If it’s neither red nor brown, it’s likely burgundy. No, not the region of France famous for wine, but the two are most definitely, inherently linked. It is thought that the colour was first described in the 19th century and its name was likely influenced by the large influx of French wine into England during the Regency and Victorian eras.
It’s a deep, reddish brown colour with glorious purple undertones that’s largely associated with opulence and luxury. It became a favourite of royal courts, associated manors and estates, and later became the colour of officialdom – which is why the UK passport used to be a lovely burgundy colour (gone, but never forgotten). If red is the colour of aristocracy, burgundy is its bureaucratic yet equally opulent cousin.
The family is rather extended, for other French wines have popular corresponding hues. Bordeaux is a far deeper red, the kind typically associated with red wine, while merlot is deeper still but with more visible purple undertones. In much the same way that the colder seasons usher in a re-interest in all things red wine-related, the sartorial colour palette tends to shift towards the vine-ripened, fermented end of the spectrum.
Though burgundy has historically been associated with strength and power, there’s something about the hue which, when introduced to a thoughtful autumn/winter ensemble, has a simultaneously striking yet calming effect. It’s been described as 2024’s ‘new neutral’ which is why you’l.