Dark chocolate

Where it sits

True Autumn palette

Dark chocolate is a neutral in True Autumn. Its closest relative outside the palette is Soft chocolate #5A4636, a Soft Autumn color, at a perceptual distance of 7. That is near enough for that season to wear it as a neutral, with the accents kept in its own palette.

Black is a cool color, and on warm skin it draws a hard line at the jaw that makes the face look tired. Dark chocolate gives a True Autumn the same depth without the line. Next to the palette's rust, mustard and olive it recedes the way black would. Next to the face it looks like it belongs, which black never quite does on this season.

The warm seasons share this part of the wheel closely. Soft Autumn's soft chocolate is seven points away and a touch greyer, close enough to swap. Dark Autumn's espresso and warm charcoal are twelve points away and darker; a True Autumn can wear them, but they sit a little heavy. Bright Spring's warm espresso near-black is thirteen points away and the warmest of the group, and the Springs borrow in that direction rather than this one.

The brown to avoid is the cool one. Deep Winter's cool espresso is seventeen points away and the same depth, with the warmth taken out. On a hanger the two are hard to tell apart. On a True Autumn the cool one looks like a black that has faded, and the warm one looks like a color.

Easily confused with

Soft Autumn's soft chocolate is the near-twin at seven points and a fair swap. The confusion that matters is with the cool dark browns, Deep Winter's cool espresso above all, which read nearly identical in a photograph and drain a True Autumn in person. If a brown looks faintly purple or grey next to a warm cream, it is the cool kind.

The nearest named colors in other seasons, by perceptual distance (ΔE in CIELAB; under 10 is hard to tell apart on a screen, over 25 is a different color).

In stock in this color today

As of November 11, 2026, 122 in-stock pieces across STAUD, Marine Layer, Boden, Frank & Eileen and Christy Dawn sample within a close match of #4A3526. The dot on each card is the color we sampled from the garment itself; trust it over the photograph. Links are affiliate links: we earn a commission when you buy through them, at no cost to you.

Brennan

Chocolate

$368 at Frank & Eileen

Adrian Jacket

Earth

$495 at STAUD

Blaise Dress

Woodland

$595 at STAUD

Tyra Skirt

Earth

$228 at STAUD

High Rise Wide Leg Jeans

Dark Chocolate

$160 at Boden

Mini Rib Henley

Chocolate

$78 at Marine Layer

Teddy Fur Mix Coat

Bitter Chocolate

$320 at Boden

Esme Wrap Coat

Java

$268 at Marine Layer

Paige Cardigan

Java

$138 at Marine Layer

The Marion Dress

Chocolate

$428 at Christy Dawn

Camilla Cotton Crew Sweater

Bitter Chocolate

$89 at Boden

Cara

Root Brown

$198 at Frank & Eileen

See everything in True Autumn

What it's sold as

Retailers almost never use the palette name. These are the color names on the in-stock pieces that sample within a close match of #4A3526 today, so they are the words to search for.

STAUD

Earth, Woodland, Tiramisu, Espresso, Root, Dark Chocolate

Marine Layer

Chocolate, Java, Dark Chocolate, Java Heather, Chocolate & Berry, Timber

Boden

Dark Chocolate, Bitter Chocolate, Raw Umber, Chocolate, Gold, Deep Brown

Frank & Eileen

Chocolate, Root Brown, Irish Coffee, Irish Chocolate, Espresso

Christy Dawn

Chocolate

A retailer's name for a color says nothing about its undertone. "Navy" at one shop is a True Winter color and at another a Spring one. The sampled dot on each card above is what we trust.

Questions

The True Autumn guide · All in-stock True Autumn pieces · Pumpkin → · All colors