I bought my first camel coat about six years ago and I remember standing in the dressing room thinking, is this too plain? Is this a coat a much older, much more organized woman wears? Guys, it wasn’t too plain. It has become the single most reached-for thing in my closet.
My sister makes fun of me because I basically live in shades of tan and brown from October through March. She wears bright colors, bless her, and I am over here looking like a very warm latte.
So. I finally sat down and wrote out all the combinations I love.
20 Camel Looks Worth Copying This Season
Camel Coat With Cream Knit Dress
This is the look I put on when I want to feel like I have my life together, even if I absolutely do not. A soft cream knit dress under a good camel coat is quietly elegant and takes zero effort.
Add tall boots and you are done. Honestly, this is my go-to for a lunch date or a museum afternoon when it’s chilly out. The tones melt together so nicely.
Camel Blazer With Oatmeal Trousers
A camel blazer paired with oatmeal trousers is one of those tan outfit women reach for when they want to look pulled together without wearing a suit. It’s office-appropriate but it doesn’t feel stiff, which is the dream.
I like a slightly relaxed trouser here so it reads modern and not like I raided a boardroom.
Brown Scarf With Camel Coat And Trousers
Okay, this is where I get a little obsessive about the small things. A rich brown scarf over a camel coat and matching trousers ties the entire look together like a bow. That one dark accent gives the neutrals somewhere to land.
The scarf also does a lot of heavy lifting on the days you didn’t wash your hair. And I say that with love, because I have absolutely done that. Chunky knit scarf, big sunglasses, coffee in hand, nobody’s the wiser.
Camel Coat With Chocolate Trousers
Camel on top, chocolate brown on the bottom. The two browns talk to each other and it looks so much richer than one flat color head to toe.
I wore a version of this to my friend Dana’s little birthday brunch last fall and three people asked where the coat was from. It’s an old one. I never remember the answer, which is a shame, because I would very much like the credit.
Camel Coat With Chocolate Knitwear
Same idea as above but flipped, with the darker chocolate knit up top peeking out from under the coat. A dark sweater against the warm coat is so cozy looking, like the outfit equivalent of a heated blanket.
This one is very forgiving. If you pulled it out of a drawer wrinkled, the texture of the knit hides everything. Trust me on this.
Camel Quilted Coat With Brown Velvet Skirt
Now we’re having fun. A quilted camel coat has that puffy, slightly sporty feel, and pairing it with a brown velvet skirt gives you this lovely tension between casual and a little bit fancy.
Velvet in the cooler months just feels right. Add opaque tights and ankle boots and you have an outfit that works for a holiday market or a low-key dinner where you still want to look like you tried.
Camel Scarf Coat With Slim Trousers
A scarf coat, meaning one of those long wrap styles with the built-in draped collar, is such an easy way to look elegant. Slim trousers underneath keep the bottom half clean so all the drama stays up top.
I will not lie to you, these coats can make you feel a bit like a very stylish spy. Which is a feeling I chase constantly.
White Knit Dress With Camel Coat
A crisp white knit dress with a camel coat thrown over the shoulders is fresh and soft at the same time. This is a good one for those in-between days when it’s not quite freezing but you still want a layer.
White and camel is such a clean pairing. It looks expensive even when it’s not, and I mean that as the highest compliment.
Oatmeal Blazer With Chocolate Trousers
An oatmeal blazer over chocolate trousers is basically the camel palette stretched into two directions, light and dark, and I love it for that. It’s a smart-casual thing that works for a coffee meeting or a slightly nicer weekend.
Roll the blazer sleeves, add a simple tee, done. I keep this one in the rotation because it never lets me down.
Cream Teddy Coat With Brown Trousers
Teddy coats. The fluffy, borg-textured ones. A cream teddy coat with brown trousers is the softest, most huggable look on this list and I refuse to apologize for how much I love it.
My husband calls mine the “sheep coat” and thinks he’s very funny. He is not funny. But he does keep stealing it, so clearly it works on everyone.
Brown Blazer With Cream Trousers
Flip the whole thing and put the darker piece up top. A brown blazer with cream trousers is polished in a way that feels a little more grown-up, a little more intentional.
Cream trousers do require some care around coffee, I’ll admit. But when they stay clean they make the brown blazer look absolutely rich.
Camel Wool Coat With Knee-High Leather Boots
This is the classic. A proper camel wool coat with knee-high leather boots is the kind of combination that has looked good for decades and will keep looking good long after all the trendy things fade.
If I could only keep one cold-weather look, it might be this one. It’s the definition of a camel tone outfit that never goes out of style, and I mean that. Add jeans or a skirt underneath and it just works, every single time.
Beige Trench Coat With Brown Loafers
For the milder days, a beige trench coat with brown loafers is my absolute favorite. Trenches are practical and pretty at the same time, which is such a rare combination.
The loafers keep it grounded and a touch preppy. I picture this for a walk through the city in early spring, when the air is cool but the sun is finally out again.
Beige Sweater With Brown Trousers
Sometimes you don’t want a coat, you just want to be warm and look nice. A beige sweater with brown trousers is the answer. Soft, easy, and quietly put together.
This is my “working from home but might have to leave the house” outfit. Cozy enough for the couch, presentable enough for the grocery store. And in fact I’m wearing something very close to it right now.
Winter-White Jeans With Camel Coat
Winter-white jeans get such a bad reputation and I do not understand why. Paired with a camel coat they look crisp and bright against all the moody weather. It’s a lovely way to lighten up a heavy season.
Just commit to it. Wear the light jeans with confidence and let the camel coat do its warm, glowing thing on top.
Camel Maxi Coat With Jeans And Sneakers
Here’s the one for the days you have a thousand errands. A long camel maxi coat over jeans and clean sneakers is the easiest way to look like you tried when you truly did not.
The long coat makes the sneakers look deliberate instead of lazy. I do the school-pickup-then-target-then-post-office loop in this all the time. It’s the uniform.
Burgundy Dress With Camel Coat
Now we bring in a color. A deep burgundy dress under a camel coat is such a beautiful pairing, all warm and jewel-toned and rich. It feels festive without being over the top.
This is my holiday-party pick. When you want to feel a little dressed up but still cozy, this camel and black outfit alternative in warm burgundy is the move, and honestly it photographs like a dream too.
Red Beanie With Camel Coat And Jeans
A little pop of red against all that tan does something magic. A red beanie with a camel coat and jeans is playful and warm and makes you look like you belong in a cozy little movie set in a snowy town.
My niece has a red beanie and every time she wears it with a tan coat I think, that child understands fashion better than most adults. She’s nine.
Camel Trousers With Dusty Pink Shirt
Camel trousers with a soft dusty pink shirt is such a pretty, gentle combination. The pink warms everything up and keeps the look from feeling too serious or too monochrome.
I love this for spring especially, when you want to hold onto your neutrals but let a little color creep back in.
Brown Boots With Tonal Coat And Wide-Leg Trousers
And to close things out, my favorite kind of confident, all-in look. Brown boots with a tonal coat and wide-leg trousers is a head to toe camel outfit done right, everything in the same warm family, layered and long and just a little bit dramatic.
Wide-leg trousers with a good boot underneath make you feel about six feet tall. This is the outfit I save for when I really want to feel like myself, walking with purpose, coffee in hand, ready for absolutely anything the day throws at me.
