Browned Off: Why you’ll never find me wearing brown
Camel, fawn, buff, stone, mocha – there are countless ways to disguise the colour brown, but no one’s fooling me. Dress it up any way you like – and I admire you, Giorgio Armani, Max Mara, Marni and the rest for your world-class brownsmanship – but, to me, it will always be the colour that ruined my adolescence. I grew up in the Seventies, the dun-coloured decade, and the sartorial scars run deep.
Most of the damage was done in 1975, in the communal changing rooms at Richard Shops. On Saturday afternoons, the air would be thick with desperation and a noxious cocktail of Charlie and Tramp eau de parfum liberally applied in Woolworths, as my friends and I plotted how best to ensnare boys at the youth club disco. Things were feral and unenlightened in my Birmingham suburb, and success depended on one thing. Or rather two. Breasts – and I didn’t have any. With little else to offer – I had the wrong hair, I was too tall, my skin was cratered with spots – it was left to clothes to do the heavy-lifting on my behalf… and brown let me down badly.
Looking back on photographic evidence of the era – scowling, gawky me in an acrylic striped tank top and flappy-collared floral shirt, all in shades of tan, rust and mustard, with eyebrows plucked to near oblivion – it’s clear that the Seventies were ravaged by a perfect storm of ugly colours, bad styling and horrendous detail. Partly to blame was the rise in popularity of the synthetic fabrics that crammed the rails at our favourite shops, Van Allan, Chelsea Girl and C&A. Crimplene, Nylon, Terylene and a static-heavy swathe of Poly-mixes may have made for easy laundering, but as a result, nuances of colour and texture were summarily eradicated. Brown as a desirable colour was, literally, hung out to dry.
Still, is it any surprise the UK was a predominantly brown-clothed nation, when, in fact, the whole mood of the country was distinctly drab? The miners’ strike, power cuts, winters of discontent, three-day weeks, dirty protests: little wonder the angry, disappointed Seventies produced a palette rarely encountered outside the walls of a sewage recycling facility.
But shouldn’t I have got over it by now? It’s not as if countless gorgeous browns in dreamily natural fibres aren’t readily available. Part of me almost longs for that stage of sartorial maturity that comes with a proper camel coat and a grown-up tan handbag. Still, an insurmountable mental block remains: brown is not for me. I can’t have it in my life. It is, perhaps, karma for all the wildly insulting things I’ve said about it over the years that I now live in the countryside, pretty much surrounded by brown. To say my antipathy towards the colour is triggered on a daily basis is no exaggeration. Rural life is awash with waxed jackets, earthy corduroy, and don’t get me started on tweed. To me, Tweed will always be the Lenthéric scent worn by my tyrannical and sadistic domestic science teacher back in 1976. Like my protracted brown-aversion, the whiff of it rising above the smell of burnt sausage rolls was insistent, all-pervading and had a habit of lingering…
Judy Rumbold is a freelance writer and journalist and new TNMA contributor.
Tempting browns for the Seventies-scarred:
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Discussion (59 Comments)
Karen R says:
Ha, this made me laugh. As I read the article, I was thinking the hatred for brown goes no further than the fact that most school uniforms were brown. We are traumatised at an early age ; )
My school uniform was purple and I have old friends who literally quake at the sight of this colour!Patricia Hanson-James says:
I so agree. I was at boarding school so there was no respite from the top to toe brown, even at week ends. Even the best part of 50 years later I automatically reject anything brown!
Susan Cook says:
My school uniform was also brown, right down to the big knickers. It took me decades to voluntarily wear brown again!
Judy Rumbold says:
Apologies for triggering your interlock knicker trauma – that uniform sounds like a LOT of brown. Mine was a relatively benign navy, so I should probably count myself lucky for dodging that particular brown bullet…
Liz says:
Hahaha! I remember that era well. My jaw dropped the day my (male) boss arrived at work sporting a getup of brown corduroy bell bottoms and brown fake crocodile platforms, topped with an orange velour v-neck which framed a sprig of black chest hair. Chic alors!
Wow! I can’t un-see that image now. I don’t know why, but the idea of the orange velour v-neck unsettles me more than the brown slacks/shoes combo…! Sounds very Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy…
Jayne Johnson says:
Wow. I’m sorry the 70s were so brown and dull for you. I loved 70s Britain. A lot wrong without doubt, but a lot right or getting right. I remember colour, lots of it. Purple, pink, yellow, green … a bit more freedom of expression in clothes than previous generations and more upward mobility for ordinary people than than there certainly is now. I loved the floaty hippy/Indian vibe dresses and the leather jackets (admittedly brown, but a beautiful chocolate brown) and the jeans. There was a lot of man made fabrics, but not all bad. The polyester silk jersey dresses in jewel colours with floaty chiffon overlays. I can see how you hated brown, but I don’t agree the whole of the 70s was drab, angry and disappointed.
Ruth says:
Well said Jayne! I too loved the floaty Indian dresses and Laura Ashley was heaven. Don’t think I had a drab thing in my wardrobe. And you can hardly say David Bowie, Roxy Music and glam rock generally were brown!
My older sister nailed that hippy/Indian look you’re talking about, and she looked great. Her pink Crimplene loons were things of beauty, and her psychedelic-print tent dress made me virtually drool with envy. I was the annoying sibling who wanted to be her, but got it very badly, brownly wrong on the clothes front. I was also a vile teenager with turbulent hormones, which is part of the reason why I look back on the Seventies less than fondly…
mrsglimmer says:
I entered the ‘70s aged 12, and was 21 by 1979. Although I’m lucky enough to be a healthy, happy 64 year old, still enjoying life, I always look back on the 70s as my special era. It was the decade I came of age – completed school, left home, started my career and met the love of my life – all to the backdrop of fantastic music and fashion. To me they were exciting times. Sure, there was a lot of brown, both in clothing and home decor, particularly around the mid 70s, but the decade started off with boho, hippyish styles, graduated to glam rock then punk, then the New Romantics all accompanied by their soundtracks.
I don’t often post but I had to speak out in defence of the 70s……and brown…..!
Enjoyed your article though, Judy. Conjured up a lot of memories of the shops at the time – and can almost smell the Tramp!
Deb C says:
Oh, that brought back memories, Richards, C&As, Chelsea Girl, my brown flares and platforms, with a brown scarf in a headband tie. The damage ran deep for me, and I have a rainbow of colour in my wardrobe, but the only brown items I possess are a pair of Panama Jack boots! I can’t bring myself to revisit one of the worst, imo, periods of fashion, the 70s!
Sierra says:
Loved the 70s and love brown
I’m always missing something when brown is out if fashion and I don’t have a brown t-shirt in my drawer. The colour used to suit me very well, not sure now though as I’ve gone lighter to help blend in the silver hair.MaureenC says:
I certainly agree with you about 70s clothes the entire decade was a sartorial nightmare for me as a teenager and it is with great glumness I’ve witnessed it all coming back over the last couple of years. At least these days there is a great deal more freedom in styling rather than the monolithic fashion we experienced back then when the shops only stocked what was currently in vogue. However, like Jayne in the comment above I can’t agree that the mood was ‘drab, angry and disappointed’. My family supported the miners and were delighted when they brought down the Tory government, my mother was one of the nurses out on strike for the first time (yes folks this is not actually the first nurses strike whatever the media is telling you at the moment) and I was the first in my family to get to University. Of course the decade did end with the election of Thatcher and the beginning of the end of social mobility though the fashion did of course improve!
Jill Brewer says:
I’m in solidarity with you! Let’s hope we see an change next year, though sooner would be better.
Janem says:
Yes, I agree (and well done to your mum, Maureen!). Knock the clothing by all means, but not the decade. It was the UK’s most equal era in terms of wealth and there was much more opportunity for young people. My parents were not well off but I went to university (first in my family) on a full grant – impossible for any 18-year-old today. This was late in the 70s when, fashion wise, punk was beginning to cut through. When I started university, almost everyone was in flares; by the time I left, flares were obsolete. I bought some the other day, succumbing to the pics of skinny models in flares on the Jigsaw website, but they seemed like such a throwback that I returned them to the shop.
Pip says:
And all the photos from the time (properly developed at Boots) made everything look even more brown! All the tones in family photos from then are brown – I give it a wide berth too. Coupked with memories of being an actual Brownie with my tanned skin and dark brown hair just removed any sense of contrast resulting in a brown blob. Bring on the colour!
Elaine says:
I love brown but then I have Autumn colouring so am always dismayed when I can’t find any brown clothes in shops. It does tend to look better in natural fibres. Wool, linen etc. I am happily wearing brown today with burnt orange. In my opinion brown can look so much better than navy or black. Luckily stores like Toast and Sahara can usually satisfy my longings!!
Minnie says:
Oh my- what a great evocation of being a 70s teenager. I forgot about Van Allan. My friend and I used to buy clothes from jumble sales which were brightly coloured because we liked the style and actually dye them brown or dark blue or grey! Bonkers. So I do remember the drab, dark colour theme. I did have brighter clothes though including a yellow wrap around coat and a bright red tote bag. Then punk came along and my wardrobe took on a whole different vibe. I never wear brown now and haven’t done for years. The eighties brought all that black and a black polo neck is still a staple of my wardrobe. I like the way that now you can just mix and match and play with all sorts of styles and combos especially as an older woman. I don’t miss that teenage need to conform to the norm!
Kathe says:
Good read. There certainly was a lot of brown around in the 70’s, however, being a brunette, I loved the shades of chestnut and rust in the Autumn which I wore with brown tights and highly polished brogues. Nowadays I am a silver haired vixen and any shade of brown or orange does not suit me at all and it makes my skin look terrible. Brown is now a no no for me. I was lucky at school though, a nice uniform of Navy and Royal blue.
Susan says:
Haha! I was also a teenager in the 70s and hate brown too for all these reasons.
Plus the fact that I now know that it is so not my colour – despite having brown hair and hazel eyes I’m very fair-skinned and rosy-cheeked so it’s an awful colour choice.
However my school uniform was navy and purple and for that reason I didn’t wear these colours for many years – until I realised that these flattered my own colouring. How we live and learn.Robyn says:
This article made me laugh and brought me down memory lane. Some things from the ‘70’s were a little out there, but I loved and still do love the ‘70’s flares and blazer look with hoop earrings. As far as brown and other earthy tones they just don’t suit my coloring. Although I like it on others.
Chris Howes says:
Brilliant! The reason I never wear brown either. And I’m from Brummie land too. A shop assistant tried to convince me to buy some brown trousers the other week, and it was a no-no! Poor girl was a victim of the trauma I have with that colour!
Mary says:
True. I can’t face brown either. Also a Brummie girl in the 70s. Even the, I couldn’t abide brown suits for men. Used to love Chelsea Girl in Birmingham city centre, though. Bus Stop was a bit too pricey.
bev says:
Urghhhhh BROWN!! Colour analysis in 70s deemed me an autumn and I wore shades of mud (poo!) for years. Turned out I am bright spring and should wear bright, saturated colours
I painted my poor bedroom in shades of coffee, tan and beige! Ghastly colour. The most depressing colour on the planet and scars you for life! Those awful 70s brown, orange, dark olive shades should be banned from existence.Ahhh – Aqua Manda! That packaging was brilliant. Not sure about the smell though…
Pru says:
Having a navy and grey based School uniform colour brown has always appealed to me! Plenty of independent boutiques in Stratford upon Avon, Oxford and then when I moved to London it was Biba! Brown and black wide strip jersey trousers were the absolute favourite in my wardrobe.
Sara says:
Not sure, but I wonder if the antipathy to brown is more linked to it being school uniform than the other fashion and social times? Mine was navy and it took me years to overcome! Not now, as navy features in my wardrobe regularly. I’ve recently acquired several camel items and, with a simultaneous change of hair colour (from reddish to blondish ) really liked it, particularly with my favourite black, navy and leopard prints. I’ve long been a fan of tan, especially for shoes, bags and suede jackets, goes with so many other colours. Chocolate brown always looks good, in theory, but I can never find anything to wear it with apart from white, so it doesn’t get worn. I was in my twenties in the 70s, and always think in retrospect that it was the decade that style forgot, though that usually leads to criticisms from those who grew up then! Being a teen in the 60s meant minis, minis and more minis; I was a skinny kid and though I now realise that that was the desired look then, I was always self conscious about my skinny limbs and probably didn’t capitalise on my possible advantages. I certainly cared more than I should about how I looked. Youth wasted on the young? Yes, in my case.
Carole Todd says:
I didn’t mind the brown period….I lived near Biba in High Street Kensington, and there were some lovely clothes in muted shades of brown, purple, mauve, cream and burgundy. Then we had the stage when brown disappeared and everything was black which I hated. I have made things easy for myself now, everything is navy with touches of colour on t-shirts, jumpers and so on.
Lucky you, living near Biba. I was in a brown Birmingham backwater where, outside the pages of Petticoat magazine, no access to such trailblazing glamour was available (or even heard of in my sheltered suburb). I left for London as soon as possible, to study fashion and textile design and to gain access to some of that Biba-inspired magic. I never looked back. (And I’m with you on navy – classy, versatile and, for us TMYA generation, infinitely more flattering than black).
Karen says:
I love brown and wish I could wear it, but it just doesn’t work with my coloring – or at least, I’ve never found clothing in the shade that a Summer could wear. The last brown garment I owned and loved was my Brownie uniform when I was six.
Wendy Nixon says:
There are browns from the 70s that were awful especially if the clothes were made of a polyester type of material. Didn’t wear the colour for years. Now, I love a good chocolate or cocoa brown sweater or cardigan with a crisp white, pale blue or even lilac shirt. But trying to find one is very difficult. I have looked everywhere and am now searching through mens’ web sites looking for them. Can anyone help?
Lesley E says:
Ah yes, the 70s! The decade taste forgot!
I occasionally catch glimpses of TV programmes from way back then and everyone looks dreadful. Don’t worry about brown. You look fabulous now, Judy!You are very kind, Lesley. These days, I probably wear too much black but I’m also beginning to realise that, at 62, navy is more flattering. I should probably make my peace with poor brown too – lots of my friends look amazing in it. I’m sure there’s a shade out there to suit me: I just haven’t found it yet!
ClaireEB says:
I have strong memories of being at school in the 70s and the n-word being casually used as a description of brown. I can’t see brown as a fashion trend without thinking about that. So while I won’t be wearing brown I’m very happy to see clog shoes and sandals back on the radar – I love them!
Allie says:
My high school’s uniform was brown, with either a white or yellow shirt (only one girl chose yellow – quelle surprise!). When we went to the local school outfitters to get my first year clothing (1987), my mum picked up a navy skirt that she liked the length of, and loudly asked the sales assistant if they stocked it “in n- brown”. I was so mortified that I ran and hid…!!
Cathérine says:
I love brown ! I live in beige, camel, tan, cognac… whatever you want to call it. And I am a die-hard fan of Max Mara although I can’t afford it. Maybe one day… when I win the lottery… you can’t blame a girl for hoping 😉
Jane H says:
Oh goodness, I hate brown as well! I keep trying to be chic in taupe & fawn but a camel coat with tan accessories is as much as I can do despite being an ‘autumn’ colouring & most browns suiting me.
Mrs Tonia says:
Strange to read such heated opinions about the wearing of brown clothing. Including from Judy Rumbold. Welcome to TNMA. I read your Guardian columns back in the day and recognised your name.
I do wear dark brown as well as black and many sludgy Biba, 70s colours. I also like camel coats, of which I’ve had several from the 70s. My most recent being a big dressing gown type wrap one in recycled wool picked up last year from H and M on sale. It looks smart. Only now I wear it with black or jeans underneath making it more casual.
From looking at current issues of fashion magazines I see the stealth return to fashionability of neutrals including beige in the form of the classic trench and toffee coloured accessories. An alternative to shocking pink trouser suits and other highlighter pen tones.
Actually I’ve worn brights with tan chinos. That looks good. One can mix it up these days to suit mood.Valerie says:
Oh all of the above. Dark brown Oxford Bags (trousers massively wide with at least a 3 button high waistband) and a brown zip up cardigan with shades of brown striped flyaway collar and rib. Yeuch! Thankfully my school uniform was quite a cool black and white!
MG says:
OK, the browns of the mid-Seventies were naff and dreary, but thanks to the fabrics and dyeing technologies then available, many other colours were equally terrible back then. Yellow, I’m looking at you. Nowadays, everything’s changed, and they do brown so much better. Who doesn’t love a chocolate-brown satin or a lovely conker-brown tweed, so unlike the miserable stuff your geography teacher used to wear?
Beige is the real menace. Just stay away from it.
Maria says:
I was in the US and at least where i was, the 70s were all bright colors, denim, tie-dye, Indian cottons the only brown i remember were buckskin boots and long fringe jackets –and all natural fabrics.
Not to say we escaped, it all went downhill fast as it became the 80s.Kay says:
This made me laugh so much…..then sad for British schoolgirls. School uniforms? I come from a land where that barely exists. And even where it does exist it most certainly doesn’t extend to underwear! My friends and I had so much fun in the 70s sewing up fashions or skulking out sales. And then extending our small wardrobes by trading them around. I don’t remember anyone wearing much brown in the 70s where I came from although it was the height of home decor. I wore dark or muted colours, sure, but that just meant everything went with everything…..again extending meagre schoolgirl wardrobes. The one, and I do emphasize one good thing about the synthetics was that they did allow cuts to be very narrow to the body without being uncomfortable which flattered our youthful, active figures back in the day.
Rach with an E says:
Clearly the trauma of school uniform has a lot to answer for! Mine was blue, so I wore brown outside of school. It didn’t exactly suit me back then, but it wasn’t TOO awful. (Maybe I need to revisit my photo albums). I don’t wear brown of any shade now as it doesn’t suit my skin. I had a brown bedroom – beige Laura Ashley wallpaper with brown sprigs and lots of cane furniture – which I paid for myself. I like the cane furniture second time around, but no brown fabric will ever touch my body again.
Just browsing on Jigsaw website I saw many garments with small seasonal reductions in an unapologetic Brown colour. Anyone for brown jackets, trousers, cardigans or other garments !
Cassie says:
Brown school uniform, what a shocker. Brown has never since been a feature of my life, not even shoes. It just does not suit me either which I guess is the main reason but hard to get those brown Brentford Nylons sheets out of my psyche. Very amusing thank you.
AppleEverAfter says:
Ha ha, great summary of the 70s, and I love the photo with the bière brune advert, very subtilement! I do think she’s a bit hard on all browns lumped together though; nothing wrong with cognac or coffee or fudge, as others have pointed out! That’s the late afternoon sugar slump talking, obviously. And I totally agree with the reader above who said beige is the real enemy.
Having never worn a school uniform, I was spared that and don’t remember the 70s as being drab at all. I actually really like brown. For awhile, I wore so much of it that I tired of it and completely avoided it for several years. Now, I’m back to wearing it, but with more caution.
Susanna says:
Where did the schools get the idea that we should wear those enormous heavy cotton knickers?!!! My uniform was brown and cream, and I’ve heard from many classmates that it took years for us to get back into those colors. My 70’s out of school clothes were navy and denim with bright colors, lots of skinny rib polo sweaters from Dorothy P’s (acid yellow, what was I thinking?) and micro skirts, when they weren’t “sweeping up the pavement” as my dad used to say. I think brown dyes have improved a lot, and I do wear it sometimes, but it’s not a huge item in my wardrobe, and I still never wear cream or beige. Nor much bottle green either, funnily enough, which was the uniform of a neighboring school, and (if anything) worse than our brown. Guilt by association, I guess. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Carolyn says:
Mushroom, mocha, coffee,camel, taupe or toffee – it’s all brown and I would not wear it!!
Far too dull, I’m happier with colour.
Maybe it is those 70s memories although only the Convent wore brown uniform.
I’ve been avoiding it for years!!Christine Donne says:
Ah yes, the 70’s; the miner’s strike; the power cuts, eating in restaurants by candlelight. Yet – the most amazing decade in many ways! And one of the happiest decades of my life, in fact. There was so much choice in fashion & I remember buying a beautiful, yes beautiful, brown, 100% wool, (a rarity in the 21st century), maxi coat with a tie belt, & a huge brown fur collar. I wore it with knee high brown patent wedge , heeled boots, a pink & cream mini kilt & cream Angora sweater. And I felt fabulous! I also remember buying a bright red fitted wool coat cut just above the knee. Although I’m from Yorkshire, we had a great deal of choice in Lewis’s & Schofields in Leeds & Cole’s & House of Fraser in Sheffield.. There were some glorious colours, purple & pink silk blouses. I loved lime green as well. There were elegant evening dresses & those lovely, floaty Indian style dresses – I loved it all. I even wore hipster bell botton trousers & platform shoes. (think ABBA). Jeans didn’t feature in my life until the late 80’s & now I’m rarely out of them!
We need a post on school uniform! My primary school and grammar school were both very dark navy and I haven’t been able to wear navy for the last 50 plus years as a consequence. (Nor a bloody boater hat!). Damages you for life!
carole b says:
Love brown – with navy, with grey or silver, pink or white, with black. Rich, deep, can be a neutral if you need it to be or can be the main player. Brilliant with denim. Love a silky, sheeny brown. Last item of clothing I bought? Shiny, heavy, ruched, tight top – brown, £8 in H & M sale, down from £24.99 last weekend. Will be amazing with white jeans, or a similar shade ankle length brown silk skirt. Understated. Great with diamonds and platinum.
Love this article Alison !!! I loved wearing brown and camel with huge cream Sacha platform chunky shoes ! I made a brown jersey wrap over skirt from a Sonia Rykiel pattern and wore it with a tight fitting camel jumper with a white collar and over the knee brown socks . I also love Wallis
I lived in a mining village on the north east coast and it was definitely a gloomy period of miners strikes etc . I think having brown eyes and hair helped ! I was probably 15 years old and nightclubbing – dancing to Chairman of the Board at the local disco !! Good times for me
Viv 
Frankie 
Liz Andersson 
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Brilliant! I could have written this article, adding in that my school uniform was brown, with gold piping on the blazer. cream trutex shirts, brown interlock knickers . . . . Brown. No. Just no..