Colors that go with Maroon for an outfit
Maroon · #800000
Maroon (#800000) — a dark, brownish red — pairs best with teal, slate & blue, terracotta & clay, and ochre & gold. Build the outfit around teal, drawn from 4 historically-grounded combinations below.
An outfit wants one or two decisive partners — a neutral anchor and a single accent beats a full rainbow.
About maroon
Maroon is a dark, brownish red — a saturated, warm colour that reads as deep and grounding. As a warm tone it looks most resolved next to cool and neutral partners that temper its warmth, and it needs lighter shades nearby for the value contrast the eye reads as finished. That balance is what makes it feel bold in an outfit.
- HEX
- #800000
- RGB
- 128, 0, 0
- HSL
- 0°, 100%, 25%
- CMYK
- 0, 100, 100, 50
Accessibility: put light text on maroon for AAA legibility (contrast 10.5:1 against off-white).
Why maroon pairs with teal, slate & blue, terracotta & clay, and ochre & gold
Across the 4 historical combinations below, maroon sits most often beside teal, slate & blue, terracotta & clay, and ochre & gold. That tracks with colour theory: a warm, deep tone like this one wants cool and neutral partners that temper its warmth so the scheme feels intentional rather than flat, and lighter partners supply the light-to-dark range the eye needs. An outfit wants one or two decisive partners — a neutral anchor and a single accent beats a full rainbow.
- teal
- slate & blue
- terracotta & clay
- ochre & gold
Using maroon in an outfit
Build the outfit around teal and slate & blue. Because maroon is deep and grounding, keep it to anchor pieces or a single feature area and let teal carry the larger surfaces.
4 combinations with maroon, from the 1933 Dictionary
Vandyke Red & Yellow Orange +2
Plate 335 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vandyke Red, Yellow Orange, Violet, Slate Color.
#82241f #f99d1b #4f4086 #34454c
Vandyke Red & Citrine +1
Plate 133 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vandyke Red, Citrine, Sea Green.
#82241f #b09f36 #00b49b
Vandyke Red & Dull Viridian Green +2
Plate 316 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vandyke Red, Dull Viridian Green, Violet, Red Violet.
#82241f #009465 #4f4086 #59256a
Spinel Red & Vandyke Red +1
Plate 147 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spinel Red, Vandyke Red, Turquoise Green.
#82241f #f27291 #b5decc
Maroon in other settings
Other colors
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The colour-theory books behind pairings like Maroon — history, reference and the science of what works together.
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