There are certain trends I admire from a safe distance, knowing full well they will probably never make it into my actual everyday wardrobe. And then there are trends that basically walk into my closet, unpack their bags and make themselves at home.
Brown, apparently, is the latter.
It is EVERYWHERE this fall — chocolate, espresso, mocha, camel, cinnamon, basically the entire coffee shop menu — and I am fully on board. Brown has always been one of those classic fall colors, but this year it feels different. Less “brown boots I’ve owned since 2017” and more like a genuine alternative to black. Brown pants, brown sweaters, brown jackets, brown shoes...you get the idea.
The best part is that it turns out brown is ridiculously easy to wear.
I know that probably sounds obvious, but when we added the Espresso Aria Tall Flare Pants to our collection, even I initially thought about them as a little less versatile than black. Cute? Absolutely. Very fall? Obviously. But could I actually make enough outfits with them to justify adding another pair of pants to my closet?
So naturally, I started pulling things out and playing dress-up.
Eleven outfits later, I would like to formally retract my concerns.
Shop the Aria Tall Flare Pant in Espresso
First, a little about the brown pants I’m wearing
These are our Aria Tall Flare Pants in Espresso, which are basically what happens when yoga pants decide they would like to participate in fashion.
They’re made from a buttery-soft, substantial performance fabric with a high-rise waistband and a subtle flare through the leg. Most importantly for those of us who have spent our lives wondering why “long” pants apparently stop at the ankle, they come in 35" and 37" inseams. I’m 6'4" with a 37" inseam to the ground and am wearing the size Small here.
Technically, they fall into the flare legging/yoga pant category. In real life, though, I wear them more like a casual pant — and that became the whole point of this experiment.
Because if I'm buying another pair of brown pants, they need to work HARD.
1. Brown + khaki + stripes
This might be one of my favorites because it feels very fall without trying too hard.
I paired the espresso pants with a simple striped tee and khaki short trench, and I love how all three neutrals play together. The stripe breaks up the brown and tan just enough, while the jacket makes a very comfortable pair of flare pants look considerably more intentional.
This is also my argument for treating brown almost exactly like you would black. You don't need to find the perfect shade to coordinate with it. Cream, tan, khaki and chocolate all live quite happily together.
2. Brown + denim
Possibly the easiest combination of the entire bunch: brown and denim.
Blue denim gives espresso brown some contrast without feeling like you're adding another “color” to the outfit, if that makes sense. I left the denim shirt slightly relaxed and pushed up the sleeves, which keeps the whole thing casual enough for an everyday outfit.
This is exactly the kind of thing I'd wear for school drop-off, running errands, working from the office...all the glamorous places I frequent.
3. Brown + cream + texture
If brown is having a moment, texture is right there with it.
I love the contrast of the sleek flare pant against a nubby cream fleece jacket, especially with another soft neutral layered underneath. It's basically an outfit made entirely of comfortable things that somehow doesn't look like an outfit made entirely of comfortable things.
My favorite genre. The shirt I layered under the top from the Mysa set, another fave of mine.
4. Add a striped sweater
One thing I've noticed as I've worn more brown is that it makes colors that might otherwise feel a little random suddenly make sense together.
This striped sweater pulls in cream, brown and warmer earthy shades, then the denim jacket adds blue on top. There is technically a lot happening here, but because the espresso pants anchor everything, it still feels cohesive.
If you’re trying to figure out what colors go with brown pants, this is your permission slip to move beyond beige. Denim blue, rust, cream, olive, burgundy and even softer blues all work beautifully.
5. Brown + rust
Monochromatic-ish without actually being monochromatic.
The rust cardigan and espresso pants are close enough in warmth to feel related, but different enough that the outfit doesn't turn into one giant brown blob. A cream tee underneath gives your eye somewhere to rest and keeps the whole combination feeling light.
Also: this is an extremely easy way to wear the brown trend using things you probably already own.
6. Brown + taupe
Here's where brown starts proving its case as the new neutral.
Taupe, mushroom, oatmeal, stone — all of those slightly hard-to-describe neutrals look REALLY good with espresso. This ribbed cardigan gives the outfit a little more polish, but I'm still essentially wearing incredibly comfortable pants and a sweater.
No notes.
7. Brown + more stripes
Apparently my official styling philosophy is “when in doubt, add a stripe,” and I stand by it.
The tonal taupe-and-cream stripe keeps this one really soft and casual. I also love the sportier shape of the half-zip with the flare leg because it leans into the athleisure side of the Aria without making the outfit feel like I'm headed to a workout.
Spoiler: I am probably not headed to a workout.
8. Brown + black
YES. You can wear brown and black together.
I actually think this combination looks much more modern when you stop worrying about whether you're “allowed” to do it. The espresso is dark enough to hold its own next to black, while still giving the outfit more dimension than black-on-black.
If you're dipping a toe into the brown trend and aren't ready to rethink your entire wardrobe around it, start here. Your black jackets, coats, tees and sweaters still work.
9. Brown + olive + ecru
This color combination surprised me in the best possible way.
Olive and espresso are both earthy, but adding the ecru jacket keeps them from feeling too dark or heavy. It's very “fall color palette” without requiring a single pumpkin-orange accessory, which I appreciate.
This is also a good formula to steal beyond this exact outfit: dark brown bottom + muted color + light neutral layer. Done.
10. Brown + blue
This might be the pairing I didn't expect to love quite as much as I do.
The dusty blue against espresso feels fresh and a little unexpected, particularly after years of automatically reaching for black leggings with anything blue. Brown warms the whole outfit up, and suddenly the blue feels much more fall than spring.
Consider me converted.
11. Brown on brown
And finally, we are going all in.
I paired the espresso Aria with a dark brown top and soft taupe cardigan for a tonal brown outfit, and I think this is where you can really see why brown has become such a good wardrobe neutral. Mixing shades actually makes the outfit more interesting — not less.
The trick is not worrying about getting every brown to match. In fact, I prefer when they don't. Espresso with chocolate, camel, taupe and cream gives you layers and dimension rather than looking like you tried to build a matching set out of four unrelated pieces.
So...what actually goes with brown pants?
After trying all of these combinations, my answer is apparently: almost everything.
Black works. Cream works. Denim works. Olive works. Rust works. Blue works. Stripes definitely work. And if you've been wondering how to style chocolate brown or espresso pants without buying an entirely new wardrobe to go with them, that might be the best news of all.
The easiest approach is to stop treating brown like a statement color and start treating it like a neutral.
That's really what changed it for me.
And for tall women specifically, I love having another option in a true full-length pant that isn't denim and isn't black. The Aria has that easy pull-on, stretchy, insanely comfortable feel I want on a normal Tuesday, but the flare silhouette and espresso color give me enough to work with that I can actually style them. The 35" and 37" inseam options mean they're made to give longer legs the length a flare actually needs, rather than turning into the accidental crop situation tall girls know all too well.
So yes, brown is having its moment this fall.
I fear I may be having my brown moment right along with it.
Shop the Espresso Aria Tall Flare Pants in 35" + 37" inseams
