Colors that go with Sage Green for clothes
Sage Green · #9CAF88
Sage Green (#9CAF88) — a soft, grey-tinged green — pairs best with muted red, teal, terracotta & clay, and ochre & gold. To wear with it, reach for muted red, drawn from 8 historically-grounded combinations below.
Worn together, the pairing has to flatter skin and hold up in mixed light — confident partners read as intentional, not accidental.
About sage green
Sage Green is a soft, grey-tinged green — a nearly neutral, balanced colour that reads as mid-toned. As a balanced tone it looks most resolved next to both warmer and cooler neighbours, and it needs both lighter and deeper shades nearby for the value contrast the eye reads as finished. That balance is what makes it feel refined in clothes.
- HEX
- #9CAF88
- RGB
- 156, 175, 136
- HSL
- 89°, 20%, 61%
- CMYK
- 11, 0, 22, 31
Accessibility: put light text on sage green for below AA (decorative use) legibility (contrast 2.3:1 against off-white).
Why sage green pairs with muted red, teal, terracotta & clay, and ochre & gold
Across the 8 historical combinations below, sage green sits most often beside muted red, teal, terracotta & clay, and ochre & gold. That tracks with colour theory: a balanced, mid-toned tone like this one wants both warmer and cooler neighbours so the scheme feels intentional rather than flat, and both lighter and deeper partners supply the light-to-dark range the eye needs. Worn together, the pairing has to flatter skin and hold up in mixed light — confident partners read as intentional, not accidental.
- muted red
- teal
- terracotta & clay
- ochre & gold
Using sage green in clothes
To wear with it, reach for muted red and teal. Because sage green is mid-toned, it can cover larger surfaces, with ochre & gold added for depth.
8 combinations with sage green, from the 1933 Dictionary
Lemon Yellow & Green Blue +2
Plate 259 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Lemon Yellow, Green Blue, Helvetia Blue, Warm Gray.
#a1a39a #f8ed43 #099197 #005b8d
Red & Pale Lemon Yellow +2
Plate 261 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Red, Pale Lemon Yellow, Calamine BLue, Warm Gray.
#a1a39a #a72144 #ffefae #78cdd0
Spectrum Red & Ivory Buff +2
Plate 266 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spectrum Red, Ivory Buff, Rainette Green, Benzol Green.
#8fa071 #e31f26 #ebd3a2 #00978d
Spectrum Red & Ivory Buff +2
Plate 301 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spectrum Red, Ivory Buff, Rainette Green, Aconite Violet.
#8fa071 #e31f26 #ebd3a2 #a36aa5
Celadon & Unbleached
Celadon pottery green beside the unbleached warmth of raw silk.
#8DB6A5 #F3EBDA #6E7B6A
Hay's Russet & Ecru +2
Plate 249 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Hay's Russet, Ecru, Olive Ocher, Dark Medici Blue.
#c2ae93 #793327 #d6b43e #547076
Etruscan Red & Ecru +2
Plate 275 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Etruscan Red, Ecru, Madder Brown, Taupe Brown.
#c2ae93 #c55347 #762c19 #7a4456
Raw Sienna & Vinaceous Cinnamon +2
Plate 279 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Raw Sienna, Vinaceous Cinnamon, Ecru, Dark Tyrian Blue.
#c2ae93 #bb7125 #eea78c #12354e
Sage Green in other settings
Other colors
From the archive
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Go deeper on colour
The colour-theory books behind pairings like Sage Green — history, reference and the science of what works together.
Torn between the two Wada dictionaries? Vol 1 vs Vol 2, compared plate by plate →
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