The fall harvest, clockwise, from left to right, Aritzia super puff jacket, Mango bomber jacket, Paige Mary Jane, L’Agence polo, Remain leather jacket and mini clutch from Mansur Gavriel.
By Janet Kelly
REMEMBER MAROON? Today, it goes by a slew of food-and-wine related names, including burgundy, the most popular, along with merlot, deep merlot, oxblood, dark syrah, claret, Chianti, pomegranate, berry brown and bordeaux. For background, I checked in with an expert, Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training and executive director of the Pantone® Color Institute.
“Burgundy is a classic fall color. You don’t look at it and think that’s so yesterday,” says Eiseman. “Its versatility is huge because it works well with so many other colors. Even new cosmetic hair dyes have burgundy tones. It’s universally flattering.”
For those of us whose closets are full of black, burgundy behaves like a neutral on shoes and handbags. Instead of all that face-draining gray from last year, choose a bordeaux or merlot turtleneck, coat or cropped jacket (BTW, it will look terrific with any shade of gray skirt or pair of pants).
And that’s not nearly all. See below for how we’re thinking about wearing the it color of the season.
Gold-tone buttons stand out against this wine-colored, snappy jacket. Cheers to the cropped silhouette. And look how great the blues of the shirt and indigo jeans mate with maroon.
With its strap across the instep, this foot-friendly Mary Jane is also flattering. I’d step aside from my go-to black for this glossy patent-leather oxblood shoe.
Show off those Mary Janes above with these dark oxblood pants in on-trend corduroy, a fall-to-winter classic—and durable—fabric. Note how the width at the leg and the high-rise waist create a flattering fit that elongates the legs.
Take a good-looking polo-neck sweater in dark syrah and add a placket of etched gold buttons and voilà, something special.
A fashionable friend recently met me for coffee carrying this sculptural, small (5″ h-by-9.5″ w-by-2.75″ d) pomegranate clutch. I immediately wanted it as an alternative to my large tote. I found a similar one from Porto (9.5″ l-by-6.3″ h) for half the price i in vino rosso that’s also molto simpatico.
Alohas Tb. 490 Rife Burgundy Sneakers
This summer I lived in my white gum shoe sneakers from Cariuma. Now, I’m hankering for something colorful with texture, but still classic, like these suede sneakers with blue accents.
While leather jackets can run into the many thousands, Copenhagen-based Remain’s wheelhouse is affordable luxury, which doesn’t skim on style, as evident in this mahogany red high-neck leather jacket with drop shoulders and wide sleeves.
I have an Iro sweater/jacket with the same boxy silhouette—it was spendy at the time, but I’ve amortized over many years, and it’s a staple of my winter wardrobe.
Bomber jackets are looking chic again. Pair this one in chianti from Mango with its matching midi skirt. The simplest way to look elegant is to dress up in one color, from head to toe.
Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes Mascara
If burgundy goes with everything, why not make it a mascara color? Charlotte Tilbury’s new “dream pop” is a berry-brown hue that brings out the gold in hazel eyes, the amber in brown eyes, etc. Plus, the applicator’s diamond-shaped bristles coats and separates lashes to full effect.
For a posh evening out in winter or for a dressy holiday party, black velvet pants have been my go-to. But these in dark oxblood look tempting. I’d get them shortened just a bit—to avoid the possibility of a face plant.
I can’t say whether the touch technology in these gloves will work well enough to text and take photos, but the cashmere and longish cuffs should keep your digits and wrists cozy. And there’s a matching burgundy beanie and scarf to spiff up, say a camel or navy or any color coat.
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Wine, burgundy, merlot, whatever you call it, is such a warming autumn color. And it does go with the sea of black in my closet, as well as gray and denim. Just bought a small crossbody in wine, which I love. Also pretty interested in the crop jackets.