Teal and Burgundy Outfits to Try This Fall

The word teal comes from a small duck. The Eurasian teal has a stripe of green blue across its head, and in the early twentieth century English speakers started using the bird's name for the color. It is still one of the hardest colors to describe, somewhere between a deep green and a dark blue, which is exactly why it is good with burgundy.

Both colors are dark and a little moody, so neither one shouts. Put them together and you get something that looks like an old library or a velvet theater seat, rich without being bright.

A quick test: hold a burgundy scarf against a teal sweater in daylight. If the teal turns greener, you can add more burgundy. If it turns bluer, keep the burgundy small.

The easiest way in is two accessories. Tom Ford's Kara shoulder bag is teal suede, and Gucci's Jordaan loafers come in a deep green leather with the horsebit across the front. For burgundy, Gabriela Hearst's Lauren wrap is fringed cashmere you can wear as a scarf or a shawl, and Khaite's Joan tote is a big, soft burgundy leather bag that carries everything. Wear any one of them with gray or navy and see how it feels.

Varley's Dottie sweater is a teal cable knit with a collar, the kind of knit you can wear to a desk or a dinner. Giuliva Heritage's Other Smoking trousers are pleated burgundy wool-blend crepe, cut straight and long, so the outfit looks put together even with a sweater on top. Manolo Blahnik's Maysale 50 pumps match the trousers in burgundy suede with a buckle. Agnelle's Opera gloves are long turquoise leather, a brighter cousin of the sweater, and they make the outfit.

This is the evening version. Alaïa's wool-jersey bodysuit is burgundy and smooth, so there is no bunching at the waist when you tuck it into Saint Laurent's silk-satin skirt, a dark teal green with lace at the hem. Neous' Poera 40 boots are dark brown suede, a softer choice than black. Lisa Yang's Florianne scarf in burgundy cashmere goes over the shoulders when it gets cold.

How to wear it: keep jewelry to small gold studs. The satin and the lace are already doing a lot.

Proenza Schouler White Label's Loren dress is shirred cotton poplin in a deep green teal, easy enough to wear with flat boots all day. Courrèges' Reedition jacket is coated cotton in a glossy deep red that sits right next to burgundy, and it gives the dress a little edge. Jimmy Choo's Lory 35 boots are burgundy suede on a low heel. Demellier's New York tote in dark green leather is a nice match for the dress.

What I would skip: a teal coat on top. One teal piece is enough when the jacket is this shiny.

For weekends, Aimé Leon Dore's knit bomber is a green teal, and it is reversible, so you get two jackets in one. Underneath, Dries Van Noten's burgundy zip-up hoodie and Chloé's burgundy skinny jeans make a single column of color, which is the easiest way to wear a dark shade head to toe. Erdem's Flora shoulder bag in green leather brings the teal back down by your hip.

Teal and burgundy work because they are about equally dark. The pairing gets harder when one of them goes bright, like turquoise next to a wine red, so keep both shades deep and let a single brighter piece, like Agnelle's turquoise gloves, be the exception. Gray, navy and dark brown all sit well underneath, and camel is good for a coat. Black works too, but it can make the pair look heavy. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Red and Burgundy Outfits to Try This Fall and Burgundy and Gray Outfits to Try This Fall.