Which trouser colours go with everything?

What each neutral does

They all go with a lot, but they do not go with everything equally.

• Black. Strong, smart and forgiving of marks. It sharpens bright and jewel colours and works under prints with black in them. It can look heavy under pale pastels in summer.
• White or ivory. Fresh and light, lovely with pastels, brights and summer prints. Pure white suits cool colours; ivory is kinder to warm ones such as rust, mustard and olive. It shows marks and can be see-through, so a lining or denser fabric helps.
• Beige, stone or camel. The warm neutral. It suits earthy colours, white, black and most prints, and is easier to keep clean than white. Very pale beige can wash out against pale tops.
• Navy. Softer than black and cooler than beige. It suits white, pink, red, mustard and most blues and greens except other navies, which can look like a near miss.

Choosing yours from what you own

Lay out every top and kurta you wear regularly. Hold each candidate colour against them one by one, using a trouser, a scarf or even a piece of paper of that colour, and count how many tops it works with. Start with the trouser that scores highest; the second pair should cover the tops the first one missed.

Look at undertones as you go. If most of your tops are warm (cream, rust, mustard, olive, coral), ivory and camel will usually score better. If most are cool (pure white, grey, blue, pink, emerald), black, navy and pure white will. Our guide to choosing colours that suit you explains warm and cool in more detail.

When a coloured trouser earns its place

Sometimes a non-neutral beats all four. If several of your printed kurtas share the same colour, say a particular green or pink, a plain trouser in that colour joins all of them and looks more deliberate than a neutral. The same goes for blue denim, which works as a neutral under casual kurtas and tops. Our articles on white kurtas and black kurtas show how one top colour changes which trousers work.

Shape and fabric count too

A versatile colour in a narrow shape will still not suit every top. Straight trousers in a mid-weight, matte fabric go under the widest range of kurta lengths and Western tops; very wide or very slim shapes suit fewer. If you are building around one or two neutral pairs, compare the shapes on our trouser styles pages before you choose, and think about season: a light cotton in summer, something heavier in winter.

Having neutral trousers made

Plain neutral trousers are one of the most useful single pieces to order. With Fabric + Stitching we supply an agreed fabric in your chosen colour, or you can send your own. Tell us the colour (black, ivory, stone, navy or other), the shape and the length, and mention the tops you plan to wear them with. Request a quote, and the fabric and colour are confirmed in writing before cutting.