The Best Colors for Men
With Auburn Hair
Auburn hair on men is a striking, relatively rare coloring — a rich red-brown that reads warmer and earthier than bright red, deeper and more characterful than standard brown. Most men's style advice ignores it entirely, defaulting to generic neutrals. But auburn hair creates a specific warm palette that rewards deliberate color choices. The right shirt or jacket doesn't just look good — it makes your hair color look intentional and sharp.
Discover Your ColorsWhy Auburn Hair Changes Your Color Game
Auburn sits at the intersection of red and brown — a warm, richly pigmented hair color with a visible copper or chestnut register. That warmth radiates outward, influencing how every garment reads when worn near your face. It's not a subtle effect. Auburn hair is a strong visual anchor, and your clothing either harmonizes with it or fights it.
The dominant undertone in auburn hair is warm orange-red. Colors that share or complement this warmth — deep greens, earthy browns, cool navies, rich jewel tones — feel cohesive and confident. Colors that conflict with it — chalky pastels, warm sandy tones, bright oranges — create a muddled, unresolved look.
Most men with auburn hair end up in safe navy and grey without ever exploring the full range of colors that could work for them. This guide changes that. Auburn is a genuine asset — it gives your wardrobe a warm anchor that most men don't have access to.
Your Best Color Families for Menswear
Deep Forest & Hunter Green
Green is the complementary color to red on the color wheel — and auburn's red quality makes this pairing especially powerful for men. A forest green flannel shirt or hunter green wool sweater against auburn hair creates a striking, masculine contrast that looks deliberate without being loud. This is arguably the single best color family for men with auburn hair. It works in casual knitwear, smart wool blazers, and outerwear alike.
Deep Navy
Navy provides a cool contrast that works beautifully against auburn's warmth — it doesn't clash, it balances. A classic navy wool blazer or navy Oxford shirt next to auburn hair creates a clean, sharp look with real depth. Navy is versatile enough for smart-casual and business contexts, and the temperature contrast with auburn reads as polished rather than predictable.
Warm Earthy Tones
Auburn hair belongs to the autumn earth-tone family, and these shades reflect that. Deep chocolate brown creates a tonal richness — darker than your hair, warmer than grey, more characterful than black. Cognac and warm rust add earthy resonance without competing directly with your hair color. These shades work exceptionally well in leather goods, knitwear, and casual shirts where texture carries the look.
Rich Jewel Tones
Rich jewel tones carry enough depth and warmth to stand with auburn hair rather than be overwhelmed by it. Burgundy is particularly striking for men — it amplifies auburn's red register without mirroring it exactly, and works in shirts, knitwear, and smart casual contexts. Deep teal bridges green and blue, offering a distinctive alternative to standard navy. These tones elevate evening and smart-casual dressing significantly.
How to Build a Wardrobe Around Auburn Hair
The green shirt or jumper rule
If you take one thing from this guide, make it this: a forest green or hunter green piece is your single most powerful wardrobe tool. A dark green flannel shirt, a bottle green roll-neck, or a hunter green Harrington jacket all pair with auburn hair in a way that looks effortlessly considered. The green-auburn combination is masculine, striking, and requires no special styling — the colors do the work.
Navy as your everyday neutral
Most men default to grey as their neutral — but auburn-haired men wear navy better than almost anyone. A navy Oxford shirt with jeans and auburn hair creates clean, cool contrast that grey cannot. Navy chinos, navy wool blazers, and navy knitwear all interact with auburn's warmth to create balance. Consider navy your default neutral where others use grey.
Building a smart-casual wardrobe
For smart-casual dressing — client meetings, evenings out, casual Fridays — the auburn-friendly palette translates directly to menswear staples. A burgundy merino crew-neck, a deep forest green corduroy blazer over a cream Oxford, or a dark teal wool jacket over navy chinos are all wardrobe combinations that look deliberate and polished. Avoid cool grey suits if possible; a warm chocolate or deep navy suit will serve you far better.
Outerwear and heavier pieces
Auburn hair works exceptionally well with heavy, textured outerwear. A deep olive waxed jacket, a hunter green wool overcoat, or a dark cognac leather jacket all pair naturally with auburn's earthy register. Flannel and tweed in forest or olive tones are also particularly good — the texture adds interest while the color harmonizes. Avoid grey peacoats and camel-tan topcoats as your primary outerwear; navy and deep green are significantly better choices.
Colors That Work Against Auburn Hair
Bright orange and warm red
Orange sits too close to auburn on the color wheel. A bright orange shirt or warm red jumper next to auburn hair creates a competing warmth — neither looks its best, and the overall effect is indistinct. Rust or cognac give you the earthy warmth without the clash.
Pale chalky tones
Chalk white, pale powder blue, and washed-out pastels lack the weight to hold their own next to auburn's richness. They tend to make the hair appear more aggressively orange and leave the overall look feeling drained. Warm ivory is a far better alternative to stark white — it echoes the warmth in your hair rather than fighting it.
Warm sandy and camel tones
Light sandy tones — sand, warm beige, pale camel — blend into auburn's warmth rather than contrasting with it. The result is a low-contrast look that flattens your coloring. If you want a neutral, reach for warm cream or a deeper chocolate instead. Dark camel can work, but pale sandy shades rarely do.
Cool grey and blue-grey
Cool charcoal or blue-grey creates a temperature clash with auburn's warmth and can make your complexion appear sallow. If grey is part of your wardrobe, choose versions with a warmer base — greige or mid-tone grey with no blue cast. Very dark, almost-black charcoal can also work in structured blazers where the cut carries the look.
Wardrobe Swaps for Auburn-Haired Men
Concrete replacements that work with auburn's warm red-brown depth instead of against it.
Pale blue is too cool and light to sit well with auburn. Navy gives you the blue family with enough depth to create clean contrast.
Cool grey fights auburn's warmth. Forest green and burgundy both have the depth and complementary warmth to work powerfully with auburn hair.
Pale camel blends into auburn's warmth and creates a low-contrast look. Navy and olive create decisive contrast and work with your coloring.
Mid-grey is the least flattering blazer color for auburn hair — it creates temperature conflict without adding anything. Green and chocolate are far more cohesive choices.
Stark white creates a cool temperature mismatch with auburn. Warm ivory echoes your hair's warmth and makes your complexion look better alongside it.
Warm red and orange fight auburn rather than complementing it. Dark olive and cognac deliver earthy warmth without competing with your hair color.
Which Seasonal Color Palette Fits Auburn Hair?
Auburn hair is most at home in the autumn color family — rich, warm, and earthy. Your exact seasonal type depends on the depth and warmth of your specific auburn shade, as well as your skin tone and eye color.
Warm Autumn
Learn moreIf your auburn has a clear golden-copper quality — more bright chestnut than dark brown — and your skin has warm, peachy, or golden undertones, Warm Autumn is your most likely match. Your palette centers on rich earthy tones: terracotta, warm olive, camel, and spice. You handle golden and bronze tones particularly well.
Deep Autumn
Learn moreIf your auburn is deep — closer to dark copper or mahogany than bright chestnut — and your overall coloring feels rich and saturated, Deep Autumn fits you better. You can wear more saturated, intense tones: deep burgundy, dark forest green, and rich chocolate. Your palette has more depth and contrast than Warm Autumn.
Warm Spring
Learn moreIf your auburn is on the lighter, brighter end — a warm copper or bright chestnut without heavy darkness — and your skin is light-to-medium with clear warmth, Warm Spring may be your match. Your palette is warmer and clearer than Autumn: bright corals, warm greens, and golden tones rather than the deeper, richer autumn shades.
Build Your Exact Color Palette
Auburn hair gives you a warm, distinctive anchor for your wardrobe — but your precise skin tone, eye color, and the exact shade of your auburn all shift which specific colors look best on you. Deep forest green, navy, earthy cognac, and burgundy form the foundation. A personalized color analysis pinpoints your exact shades — not just the families, but the specific tones within those families that make the most of your specific coloring.
Get Your Color AnalysisFrequently Asked Questions
What colors look best on men with auburn hair?
Deep forest green, hunter green, navy, warm earthy tones like cognac and chocolate brown, and rich jewel tones like burgundy and deep teal are the most flattering colors for men with auburn hair. These shades either complement auburn's warm red-brown through contrast (green, navy) or harmonize with its earthy warmth (cognac, chocolate, burgundy).
What should men with auburn hair avoid wearing?
Men with auburn hair should avoid bright orange, warm red, pale chalky tones, warm sandy beiges, and cool grey. Orange and warm red fight auburn's own warmth rather than working with it. Pale chalky tones look washed out against auburn's richness. Sandy beiges blend into auburn without creating any contrast. Cool grey creates a temperature mismatch with auburn's warm register.
Does green work for men with auburn hair?
Yes — deep green is arguably the best color family for men with auburn hair. Green and red are complementary colors on the color wheel, meaning they enhance each other when placed side by side. Forest green, hunter green, and dark olive all create a striking, masculine contrast against auburn hair. A forest green flannel shirt or bottle green roll-neck is one of the sharpest combinations available to auburn-haired men.
Can men with auburn hair wear navy?
Absolutely. Navy is an excellent choice for men with auburn hair and arguably works better than grey as an everyday neutral. The cool temperature of navy creates clean contrast against auburn's warmth, resulting in a sharp, balanced look. Navy Oxford shirts, wool blazers, and chinos all pair well with auburn hair in both casual and smart-casual contexts.
What colour suit should a man with auburn hair wear?
Navy is the strongest suit choice for men with auburn hair — it creates cool contrast against auburn's warmth and reads as sharp and polished. Deep charcoal can work if it has no strong blue cast. Avoid mid-grey suits, which clash with auburn's temperature, and brown suits in warm camel tones, which blend into auburn's palette without enough contrast. A dark chocolate-brown suit can work well as an alternative to navy.
Does auburn hair suit earth tones?
Yes, but with important nuance. Deep earth tones — cognac, dark chocolate, warm rust, and burnt sienna — work well with auburn hair because they share its earthy warmth without competing directly with the hair color. However, pale or sandy earth tones — light camel, sand, and buff — tend to blend into auburn's warmth and create a low-contrast look. The rule is: the darker and richer the earth tone, the better it tends to work.