Showa era
Ecru & Pale King's Blue +1
Plate 167 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ecru, Pale King's Blue, Vandar Poel's Blue.
#c2ae93
orange · 8 palettes
Ecru
About Ecru
Ecru is a mid-tone, muted orange tone. Its hex value is #c2ae93 — that is
RGB 194, 174, 147, or HSL 34°, 28%, 67%.
It holds 9.8:1 contrast against dark, so Ecru works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 2.1:1; on black 9.8:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Ecru appears in 8 combinations — most often paired with Raw Sienna, Pale King's Blue and Vandar Poel's Blue.
Colours that go with Ecru
From a standard colour wheel, Ecru anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#c2ae93 #93A7C2
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#c2ae93 #C29793 #BEC293
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#c2ae93 #93C2AE #AE93C2
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#c2ae93 #93BEC2 #9793C2
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Ecru
Ecru is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 34°, 28%, 67%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (9.8:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#93A7C2) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#C29793 and #BEC293) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Ecru
Ecru appears in 8 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.
From the archive
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