Colors That Go With Burgundy: 12 Stylish Combinations (with Hex Codes)

Most burgundy gets worn with black. It is easy, and it is not wrong, but it uses only half of what the color can do. Burgundy is a dark red with a blue lean, which gives it two sides: next to camel and cream it behaves like a dark neutral, and next to emerald or mustard it behaves like a jewel tone. Black only ever brings out the first side.

Below are 12 combinations that use both, with a hex code for each partner color so you can match it on a screen or in a shop, the three pairings that reliably go wrong, and a section on which version of burgundy suits which coloring, because there is more than one burgundy.

What kind of color burgundy is

Burgundy is a deep red with purple and a fair amount of brown in it, named after the French wine and sitting somewhere between #6E1423 and #800020. The purple is the part that matters. It separates burgundy from a warm brick red or a true scarlet, and it decides which colors sit well beside it.

Two things follow. Burgundy's complement on the color wheel is green, so forest green and emerald give the cleanest contrast. And because burgundy is dark and slightly muted, colors that share that softened quality, blush, dusty rose, plum and teal, blend with it, while clean, bright, warm colors compete with it.

It also helps to know which burgundy you own. Wine is the most purple version and often a touch lighter. Oxblood leans brick and brown. Maroon is browner and warmer still, and shops use all three names loosely. The purple end takes the cool pairings best; the brick end is happier with camel, mustard and burnt orange.

12 colors that go with burgundy

The palette image shows the core shades. Each combination below gives the hex code, what the pairing does, and one outfit built from it.

1. Burgundy and cream

Cream #EFE7D4 (or soft white #F4F1EA) is the pairing to learn first. It is lighter and warmer than pure white, so it lifts burgundy without the hard edge that bright white can give. Outfit: a burgundy sweater, cream trousers, cream or tan boots. Swap in a bright white shirt when you want the contrast sharper, for example under a burgundy blazer at work.

2. Burgundy and camel

Camel #BE9460 brings out the brown that is already inside burgundy, which is why the two look expensive together even in cheap fabrics. Outfit: a camel coat over a burgundy dress, or a burgundy knit with camel wide-leg trousers, gold jewelry, tan shoes.

3. Burgundy and navy

Navy #1F2A44 is the dark to reach for instead of black. Both colors have a blue base, so they sit together instead of fighting, and the result is sharper than burgundy with black. Outfit: burgundy trousers, a navy blazer, a white or cream shirt, a gold watch or belt buckle.

4. Burgundy and forest green

Forest green #2E4D2E is burgundy's near-complement, and deep green against deep wine is the richest contrast in this list. It reads better in the evening and in autumn light than in bright sun. Outfit: a burgundy skirt with a forest green sweater, or a forest green coat over a burgundy dress, with black or dark brown boots.

5. Burgundy and emerald

Emerald #1F6F54 is the same idea with more light in it: jewel on jewel. It is a party and occasion pairing more than a daily one. Outfit: an emerald silk blouse with burgundy trousers, or a burgundy velvet dress with emerald earrings and shoes.

6. Burgundy and blush pink

Blush #F0D2D2 sits in the same red family, far lighter, so the pairing is tonal and soft rather than contrasting. It takes burgundy out of autumn and into spring. Outfit: burgundy trousers, a blush blouse, white sneakers or a soft white coat.

7. Burgundy and dusty rose

Dusty rose #C18C8C is blush with the brightness taken out, which puts it inside burgundy's own muted range. The two together look like one considered palette rather than two colors. Outfit: a dusty rose knit under a burgundy coat, or a dusty rose scarf with a burgundy sweater, with taupe trousers.

8. Burgundy and mustard gold

Mustard #C8941F is the pairing that stops burgundy looking serious. It is warm, so it suits the brick-leaning burgundies best and can look loud with the very purple ones. Outfit: a mustard sweater, burgundy corduroy or wool trousers, brown boots, cream coat.

9. Burgundy and teal

Teal #1F6E72 shares burgundy's blue undertone, which is why it harmonizes where a bright turquoise would clash. It is the least expected pairing here and one of the most flattering on cool coloring. Outfit: a teal blouse with a burgundy skirt, silver jewelry, black or charcoal shoes.

10. Burgundy and plum

Plum #5E3450 is burgundy's purple neighbor, so the two make a near-monochrome outfit with depth instead of flatness. Keep the fabrics different (knit against silk, wool against velvet) or the two shades merge. Outfit: a plum coat over a burgundy dress, or burgundy trousers with a plum sweater and gold jewelry.

11. Burgundy and charcoal gray

Charcoal #33363B (and its lighter cousin stone gray #B9B3A7) anchors burgundy the way black does without deadening it. It is the office pairing. Outfit: a charcoal suit with a burgundy knit or blouse, or burgundy trousers with a light gray sweater and black loafers.

12. Burgundy and denim blue

Denim #4C6A92 is the casual answer, and it works with every wash. Mid and dark washes keep burgundy rich; light washes make it look more summery. Outfit: a burgundy sweater or blazer with straight jeans and white sneakers, or a burgundy skirt with a chambray shirt.

One more for autumn: olive #6B7A3C. Olive is a muted, earthy green, so it gives the green contrast of pairing 4 in a quieter, more casual form. A burgundy sweater with olive cargo trousers, or an olive field jacket over a burgundy dress, is the classic version.

Colors to avoid with burgundy

• Bright, warm orange-reds. Tomato, coral and scarlet sit on the warm side of the undertone line; burgundy sits on the cool side. Two reds that disagree about temperature fight for attention. If the outfit needs warmth, use a muted one such as burnt orange #B5562A.
• Flat, muddy mid-browns. A plain chocolate brown can dissolve into burgundy until the whole outfit reads as one murky block. Camel or a warmer tan lifts it instead.
• Black, head to toe. It deadens burgundy's richness. Burgundy and black work with a lighter third color in the mix (a cream shirt, a camel coat, gold jewelry), but as a two-color outfit the pairing tends to look heavy.

A quick check while getting dressed: if a color makes the burgundy look browner, it is wrong. If the burgundy looks more like wine, keep it.

Shoes, bags and jewelry with burgundy

Tan, cognac and cream shoes suit the warm combinations (camel, mustard, olive, cream). Black and charcoal shoes suit the cool ones (navy, teal, gray, plum). Burgundy shoes with a burgundy outfit work when the shades are clearly different, for example oxblood loafers with a wine dress, and look like a mistake when they almost match.

Gold jewelry picks up the warmth in burgundy and is the default for most people. Silver reads cooler and crisper and suits burgundy worn with navy, teal or gray. A burgundy bag is one of the most useful accessories to own, because it works as a near-neutral with camel, navy, cream, gray and denim.

Which burgundy suits you

There is no single burgundy, and the version that suits a person depends on their own coloring more than on any pairing.

Deep, cool coloring, the True Winter and Deep Winter seasons, carries a true, blue-based wine burgundy well because it echoes the cool depth already in the skin, hair and eyes. Warm, deep coloring, Deep Autumn and True Autumn, looks better in a brick-leaning, earthier burgundy, with the pairings pulled warmer: camel, mustard, olive and burnt orange rather than blush and teal. Softer and lighter seasons usually do best with a muted, lighter burgundy closer to a deep dusty rose, or with burgundy kept away from the face as trousers, a skirt or shoes.

The test is the same one used in a proper analysis: hold the burgundy next to your face in daylight. The right version brightens the skin and the wrong one drains it, and the difference is hard to see in a bathroom mirror under warm bulbs. The color analysis guides explain how each season reads, and a personal analysis names the exact burgundy, and the exact pairings, for your coloring.