Beige, stone, khaki, mushroom, light camel … the list of possible light neutral colours with a slight brown base is endless, but really the name of the colour doesn’t matter. It’s what you wear with them that counts and you have a myriad of choices.
So often a beige pair of trousers are worn with a white shirt. Sure it works, but that can become a bit boring and unimaginative. Instead, let’s look at some alternatives to this classic formula and find some new ways to wear your beige pants. Which you choose will depend on your value, value contrast and colour contrast, along with your body proportions and of course, personality.
A beige/stone/mushroom pant is often the BEST colour to wear in a cropped pant (if it blends with your skin tone) rather than something dark which will cut your proportions up. It’s also a much better colour to choose than a dark navy or black pant if you have light colouring.
1. Wear with Skin Enhancing Colours
If you choose a skin enhancer (these are the oranges/reds/pinks that make you look really healthy as a top, they will work well with your beige pant and give your skin a gorgeous glow. Make sure the beige of your pant is in the same undertone as your skin-enhancing top. Yellow or green base beige for warms and pink base for cools.
2. Wear with a Multicoloured Pattern Top for Medium to High Colour Contrast.
Your beige pant is a great foil for a multicoloured patterned blouse or top if you have a medium or higher colour contrast, head-to-toe beige will look bland, boring and just plain dull. You need to add in additional colours to your outfit. Avoid an all neutral look (the white shirt/beige pant is not a good option for you), instead, choose a multicoloured pattern in colours that flatter your complexion, make your eyes sparkle and intensify and make you look amazing. Then pair with some coloured accessories to carry through the additional colours.
3. A Column of Colour to Make You Look Longer and Leaner
If you want to look taller, or leaner, then consider a column of colour with your beige pant. A similar coloured top or jacket to your trousers will create a long unbroken column, then add in some colour with your accessories or a topper (if you’re doing an inner column of colour).
4. Wear a Top in Your Ideal Value
Depending on your ideal value, this will influence what you wear on your top. The best choice is to choose a top or outer layer in your ideal value 
5. Which Shoes to Wear With Your Beige Pant
Depending on your body proportions you may want to consider the shoes and shoe colour you choose.
- If you have short legs, blend shoes to your trousers – find a beige/stone/mushroom that blends with the beige to create a more seamless, unbroken line through your lower body.
- If you are wearing a column of colour, you can wear a shoe that blends in colour, but it’s less important as you’ve already created an elongating line with the colour from head to ankle. You can choose to wear an alternate coloured shoe, or one with a pattern or element of detail should you choose.
- If you have long legs, an alternate shoe colour that relates to your top, or to an accessory bundle is another good option.
- Top and tail with shoes in your hair colour – this creates a beautiful bookend effect and is great with a column of colour too.
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I’ve stayed away from khaki/beige after reading that I should try to keep darker colors on the bottom of my outfit. Since rather light values values tend to wash me out, if I wear a lighter top than the beige pants I find it less flattering. I notice you add some bright colors here – is this a case of where adding “better” colors closer to the face can help me wear khakis again?
Yes wear good colours near your face and you can wear those khakis!
Great tips! Visiting from the fine whatever link up. laurensparks.net
Hi Imogen! Gongrats for your site, really helpful! I wanted to ask you… I LOVE beige, cream, camel, khaki and all that spectrum, I am more of a neutral type when it comes to dressing. But I don’t know if they suit my complexion. I am fair skinned and pinky, with green-hazel eyes, and my hair(dyed) is either medium ash blonde or strawberry blonde/copper (my natural hair is dark ash blonde/light ash brown). Can I wear these colours and if not what do you suggest? I like them on me and people say they suit me, however being kind of a soft summer they are not in my palette (I know you are not into seasonal color analysis, I’m just mentioning it 🙂 ). Thank you in advance for your response! P.S. Forgive any mistakes, English is not my mother language!
Hi Jenny
No reason why you can’t wear beige (there are warm and cool versions) and to me you sound warm not cool from how you’ve described your colouring (and if the strawberry blonde or copper work then definitely warm). You may be going off palette because you have the wrong palette, which is why you like these colours!
Thank you so much for your response! I’ ve been thinking that too, that my analysis was wrong, because based on eye patterns I definitely have some autumn/spring in me. So I will try to stick with my insticts! Your rules about harmonizing with my value and wearing colours matching my eye and hair colours make much more sense, your view is relieving!