Combining taupe: which colours really go with it
There is one shade in your wardrobe that is never quite beige and never quite grey: taupe. On the hanger it looks unremarkable, in an outfit it holds everything together. Many people still hesitate, because they are not sure whether taupe belongs to the warm or the cool colours. Here you can read how to recognise your own shade, which colours go with it safely, which combination is most likely to go wrong and how a single colour look still feels alive.
What kind of colour taupe actually is
Taupe sits exactly between brown and grey. Depending on how much brown it holds, the same name looks warmer and more earthy one time, cooler and almost stone coloured the next. That is why there is no single taupe, but a whole family.
For your everyday wardrobe this mainly means one thing: taupe is a neutral. It does not compete with other colours, it holds them together. That is exactly why it is such a rewarding piece in a small wardrobe — more on that in our guide to the capsule wardrobe.
You can see what is currently in stock in taupe under new arrivals.
Warm or cool — how to get a feel for it
Place the piece next to a pure white and next to a creamy wool white. If it looks slightly yellow next to the pure white, your taupe leans warm. If it looks clean there and rather grey next to the cream, it is the cooler version.
This is not proof, it is a guide — in daylight the same shade looks different than under artificial light. As a rule of thumb it is enough: warm taupe likes camel, cream and rust. Cool taupe likes white, light grey and denim.
In practice that means: buy your basics in the same temperature range. Then a T-shirt from your wardrobe will also work with the piece you buy next season.
The three safe partners
Cream and wool white. The calmest combination there is. Both shades are muted, neither stands out, and the look feels quiet and considered.
Black. Sets a clear edge. Taupe takes the hardness out of black, black gives taupe a contour — good when an outfit otherwise looks too soft.
Denim. The everyday classic, and the only one where brightness matters more than temperature: light denim makes taupe light, dark denim makes it more serious.
You can see exactly that in the main image at the top — a cropped knitted jumper in taupe with light wide jeans. The jumper stays the quiet part, the jeans bring the brightness. You will find more knitwear under jumpers.
Rose, bordeaux and camel — when taupe needs some colour
Many taupe shades have a slightly reddish undertone. Next to them, muted reds look particularly harmonious: dusty rose and rose are similarly desaturated and stay soft, bordeaux sets a strong counterpoint. Camel belongs to the same warm family and is only richer — which is why it looks elegant rather than loud.
In the image directly above you can see this idea as a finished piece: a cardigan whose zigzag pattern mixes taupe with rose and cream, and underneath nothing more than a white shirt. The trousers pick up the taupe again so that the pattern speaks on its own. Similar pieces are hanging under cardigans.
That is the one trick that almost always works: if a piece has a pattern, take a shade for the rest that already appears in it. Then the outfit looks considered without you having to look for a second colour. Which shades are around right now is in our overview of the trending colours.
In the image below you can see the same colour combination as an everyday look: the wide fabric trousers in taupe are the quiet base, the colour comes from above.
The one combination that often goes wrong
It gets difficult when a warm taupe meets a cool grey of the same brightness. The warm cast of one and the cool cast of the other cancel each other out, and because there is no light to dark difference either, the whole thing looks undecided rather than considered.
With a cool taupe the same combination is uncritical — both sit in the same temperature family. What helps in both cases is distance in brightness: a very light grey with a dark taupe, or an anthracite straight away.
The same goes for a very cold blue white right at your face. If taupe makes you look pale at the top, wear it at the bottom: as fabric trousers or a skirt it looks just as quiet, only without reflecting on you. All the styles are under trousers.
Tone on tone, without it falling flat
Up to here a second colour has always played along. It works entirely without one as well.
Going fully taupe is the more elegant solution — and the one that most easily looks dull if everything is equally smooth. The difference then does not lie in the colour, but in the surface: the same shade looks like three different ones in chunky knit, satin and linen.
Combine like this: one smooth piece and one rough, or one flowing and one firm. Knit with satin, jersey with linen. The second lever is brightness — darker taupe at the bottom, lighter at the top.
Which fabrics fall in which way is explained in our fabric guide. You will find matching pieces under tops.
Frequently asked questions
Which colours can you combine with taupe?
The safest are cream, wool white, black and denim — they are neutral enough for warm as well as cool taupe shades. Then there are muted reds such as dusty rose, rose and bordeaux, which pick up the slightly reddish undertone that many taupe shades have — and camel, which belongs to the same warm family, only richer.
Can you combine taupe with beige?
Yes, and it is one of the calmest combinations. Just make sure the two shades clearly differ in brightness. If they sit too close together, the look feels washed out rather than considered.
Can you combine taupe with grey?
That depends on your taupe. A warm taupe and a cool grey of the same brightness look undecided, because the warm and the cool cast cancel each other out; a cool taupe, on the other hand, goes well with a cool grey. A clear difference in brightness helps in both cases.
Is taupe more of an autumn colour?
Taupe can be worn all year round, because it is a neutral. In autumn it simply looks more natural, because the shades beside it — camel, bordeaux, rust — are earthy too. In summer you combine it lighter, with white and linen for example.
Which sizes is One Size meant for?
With us One Size is meant for sizes 34 to 42. With wide cut items, how a piece sits depends more on the length than on the width — more on that in the fit guide.
How do you wash taupe knitwear properly?
It depends on the material: wool likes the wool programme at around 30 degrees and a mild wool detergent, viscose even cooler and without wringing. Both dry flat rather than hanging, and neither belongs in bright sunlight — colours fade there. How knitwear survives best otherwise is in our post on styling and caring for knitwear — and the care label in the item is always the decisive one.