January 15, 2026
A Winter Color Combo
What colors do you like to wear? These days, I’m really liking the combo of blue and brown. The pairing feels out of the 1970s and looks great with jeans. Of course, you don’t have to buy anything — you can just dig up or borrow something blue and something brown — but for inspiration, here are a few looks…
What do you think? I hesitated to post something frivolous today, but I know many readers come here for a soft landing or news break, and we’re happy to offer that, too. xo
P.S. My five holy-grail beauty products, and what’s the best advice your therapist ever gave you?
Comments
90 commentsThe blue and brown combo reminds me so of my mom! A cozy, nostalgic sort of color scheme.
I love the color combo! Thank you
I’m not that into clothes I wear the same things all the time. Hopefully mostly PJs. Scrubs at work and a few items of what I call play clothes, things I have to wear if I can’t wear the other things ha. BUT this post and the colors and the stripes remind me of a time during the early 70s when I was 12 and my neighborhood friends and I would take our allowance, walk ” downtown ” and buy what were then called ” surfer shirts” Striped T-shirts in varying color combos we bought at David Martins Menswear, the mens clothing store. They were all the rage back then ! ( Seems like yesterday ). These days my fav color combo is hot pink and orange. My daughter of course knows this and has crocheted 2 hats for me, bag charms and cute scrunchies in these 2 colors and I love them all. I also love this combo with some turquoise thrown in, mostly visible in my wind chimes and rocking chairs on my much appreciated porch. But yeah the big bold stripes of varying colors of the surfer shirts back in the 70s, I remember those days !!
Yes, hot pink and orange are my official colors! Years ago, I bought a rug with those colors and they’ve followed me. So bright and happy.
I’m into a some light hearted content right now! Love blue and brown together. Brown was such a bold, novel color choice to us older Gen-Xers back in the early to mid-2000’s when it was popular. My friends were getting married then and lots of bridesmaid dresses were brown in that era. I’m also digging red and turquoise together these days.
This is a welcome respite. More please.
The only thing I see when I look at this is ‘the dress’ illusion from a million years ago- anyone else? Is it white and gold? Blue and brown? I can’t un-see it- ha!
I hate to be a downer, but clothing posts stress me out because they remind me of our planet’s environmental crisis and the abysmal conditions that most new clothes are produced in. The other day my 3-year-old asked “Who made this shirt?” (after getting a homemade knit sweater for Christmas from a neighbor). I looked on the tag, and it was a Hanna Andersson shirt. Even though I associate that brand with kind people I follow on the internet, the shirt was made in Bangladesh! I could shrug it off and say, “We got it as a hand-me-down; *I* didn’t do anything wrong,” but the truth is that we’re all part of these systems, whether we want to be or not. (And, if I’m being honest, I was thrilled to get a Hana Andersson hand-me-down before realizing where it was made.) I think I’m posting this for any other COJ reader who feels like another world has to be possible. I choose to hope that, too. And in case anyone is curious about why seeing Bangladesh on the tag was so jarring, here’s an explanation of what happened at Rana Plaza and the exploitation garment workers –– the people who make our clothes –– still face today: https://www.oxfam.ca/story/rana-plaza-eleven-years-on-what-has-changed/ Thank you for reading this, and thank you, Jo and team, for this blog and the comment section. P.S. There’s an Amazon Prime ad at the bottom of my screen currently (on COJ). Not sure if you’re still kind of half-anti-Amazon, but just an FYI.
Smoothliminal, I hear you! I do appreciate the inspo AND I buy about 2 items of clothing a year new, because avoiding fast fashion/crappy clothes and environmental degredation are important to me. There are ethical factories in Bangladesh AND it looks like HA doesn’t necessarily use them – see below. It’s great that you are using a hand me down rather than buying new and I hope that a lot of our fellow COJers do too. I use Good on You to evaluate brands when I buy new (You’re right that HA can do a lot better) https://directory.goodonyou.eco/brand/hanna-andersson) Anyway, thanks for this comment – you’re not alone – hopefully we are all doing what we can and encouraging our friends and neighbors to do the same by buying less, sharing hand me downs, hosting clothing swaps, etc etc. Would love to see a post on how to host a great clothing swap! <3
Seb, I’d never heard of goodonyou.eco before! What a great tool! Thank you so much for sharing it and for your nice comment : )
I feel the same way about all the fashion posts.. I like the the “what ___ wore in a week” ones, but the endless link fests bum me out. I do buy 99% of my clothing secondhand, which I realize doesn’t work for or appeal to everyone, but I really wish more people cared like we do!
Thank you for this comment! I’ve posted similar thoughts before on lifestyle blogs, I just think there has to be a better way to keep community on the internet than promoting consumption. It helps to know that a LOT of people really do care about this. And your tone reminded me to be softer about it, rather than berate people for having their heads in the sand. I mean, I wouldn’t say that…but I think it!
Totally agree with you and am looking for more influencers who embrace secondhand fashion.
I follow Alyssa Beltempo on YouTube. She focuses on slow fashion and thinking of clothes as elements of style.
I bet you all would love @becca.loveless on IG. Just a very real woman grappling with ask of this stuff and always a lot of inspiration to consume less, for the planet, but also because more things won’t lead to more happiness (usually). She’s just very sweet and real and helpful.
Love this combo of colours on other people! Feels late nineties to me. Blue isn’t a colour that looks very good on me, I’m more of a teal or navy blue wearer. And thanks for the balance. As others are saying, the mental exhaustion from the news is up-to-here right now <3
I went to Tufts University and these were its colors – baby blue and brown, LOL!
Me too! Go Jumbos!!!
scrolled to the comments in search of this and was pleasantly surprised! go jumbos!
I was thinking “there have to be other tufts grads here…”
Go Jumbos!!!! Although I must admit that Tufts didn’t immediately come to mind.
Go Jumbos! :)
I decided about 5 years ago that all my clothes would be blue, green, or black. (Or multicolored patterns where one or more of those are the dominant color/s.) Given the enormous range of shades of blue and green, it’s not very limiting—almost everything works with everything else—and it’s my version of a capsule wardrobe. (Though a friend got closer to the mark by saying I had reinvented Garanimals.) Everything flatters me, and there’s less uncertainty; I take chances more with cut and texture. But I do still pay attention to trends! No chocolate brown is happening, but I’ve pulled a lot of the paler blues to the fore lately to keep the look current.
I really appreciate the added line of ‘you don’t have to buy anything’. Of course we know it’s always true, but it feels like a small acknowledgement of the ways in which capitalism and consumerism is destroying everything and that it’s hard to escape all content increasingly feeling like it’s ultimately just pushing you to purchase purchase purchase (I know there have been a fair few comments on this topic in recent months) while still maintaining space for you to run the type of content you need for your business to survive. Just wanted to say that it’s not gone unnoticed :)
This!
Same!
100%!
Yesss, I picked up on this too! Much appreciated ❤️
I’m so grateful for the soft landing here!
the chokehold light blue and brown had on me in like… 2007 very much my old bedroom from my first marriage, LOL. I also worked at a stationery store at the time and EVERY wedding was that combo. I don’t think I can go back!
I was going to say, 2006-2007 Me was very into brown + baby blue! What a flashback this picture provided.
Dark brown and robins egg blue were my wedding colors back in 2009. I definitely felt they were dated about 10 years ago and now they are back around! I love the lighter blue as an update:)
Yes! These were the colors we decorated our 2011 baby’s nursery with and it was very easy to find all the cute sheet sets, illustrated drawings, boppy and changing table covers, etc in the scheme :)
This actually brought me back to the early 2000s when Gap stripped sweaters and Abercrombie rugby shirts were all the rage, but it’s very 70s as well. Appreciate the mix of content on this blog – CoJ team is so thoughtful always. <3
I don’t have Big Salad–what’s the Freddie news?
I’ll put a gift link in the link list today! Xx
A mom was murdered. This is not the time for normalizing nor soft landing. Justice delayed, justice denied. What we need is post after post outlining Call to Action until we reach our goal to stop this, and follow ups- until this stops. People United Will Never be Defeated. We can’t do it while thinking about what to wear/ watch/ eat. Ad Astra per Aspera all the way!!!
You feel that way, but not all posts are for all people.
HANA I feel confused by this comment. This is not an organizing blog or a social justice blog. This is a space for Joanna to include whatever she wants (and she caveated! for you!) and she very often includes important, timely, meaningful messaging that reflects her values. On another note: CupofJo.com is also her job (multiple people’s jobs! Jo is a job creator!) and their incomes do not magically spring up without content. You either pay for that content (Big Salad) or watch ads/click on links (regular website). I often see comments that find fault with either of those income streams which makes me think… this site is maybe not for you? I know it’s hard to be all things for all people, so, respectfully, your time should be spent on things that reflect your values.
I was listening to a podcast that talked about this, and they explained that in order to be of real service to people, we have to take breaks to recharge our batteries, to find ways to be happy despite suffering, so that we can persevere and not despair. We are all heartbroken and doing the work at times…and at other times finding joy, and that is not only okay, but necessary.
I love brown and blue together. It is a colour combination subtly included in my bedroom! So soothing and welcoming. I just love it. These are such difficult times, personally and globally. Thinking about a soothing colour combo is a nice breather. Xoxo
So grateful for this post today. It feels like being able to come up from underwater and take a quick breath of air, before plunging back under the waves that are life in the Twin Cities right now.
Blue and brown are great in home decor too!
Saw a sweater in this combo today – Monica from Friends used to wear a brown and blue t shirt that I loved. It’s a very cool combination.
Funny, my favourite underwear brand, Huha, just announced they’re launching a brown and blue collection this weekend!
My 2 cents: make it a soft landing but ONLY feature people of colour for a little while, just to make that point!
Figured I’d try the newest post even though there are posts on viewings. Currently just plain feeling low. Any good show or movie recommendations that are fun, funny, uplifting. (Love 30 rock, arrested development catastrophe type humor. )
Bored to Death on HBO Max! Early aughts throwback – It’s light and charming, and the characters have this earnest friendship where they are really rooting for each other, somehow without being corny.
Home Economics on Hulu. Its about a group of siblings who are trying to raise families, have careers, and just keep things together. The writing is hilarious and the cast is good.
Derry Girls! It’s funny and endearing and also takes place in a very difficult time (The Troubles in Northern Ireland) and it’s refreshing to see young people finding joy despite it all.
Never Have I Ever, New Girl, and the movie Chef are all very comforting.
Check out Taskmaster! It’s a game show where comedians complete bizarre challenges set for them by two other comics. The British version is my favorite. It’s hilarious, weird, often quite sweet, and there’s like 20 seasons available for free on Youtube. My favorites are season 18 and 19.
Son of A Critch. It is Canadian, so it depends… maybe not relatable for everyone, but gosh I love that show. So heartwarming and funny and retro.
Validation! I just bought my son a brown and pale blue striped shirt with denim shorts for Australian summer BBQs. Cup-of-Jo-approved.
Australian here and i just bought the matching Addidas sneakers last week…
I so appreciate the variety of topics on Cup Of Jo. It feels like my 20 year on-going conversation with my best friend. We supported each other through the death of a parent, career changes, babies, all the big stuff, but, no what tough stuff is going on we can also be like “should I get bangs?” Thank you for being here and for this community that shows up for each other. This is the only place on the internet I visit everyday.
Hear, hear!
Exact same on “only place…everyday”, Sarah! xox
This!
I couldn’t have said it better. I love it here.
I feel the same way xo
Really appreciate this comment. It’s exactly how I see it too.
Me too, Cup of Jo and this whole community, is one of my glimmers. Thank you Joanna.
This post is the epitome of “many things are true at once” and I appreciate that CoJ honors that. We are all going through grief and heartbreak. I think we all have glimmers though too – big and small. So, I greatly appreciate the variety of posts, whether they feel very heavy or frivolous. The soft landing was great. Thank you and much love to this special community
Echo this reaction. I love that there are a variety of topics discussed here. Some days, the news is too heavy and sad, and we need a break!!
❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Has anyone ordered from Few Moda? (one of the sites linked above). Their pricing seems almost too good to be true? Curious about the quality…
Membership things (like Fabletics) always feel too close to an MLM to me personally, but never tried this one!
Loving brown right now and trench coats. Submitted an essay today about the devastating impact from ICE on a particular small business in LA.
LITERALLY wearing this combo right now! [blushing]
Thank you. Minneapolis here. I’ve been sobbing all day. My boss got on with me this afternoon for a pipeline review and goes ‘log off, go for a walk, rage, and come back’. Did that. Feel better. We must keep going. Having an emergency meeting tonight with neighbors, THC and cheese and wine included. Thankful for a break to think of lovely things like clothes and beauty and art. Which we MUST hold onto. Grateful for all of you, wherever you are. Unsure of blue and brown but very into lavendar and chocolate brown this winter
Mel, I am so sorry you and your city and friends and neighbors are in this situation. I am watching from Quebec, Canada, absolutely horrified about the situation in Minneapolis. We stand with you in solidarity against racism and injustice.
We see you in California, Mel. Rest and keep going is the name of the game. I wish I could send you wine and cheese for tonight. I still believe there are more good people than bad and we have to work together to find our way out of this MESS!!!!!!!! Keep taking care of your nervous system. Sending you and all your neighbors STRENGTH. Remember when you’re going through hell, keep going.
Mel, sending you love and support from Pennsylvania xo
Heartbroken for you and for MN, its sad and terrible and terrifying! Sending support from NJ Take care of yourself, take care of your community, you have to find joy in the midst of sadness and rage
Ontario, Canada here Mel. My heart is with you and yours. As a US citizen, no matter what I do it never seems enough. I can’t imagine living there, trying to work and live a life while also remaining engaged and active. Exhausting. Take good care of yourself. So much support for you here. Nothing but love and admiration.
I really appreciate the normal posts like this too! I appreciate having the normalcy of coming to a familiar place (COJ) for what I know I can expect there, even during heavy times.
Oh, me too Liz! I need a cheer up
Agree! It’s beautiful that COJ can do both, so important to make space for the big things and the light things too which can be such a comfort
While *I* don’t wear pale blue, chocolate brown, and cream together, my two cats sure do: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQw1m9BDcRI/ And I appreciate the breather as well. Here’s another one: Harry Styles just dropped his new album cover and my wonderful friend Patrick knitted the shirt he’s wearing on it! https://www.instagram.com/p/DTin2jcj87c/?img_index=1 I saw a friend for breakfast this morning, and we spent half the meal talking about his work disrupting ICE in his Chicago neighborhood and mine monitoring New York City protests and the other half talking about our portly pets. The mix keeps us going.
You are exactly right, Lauren O – the mix does keep us going. Also, sign me up for that shirt!
Your cats are my dream cats.
The mix keeps us going!! I needed some normalcy and a little Lauren O wisdom today.
The balm that is COJ was born the same year as my daughter, and I first scrolled into this space when she was a year old. This is my local coffee shop on my laptop. I never frequented any other blogs because here feels like home. The “soft place to land” is everything one could hope for online, especially during horrendously turbulent and scary times. Here’s to 70’s blue and brown, and everything that brings kind, insightful, witty, and bad ass women together under one internet roof. xox
“This is my local coffee shop on my laptop”. I love this sentiment! Thanks for hosting, Jo 😎✌🏼
<3
Welcomed break. I love this color combo too. I happen to be wearing brown cords and a blue denim shirt today. Love the scarf! Just purchased brown samba sneakers yesterday-waited 2 months for restock. Soothing combo.
Love the Le Bon Shoppe sock recommendation over the holidays, purchased a gold shimmer pair. That light blue is lovely.
I really appreciate a break from all the heaviness
I appreciate the soft landing…I saw something recently that said “my entire feed is either Heated Rivalry or F*ck ICE” and I feel like we need the balance so we don’t completely shut down from mental exhaustion.