Enya Top
Sesame
#A79680
Warm taupe
A Soft Autumn color
Warm taupe
anchor color 4 of 10 in Soft Autumn. Also called Muted Autumn in other systems.
By Kathleen Olsen · Updated November 11, 2026
- Hex
- #A79680
- RGB
- 167, 150, 128
- HSL
- 34°, 18%, 58%
Warm taupe is the Soft Autumn base: a mid-tone taupe with beige in it. It is two points from the season's own warm mushroom and five from its mushroom grey, so the three work as one family, and it does the job grey does in a cool palette.
Where it sits
Warm taupe is an anchor color in Soft Autumn. Its closest relative outside the palette is Warm grey #A79E92, a Bright Spring 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.
At RGB 167, 150, 128 the red leads, the green is close behind and the blue is lower, with small gaps between them. The small gaps make it a neutral. The red and green leading together give it the warm, sandy cast. It is the color of wet sand or undyed linen. Take the warmth out and it becomes True Summer's grey-taupe; lighten it and it becomes the warm greys of the Springs.
A Soft Autumn wears it as the everyday neutral: trousers, coats, knitwear, tailoring. It sits under every color in the palette and never competes. It works with oyster and soft chocolate, and it makes sage green, dusty terracotta and muted teal look considered.
Retail calls it taupe, mushroom, stone, sesame, dune and desert. Boden's Medium Beige, Marine Layer's Almond and STAUD's Desert, Dune and Sesame have landed on it. Because it is a retail staple, it is in stores all year. The version to avoid is the cool, pinkish taupe, which belongs to the Summers.
Easily confused with
This is a crowded neutral. Soft Autumn's own warm mushroom is two points away and its mushroom grey five; for shopping they are one color. Bright Spring's warm grey is seven points off and True Summer's grey-taupe nine, both a little cooler. Light Spring's light warm grey and Soft Summer's dove taupe are about eleven points away and lighter. A taupe this neutral crosses seasons easily; the test is whether it looks sandy or pink against white.
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).
Warm grey #A79E92
Bright Spring neutral · ΔE 7
Grey-taupe #A79E96
True Summer neutral · ΔE 9
Light warm grey #B8AFA2
Light Spring neutral · ΔE 11
Dove taupe #B7ADA3
Soft Summer neutral · ΔE 11
Light taupe #BFB4A8
Light Summer neutral · ΔE 13
Rose-beige #C9B2A6
True Summer neutral · ΔE 13
In stock in this color today
As of November 11, 2026, 22 in-stock pieces across STAUD, Marine Layer, Boden and Frank & Eileen sample within a close match of #A79680. 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.
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 #A79680 today, so they are the words to search for.
- STAUD
- Sesame, Teak, Dune, Cliffside, Diana, Desert
- Marine Layer
- Almond, Portabella, Caramel, Navy Seashell, Cocoa Brown, Sage
- Boden
- Pewter, Medium Beige
- Frank & Eileen
- Camel
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
Is warm taupe a Soft Autumn color?
Yes. Warm taupe (#A79680) is an anchor color in the Soft Autumn palette, and close enough to a Bright Spring color for that season to wear it as a neutral.
Is warm taupe the same as mushroom?
For shopping, yes. Soft Autumn's warm mushroom is two points away, which nobody can see on a rail. Mushroom grey is five points off and a touch cooler. Treat all three as one family.
Can a Soft Summer wear warm taupe?
Close. Soft Summer's dove taupe is eleven points away and cooler, and True Summer's grey-taupe is nine. On a Soft Summer warm taupe reads a little sandy. It works below the waist; near the face her own cooler taupe is better.
What colors go with warm taupe?
For a Soft Autumn: oyster, buttermilk, soft chocolate, sage green, dusty terracotta, muted teal and warm dusty rose. It is a base and goes under everything in the palette. Avoid black, which makes it look drab.
Is warm taupe warm or cool?
Warm, mildly. The red and green lead and the blue is lowest, which gives it a sandy cast. A cool taupe has more blue and reads pink or grey. Hold it against white in daylight to see which way it leans.
The Soft Autumn guide · All in-stock Soft Autumn pieces · ← Dusty terracotta · Soft olive → · All colors