What colours go with black?
Here the figure wears black jeans with an ivory T-shirt, the partner the engine rates highest for black. The jeans stay locked when you shuffle, so you can see black with other tops.
Drag to turn · tap a piece to change it · Space shuffles · L locks
This look
Ivory T-shirt, black jeans and white sandals
Casual, right for 24 °C.
Why this works
- Light pieces for 24 °C, about as much as people typically wear at that temperature.StandardHavenith et al. (2012)
- The ivory T-shirt against the black jeans gives a clear light-and-dark contrast, which people tend to like.ResearchSchloss & Palmer (2011)
- Everything here is a neutral (ivory, black and white), so the pieces go together easily.Less sure · ConventionStylist convention
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How this works: Method, 7 sources,
How this works
Method
With no wardrobe it builds a look from colour schemes; with yours it picks from what you own, leaving out pieces archived, in the wash or worn recently. A pick must suit the occasion and the weather, then it is scored on colour harmony (the Ou–Luo model and scheme rules, in OKLab), light against dark, warmth (garment insulation summed as in ISO 9920, against the UTCI clothing model), formality and rotation. The same day and wardrobe give the same pick until you shuffle.
Sources
- Ou, L.-C. & Luo, M. R., "A colour harmony model for two-colour combinations", Color Research & Application 31(3) (2006)
- Schloss, K. B. & Palmer, S. E., "Aesthetic response to color combinations", Attention, Perception & Psychophysics 73(2) (2011)
- Ottosson, B., "A perceptual color space for image processing" (OKLab) (2020)
- ISO 9920, Ergonomics of the thermal environment: estimation of thermal insulation of a clothing ensemble
- ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy (garment insulation table)
- Havenith, G. et al., "The UTCI-clothing model", International Journal of Biometeorology 56(3) (2012)
- MET Norway, Locationforecast 2.0 (weather data, CC BY 4.0)
Changes
- Added 21 pages: what colours go with navy, black, grey, beige, olive, burgundy, brown, white, denim and pink (each table from the engine), and what to wear from 40 to 80 °F and 5 to 25 °C.
- First published.
How black with ivory scores
The engine scores a pair of colours as a top and trousers, with the parts of its outfit score that depend only on colour. Black has a lightness of 0.23 and a colourfulness (chroma) of 0.00; ivory has 0.95 and 0.02.
- Light against dark: the lightness gap is 0.73, which earns 1.00 of 1.
- Harmony: the Ou–Luo model gives 0.75; blended half and half with the all-neutral scheme’s credit of 0.95, that is 0.85.
- One statement piece: 1.00 of 1.
(0.22 × 0.85 + 0.08 × 1.00 + 0.07 × 1.00) ÷ 0.37 = 0.91
The weights are the ones the tool uses for these parts of every outfit. The harmony model was fitted to people’s ratings of flat colour patches on a screen, not clothes, so treat the score as a strong hint rather than a verdict.
The 8 best partners for black
Ranked by the engine, best first. The evidence column says how sure each reason is: research, design theory or stylist convention.
| Colour | Why it works | Evidence | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| ivory | Two neutrals: black and ivory go together easily, with a clear light-and-dark contrast. | Convention | 0.91 |
| light grey | Two neutrals: black and light grey go together easily, with a clear light-and-dark contrast. | Convention | 0.89 |
| grey | Two neutrals: black and grey go together easily, with a clear light-and-dark contrast. | Convention | 0.89 |
| khaki | Two neutrals: black and khaki go together easily, with a clear light-and-dark contrast. | Convention | 0.86 |
| denim | Two neutrals: black and denim go together easily, with a clear light-and-dark contrast. | Convention | 0.86 |
| lavender | Black is a neutral, so lavender can be the one colour in the outfit. | Convention | 0.81 |
| yellow | Black is a neutral, so yellow can be the one bright colour in the outfit. | Convention | 0.79 |
| forest green | Black is a neutral, so forest green can be the one colour in the outfit. | Convention | 0.79 |
Black is the darkest neutral there is
Black has no hue at all, so it never clashes on the colour wheel. What changes from one pairing to the next is the lightness gap. Against ivory the gap is 0.73 on a 0 to 1 scale, about as wide as clothing gets, which is why light colours read crisp and graphic next to black.
Mid-tones such as grey, khaki and denim give a softer contrast that suits daytime and casual outfits. A bright accent, lavender, yellow or emerald, looks more intense beside black than beside white, because the dark surround makes it look stronger.
All black, and black with other darks
An all-black outfit is a style of its own. It works best when the pieces differ in texture: matte cotton, knit, leather, denim. Without a lightness contrast, texture is what tells the pieces apart.
Black with navy, chocolate brown or forest green is dark on dark. The tool treats that as a tonal look rather than a mismatch and says so in its reasons; the label on it is convention, because no study has tested it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you wear black and brown together?
Yes. The old advice against it is a convention, not a finding, and the engine scores black with brown well because both are neutrals. A lighter brown, tan or camel, gives a clearer contrast than a very dark brown.
What colour top goes with black jeans?
Almost any. The engine’s order starts with ivory, light grey, grey: light tops give the strongest contrast. A colourful top works too, as the one bright piece against the black.
Is an all-black outfit boring?
It depends on texture and fit more than colour. Mixing a knit with denim or leather, or adding one metal accessory, gives the eye something to read. If you want colour, a single accent such as a bag or scarf is enough.
Do black and navy go together?
They can. Both are dark, so together they read as one deliberate, deep look rather than a contrast. Wearing them on different halves (a navy top with black trousers) and adding one lighter piece keeps them distinct.