September 30, 2026
I don’t know why I never think of combining these two colors – they’re both classic, and they go together beautifully. Sometimes, I have to see someone really eye-catching and elegant (but NOT expensive or dressy!) to get my brain started!
First – of course I found a painting! There is always a painting…
The first woman I saw was wearing the MOST simple jeans and chambray shirt, but her cardigan and boots were both burgundy, her scarf was perfection incarnate, and I have no idea what earrings she was wearing!
I like to think that she would approve of my earrings choice for her:
Chambray shirt – L.L.Bean; earrings – Myrto Katramadou Jewellery; cardigan – L.L.Bean; scarf – Elizabetta; jeans – J.Crew; boots – Comfortview
Plenty of women in my neighborhood wear denim skirts on a regular basis. Burgundy brings a certain loveliness to a classic skirt:
Cashmere turtleneck – Boden; earrings – The Met Store; scarf – The Met Store; boots – Camper; bag – Arezzo; denim skirt – Boden
Denim jackets are everywhere in my world, and they go with absolutely everything. I find them particularly fun over something slightly (or VERY) dressy – the contrast catches the eye…
Denim jacket – L.L.Bean; earrings – Alexis Bittar; bandana – L.L.Bean; corduroy dress – Boden; boots – Pikolinos; tote bag – Madewell
Denim blue doesn’t HAVE to be denim – this sweater is a perfect shade of blue…
Irish wool cardigan – L.L.Bean; garnet earrings – The Met Store; tee shirt – Coldwater Creek; corduroy pants – Coldwater Creek; handbag – Kate Spade; sneakers – Suavs
Your workhorse denim dress takes on a slightly different feeling when paired with burgundy! A denim dress can do almost anything:
Fig cardigan – L.L.Bean; earrings – Mounir London; scarf – Elizabetta; denim dress – L.L.Bean; bag – Baggallini; flats – Sam Edelman
If you’re looking for that “denim jacket feeling” without wearing a true denim jacket, maybe a trench coat is more your speed?
Silk shirt – Madewell; garnet earrings – Opium Jewels; brooch – Farra; corduroy pants – Madewell; denim trench – GAP; loafers – MeToo
I never understand why burgundy comes and goes – to me, it’s one of the classic autumn colors!
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, we visited a color that the manufacturer called “Neon Geranium”, but what I preferred to think of as hibiscus. Not that EITHER of those names makes it clear that we’re talking about bright pink!
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We can always rely on you to suggest new colour combinations. I love burgundy in the autumn but it can look dull. Denim lifts it. I love the painting. By chance, I’m wearing a “denim blue” t-shirt with burgundy leggings to the gym this week.
Re your look back. I have seen bright pink geraniums. I’m wearing a pink geranium pyjama top.
Burgundy is a classic for sure. I like it in winter the most . There are some incredible items here.. Years ago I had burgundy ankle boots which were so versatile.
This is a great reminder of how to combine different styles and colours, and not to get stuck in the rut of reaching for the same old, however nice. And I love all of the accessories, although I wish jewellery makers remembered that we don’t all have pierced ears, and that the fixings for altering earrings aren’t always satisfactory. Thanks for all your inspiration, Janice, and another new-to-me artist too!
Such a beautiful painting.
I’d love to have a 4×4 grid of all the colors. I’ve loved and worn burgundy for decades; it goes well with quite a few other colors, too.
I hope I can find matching shoes again at some point, too (I have to try those on in the store).
I’m seeing the 4 x 4 grid going one of two ways: 1) Medium Denim 2) Merlot 3) Chestnut 4) White or 1) Chambray 2) Dark Denim 3) Burgundy 4) White I also think a case could be made for adding touches of Lilac if that color works for you!
This would be my choice:
burgundy, dusty pink, and cream, with accents in chambray, chestnut, and dark blue.
This is one of my favorite color combinations. Burgundy and denim blue are gorgeous together. The burgundy always seems to dress up jeans to make them look upmarket. I am especially smitten with this denim trench! How cute is this?
On an interesting note: I do have the Boden skirt. My recommendation? Order a size down….it runs large in the waist. It’s a VERY thick denim, which I love for Fall and Winter here on the Maine coast. But it would be too heavy for a more temperate climate like Florida or southern CA. I do have a burgundy floral sweater from many years ago at Talbots. I never thought to pair them together, but now I will!
Ellen St — I am so glad you happened to comment on the Boden denim skirt because it is sitting in my cart at this very moment. I live in the south, North Carolina, to be specific. Guessing from your description it would not suit my climate. Thank you.
It’s a GREAT skirt. But, it’s heavy….picture the heaviness of real-deal Carhart’s. The plus is that it will be cozy in winter with tights. The minus? This is NOT a year ’round skirt.
I love the combination! I have burgundy (tops/sweaters and boots) but rarely think to pair it with denim. Usually I pair it with work-trousers : navy, grey, black, (maybe I can try with olive and brown?) it seems to go with everything! But I will definitely pair it with denim on a Friday :) I have a beautiful burgundy bordered scarf I got from my mother, it has some pink and orange small-scale florals on green vines… Might be a nice pairing as well! Thanks for the inspo to “shop my closet” for fantastic yet forgotten combinations!
This is an amazing post! I have a pair of burgundy chinos and a pink collared shirt I wear in the fall with a denim jacket. It is one of my favorite combinations. There are so many great items presented today for me to ponder. I am really fond of the first and second outfits.
More motivation for me to add more of Bean’s fig color. But this fig is purple to me. Somewhere between plum and eggplant. It’s interesting that it’s very close to the maroon top I got from JJill at the same time. I wear warm colors and like it best with dusty olive, but not with coffee brown.
burgundy is one of my core colors, shoes, tops, sweaters, coat, scarves and purses… i don’t care if it’s in or out, it is always in with me…and most of the time i do wear it with denim, light denim, dark denim and chambray.
i also don’t really care if it’s burgundy, wine, or maroon to me they’re all interchangeable and neutral.
i will say though, i do love a deep winey plummy leaning color the best. one that has an rich inner glow.
ahem, without this color i probably wouldn’t have a wardrobe.
I totally agree. All shades are wonderful in fall and winter. Some lean a little more brown but still winey. Others a little to the blueish but still winey. And I mix and match. Love them all!
This is gorgeous! I’m fascinated by the various ways you injected the denim blue tone – the denim dresses and coat are especially good.
There is something so very elegant about a man wearing a silk scarf.
I love burgundy. I think burgundy shoes can be neutral to wear with most anything. When I started my career in the 1980’s I was a young women 0f 25 and looked 18. It was the age of “Dress for Success”. I had to wear suits or a jacket over a dress everyday.My dream leather goods were Etienne Aigner. Her shoes and bags were mostly burgundy or as we called them then oxblood or cordavon. I had to settle for knock offs since the real stuff was well beyond my budget. My burgundy pumps got lots of use. Fortunately I sewed so I could buy a suit and then make dresses and coordinating skirts to wear with the suit jacket. I learned the concept of capsule dressing early. I never got completely comfortable with the casual dress codes before I retired.
You were my gang! I worked in a department store in Des Moines while I was in graduate school (yes, Younkers!) and we capsule wardrobed people every day!
Ah, the suits were so lovely. Well-made, all natural fibers, wore like iron…
love,
Janice
I loved Younkers. I worked for the city of Sioux City for a few years.
I have a burgundy and blue floral scarf that could be the basis of my own capsule. Looking at this painting, there is a soft lilac/pink that could be an additional accent.
Janice,
Over the years I have shopped my existing wardrobe to come up with various color combinations that appeal to me . Burgundy and light blue to navy blue , or burgundy with brown and ivory, or olive green and ivory and burgundy all work for me. Of course, burgundy also goes with my core tan colors . I have found that I need to keep a lighter value near my face, despite what is going on with the rest of the outfit, hence the two ivory mentions.
Oh, I forgot , Burgundy is also great with a light sage green !
I don’t wear denim blue or burgundy, but this post is absolutely lovely! A feast for the eyes…
I love this! Burgundy and denim are two of my core colors. I particularly love the dresses and skirts here, but I am always flummoxed by what color hosiery I should wear with burgundy footwear. I’m short so I’ve been taught to match my hosiery to my shoes/boots, but the shades of burgundy vary so wildly it’s impossible to match them all. And I have also been taught eschew nude hosiery. So I pretty much punt and wear pants with my burgundy items. But what does everyone else wear?
Hoping someone can help me see sanity….LOL
Who said you can’t wear nude hosiery? It’s classic and was the only colour when it was invented. Wear what you like. I’d wear nude hosiery with burgundy.
Wear the nude! I see nude hose all of the time in Ireland, England and France, so it’s not like it’s a worldwide thing. I agree that some people here in the US eschew nude, but I’ve never understood why…
love,
Janice
Thank you both for your advice! I grew up in the New York City area where wearing nude hose was considered very déclassé. But now I’ve moved to Delaware, perhaps it’s time to give nude hose a shot. And now I think I must have a sign made up for my closet that says, “Wear the nude!” LOL
This is my first capsule wardrobe palette that I can remember. It was either my junior or senior year in college, early 1970s, well before I discovered my coloring is Spring and the phrase capsule wardrobe entered our vocabulary. My inspiration was the traditional tennis sweater – white with single navy and burgundy stripes at the V-neckline. Accent colors were light blue and pink. It was more of a concept than actuality but it began my journey of having fun mixing and matching colors.
Burgundy and denim – if I was forced to wear only one outfit every day for the rest of my life, it would be my faded denim jeans and my merino wool v-neck sweater from the men’s department. I feel incredibly comfortable and love the color combination.
To make it a tiny capsule wardrobe I’d add my exact same sweater in olive green and a pair of dangle earrings that have both burgundy and olive beads. I already wear these two outfits every single week that isn’t above 70 degrees, so it wouldn’t be too hard to imagine wearing them more often.