, and so do cool ones. Both groups can be joined when a neutral such as cream stands between them.

The knit skirt in rust is a warm earth tone. It needs a simple top, for example in cream or white, so that the openwork pattern stays in focus.

Taupe is a gray with a touch of brown and sits between cool and warm. The cargo pants in mud are an example of such a shade and go with a light top.

Khaki and olive are earthy greens. Both go with brown, cream and black. The cargo pants in khaki go with a white top. Pieces in this shade are in the khaki clothing collection.

Cream, navy and black: the contrasts

Earth tones are calm. A contrast adds tension to the outfit without leaving the palette.

• Cream. Makes earth tones lighter and softer, for example a cream top with khaki or brown.
• Navy. Is the counterpart to camel, terracotta and rust, because orange shades and blue are opposites on the color wheel.
• Black. Gives beige, sand and camel an outline, for example with black boots or a black belt.

Here too, a single piece is enough.

Three outfits in earth tones

Beige and brown, tone on tone. Relaxed pants in beige, a sweater in brown and brown boots. Two earth tones, one calm everyday look.

Khaki and cream. Cargo pants in khaki, a cream sweater and beige shoes. Light and calm.

Rust and navy. Knit skirt in rust, a navy jacket and brown boots. Rust and navy complement each other as opposites on the color wheel.

Matching in the shop: taupe clothing.

Common questions

What are earth tones?

Earth tones are muted colors that recall soil, plants and stone, for example beige, brown, khaki and terracotta.

Which colors count as earth tones?

Beige, sand, camel, brown, khaki, olive, terracotta, rust and taupe.

Which color goes with earth tones?

Cream, navy and black set a contrast. White and denim blue also go with most earth tones.

Can you mix earth tones?

Yes. Warm shades such as camel, brown and rust go together, and so do cool ones such as taupe, khaki and olive. Cream connects both groups.

What is the difference between earth tones and fall colors?

Earth tones are a color family of muted natural shades. Fall colors are the shades of the season and also include burgundy, mustard and navy.