How to Choose Your Shade of Burgundy: Cool vs Warm
Whenever autumn comes round, it brings its own colours into fashion. Orange, terracotta, brown, olive green, and burgundy of course. I've not met a person yet who wouldn't like the last one. Burgundy is everywhere. There's burgundy in suede, burgundy in leather, burgundy in knits, burgundy in lace. The main thing is that burgundy is always different. Lighter, darker, more saturated, more soft, and of course it can be cool and it can be warm, so one shade of burgundy can suit you much, much more than the others.
But how do you find the right shade of burgundy? With a colour analysis of your complexion.
Burgundy in history and art
Burgundy takes its name from the wine of the Burgundy region in France, a deep purplish red that's been associated with wealth and status for centuries. Medieval and Renaissance portraits are full of it, worn by dukes, cardinals and merchants who could afford dye that rich. It shows up again and again in art as a colour of authority rather than decoration, which is probably why it still feels a bit powerful on a person today, even in a jumper from the high street rather than a velvet gown.
What makes burgundy cool
A cool burgundy has more blue or purple in it than red. Think of it sitting closer to plum or aubergine on the colour wheel. It looks slightly bruised, slightly inky, and it has almost no orange in the undertone at all. If you hold it next to your face and your skin looks brighter and calmer rather than sallow, that's usually a sign it's your kind of burgundy.
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What makes burgundy warm
A warm burgundy leans towards brick or rust. There's more brown and orange folded into it, so it reads richer and earthier rather than jewel-like. It's the burgundy you see most in autumn homeware and leather, because it sits so comfortably next to browns and oranges. On the wrong skin it can look a bit muddy, on the right skin it looks like it was made for the season.
Why burgundy is an autumn and winter season colour
Burgundy has the depth to hold its own against dark coats, heavy knits and low winter light in a way that pastels simply can't. It reads as rich rather than washed out under grey skies, which is exactly why you see it every year from September through to Christmas and rarely in a summer collection. It's also flattering with the deeper hair colours and paler skin that tend to show up more in the colder months, when fewer of us have a tan to work with.
Can you wear burgundy in coats
Yes, and it's one of the best places to wear it. A coat is a large block of colour sitting right next to your face, so getting your shade right matters more here than almost anywhere else in your wardrobe. If you're cool-toned, look for a coat with a plum or blackcurrant cast. If you're warm-toned, look for one with more brown or rust folded through it. Get it right and a burgundy coat can become the one piece you're photographed in every winter.
How to find your shade of burgundy
The honest answer is a proper colour analysis, because guessing from a swatch under shop lighting rarely tells you the full story. What we look at is how a colour interacts with your skin, eyes and hair together, not just whether you "like" it. Two people can love the exact same burgundy jumper and only one of them will look properly lit up in it. You can start today with the free colour analysis quiz.
If you want a quick self-check before booking anything, hold a cool, blue-based burgundy and a warm, brown-based burgundy against your bare face in daylight, no makeup, and see which one makes your skin look clearer and which makes you look tired. It's not foolproof, but it's a start.
What metal goes well with burgundy
Cool burgundy pairs best with silver, white gold and gunmetal. Warm burgundy sits better with gold, rose gold and antique brass. This is a small detail, but it's the kind of thing that quietly makes an outfit look pulled together or slightly off, and it's an easy fix once you know which side you're on.
What colours go well with burgundy
If it's cool shade of burgundy
Pair cool burgundy with charcoal, cool grey, navy, emerald, and icy blues. Silver jewellery finishes it properly. Black works too, but a soft charcoal is usually more flattering and less harsh.
If it's warm shade of burgundy
Pair warm burgundy with camel, olive, mustard, cream and chocolate brown. Gold jewellery again ties it together. This is the combination you'll recognise from most "autumn capsule wardrobe" content, because it's built around warm burgundy specifically.
How to incorporate the wrong burgundy in your wardrobe
If you already own a burgundy that isn't quite your shade, don't throw it out. Move it away from your face. A wrong burgundy works far better as trousers, a bag, or shoes than as a jumper or a coat collar sitting right under your chin. Add a scarf or a top in your correct colours between the burgundy and your face, and it stops fighting your complexion so much. It's also a perfectly good colour to keep for a Halloween look built around wearing the wrong shades on purpose, which we've written about here:
Who looks good in burgundy
Almost everyone, in the right shade. That's really the whole point of this post. Burgundy has such a wide range, from soft dusty plum through to deep near-black wine, that there's a version of it for every skin tone, it's just not the same version for everyone.
Do you need a tan to wear burgundy?
No. That's more of a myth attached to warm burgundy specifically, because it's often shown alongside bronzed skin in autumn campaigns. Paler cool skin can wear burgundy beautifully, often better than tanned skin, because the contrast between a fair complexion and a rich cool burgundy is exactly what makes the colour look striking rather than heavy.
Does burgundy look better with brown accessories?
Only if your burgundy leans warm. A cool, blue-toned burgundy next to tan or chestnut brown accessories can start to look slightly off, because the undertones are pulling in different directions. For cool burgundy, black or grey accessories are the safer, sharper choice. For warm burgundy, brown is genuinely one of its best partners.
Clothing styles where burgundy is common
Burgundy turns up everywhere once you start looking for it. Tailoring and workwear use it as an alternative to navy or black for something with a bit more personality. Romantic and boho styles use softer, dustier burgundies in velvet and lace. Minimalist wardrobes use one single, correct-for-you burgundy as their one "colour" alongside a lot of neutrals. And of course it's a Christmas and party season staple, in sequins, satin and velvet, for exactly the reasons we covered above about it holding its own in low winter light.
FAQs
Is burgundy warm or cool?
Burgundy can be either. It depends on how much blue or purple is mixed in versus how much brown or orange. There's no single "burgundy" undertone, which is exactly why one shade suits you far more than another.
What skin tone suits burgundy best?
Every skin tone has a burgundy that suits it. Cool skin tones generally suit a blue-based, plum-leaning burgundy, and warm skin tones generally suit a brick or rust-leaning burgundy.
Can pale skin wear burgundy?
Yes, and often to great effect. A cool, pale complexion next to a rich, cool burgundy is a classic high-contrast combination that tends to look sharp and put together rather than washed out.
What jewellery goes with burgundy?
Silver and white gold for cool burgundy, gold and rose gold for warm burgundy. Match the metal to the undertone of your specific shade, not to burgundy as a whole.
