Ocher is a slightly darkened orange shade. In its appearance, it resembles oriental spices and fallen autumn leaves, and evokes associations with warmth and comfort. At the same time, the color in clothes is not banal or conservative, and you can create many different combinations with it.
Features of using ocher color in clothing
Ocher - which successfully plays off the appearance of those with red, copper-blond and chestnut hair, as well as girls with golden blonde tones. However, by and large, everyone can wear ocher clothes, because in essence it is a simple and non-flashy shade.
Things in warm colors look especially good when they are in harmony with the environment. In particular, ocher is great for a basic wardrobe and is suitable for clothing on sunny spring and summer days. In winter, it is very discordant with cold and harsh colors, so it should be used sparingly: in the form of a sweater, woolen skirt or warm dress in looks. But strictly no more than one thing. Ocher outerwear is inappropriate in winter.
Stylistically, the ocher color in clothing is closest to trends that take as a basis natural motifs (natural, safari), traditional elements of costumes of the peoples of the world (ethnics). It is good for everyday casual looks. In addition, this color can soften the street style outfits a little. When going to work or on a date, wearing ocher-colored clothes should be minimal, since the brown-orange shade does not emphasize either severity or a romantic mood.
Ocher color combinations in clothing
The most comfortable-looking images are obtained by combining ocher with things in any shades, gray, white. If desired, you can add accessories, a sweater or a skirt with an ethnic print, then the look will become more interesting, suitable not only for a comfortable walk, but also for meeting with friends, shopping, or going to the movies.
Non-flashy blue and green tones are perfect for the role of companions to ocher or the tandem “brown +”: gray asparagus, dark green, forget-me-not, midnight blue, etc. For everyday looks, you can take any number of shades; they will look simple, but not boring. And the combination with denim can be called the most traditional and certainly successful.
Looks with ochre-colored clothing, complemented by yellow and orange accents, look charming in autumn. Or you can add something from a darkened range of red to the set, for example, or a wine-colored skirt.
Paint (pigment) obtained from iron ore
Ocher is a natural pigment consisting of iron oxide hydrate mixed with clay.
Formed by mixing a certain type of iron ore (LIMONITE or HEMATITE) with clay and grinding the resulting dry product into powder.
In ancient times, it was used by various peoples for religious ceremonies, and currently serves as the basis for yellow-colored paints.
Ocher (ώχρος) is a word of Greek origin and literally means pale yellow. We first encounter yellow ocher in the wall paintings of the Altamira Cave (Spain). 
The oldest stage in the development of primitive culture is the Paleolithic era (Old Stone Age)
Rock paintings in the Chauvet caves (France) were made by our ancestors 32 thousand years ago.
The color of ocher ranges from light yellow to golden yellow and dark yellow.
Yellow ocher is a mixture of iron oxide hydrate and clay, and red ocher is a mixture of anhydrous iron oxide and clay.
Red Ocher (Iron Ocher) is an earthy, powdery, red-colored hematite that is the most widely used pigment. It can also be found in rock paintings. It can be found in its natural state in volcanic rocks.
Red ocher is prepared mostly by burning yellow ocher, which is found in abundance in nature, and is used as a paint, as well as in calico printing. The use of red ocher (bloodstone) in funeral rites was widespread among the archaeological cultures of the Stone Age - the early metal of the forest zone of Eurasia. The meaning of ocher is not entirely clear. Many researchers see it as a blood substitute, a symbol of life after death.
In order to ensure healing or resurrection, ocher was used to cover the bodies of dead or seriously ill people.
Various opinions have been expressed about the significance of the ocher in the grave. It has been established that it prevents the decomposition of corpses and the spread of infections, i.e. has disinfectant properties. Isn’t that why the ancients sprinkled ocher on their dead? The disinfecting properties of ocher may have been familiar to the ancients, but it is unlikely that those buried with it were sprinkled with these considerations. This is evidenced by archaeological data: the grave was not simply sprinkled with ocher. It was located in certain places - under clay vessels, where other things lay, often at the feet of the buried person, especially at the head and heels. Ocher was used to depict complex patterns on the walls of graves and floors.
Already in the 19th - early 20th centuries. archaeologists who studied the Bronze Age made assumptions (ethnographic data confirmed this) that the imitation of blood and fire! (Gorodtsov, 1910, pp. 151-153). This view of ocher still prevails today (Balabina, 1983; Shilov, 1964, p. 59, etc.). Compare with the Greek. ἐσχάρα "hearth, burner"
For many peoples of ancient and modern times, blood and fire symbolized life and resurrection! It is interesting that this idea fits into the general explanation of the position of the deceased, his orientation: the deceased must be born again!
In graves, mounds, and ancient burials dating back to the pre-Christian era, eggs are found, both natural and made from various materials (marble, clay, etc.). During excavations in Etruscan tombs, carved and natural ostrich and chicken eggs, sometimes even painted ones, were discovered. In Egypt, images of painted eggs have been preserved, but it is not known for what purpose they were made. (The ancient Romans painted eggs with ocher and took them with them to temples to cleanse them from sins.) 
During the Upper Paleolithic era, carvings on stone, bone, wood, as well as round plastic art developed.
Along with rock paintings, cave sanctuaries and burials, female figurines are important sources of information about the spiritual world of Paleolithic people. They emphasize the reverent fear of our ancestors both before the mystery of life and the mystery of death. They show that even at the very early stages of human history, the human will to live was expressed and asserted itself in a variety of rituals and myths, which are usually associated with the still widespread belief that the dead can return to life through rebirth.
Female figurines. Malta, Stone Age. There are remains of ocher on the legs.
Ocher is very often, almost universally used by Cro-Magnon people both in funeral rituals and in other religious rites. It symbolizes blood, life and, in the words of E.O. James, "expresses the intention of reviving the dead through association with a substance the color of blood." It is possible that it was this custom that laid the foundation for the stable association of the “other world” with the color of sprinkles in many religious traditions.
The use of ocher in funeral rites ceased during the Late Bronze Age, which, according to researchers, is due to a changed attitude towards the substance, which had lost its sacred status.
- What is the effect of this color on a person’s emotional state?
- Decorating various rooms with ocher
- What colors goes with ocher in the interior?
Ocher - what kind of bizarre and mysterious color lies behind this short name? We constantly meet him in everyday life, but we don’t know very much about him. But this color is a natural pigment that is found in almost every warm shade. Ocher is a natural pigment obtained by mixing clay with iron, which determines how red it will be. And clay gives a bias towards the yellow side; the greater its composition, the more neutral the color. Even archaic drawings of ancient people were made using this pigment.
There are several shades of ocher:
Red ocher is obtained by burning yellow ocher and enriching it with iron.
In its pure form, ocher is almost never found in nature; in order to obtain a pure pigment, it must be cleaned, soaked, calcined and then crushed to prevent deterioration in quality. If all this is not done, the surface will be painted unevenly.
What is the effect of this color on a person’s emotional state?
Ocher is strict and restrained; many associate it with autumn foliage, decline and despondency. This is the color of a wet autumn park after a long October rain, so there is a certain amount of depression in this color. But on the other hand, in measured quantities, ocher can help a person relieve unnecessary tension, let go of anxiety, and relax. That is why it is not recommended to use it on its own, but only in combination with other colors. Just imagine the palette of an autumn forest: all the colors that are present there (burgundy, brown and yellow with all shades, green, red, black and gray) will naturally look diluted with ocher. The colors of the autumn sky over this forest are also suitable: all shades of blue, gray, white.
Artists value ocher very much for its naturalness and compatibility with many shades.
In modern decor, this color is used very carefully, but interiors with it look chic and extraordinary.
Any room with ocher color in its decor or decoration will be cozy, rich and bright. The color of wealth and maturity is how this design can be characterized.
Decorating various rooms with ocher
The peculiarity of this color, as we have already said, is its remarkable ability to naturally combine with different, both cold and warm shades. And they like to use it in the design of both home and official interiors (offices, studies, shops, bars).
Although the right combination can only be achieved with some experience and knowledge, if you go a little overboard with the use of ocher in the interior, and it will turn out not elegant and sophisticated, but gloomy and boring. It stands out sharply from the rest of the background and the frame for it must be selected carefully. You should not allow her to be a soloist in the orchestra of your interior, otherwise you will get a completely opposite result from the desired one.
Interiors with ocher work especially well in bedrooms, due to its calming effect on the psyche, and this is an excellent option for a relaxation room. Let it be wallpaper with a small pattern; support it with finishing in furniture or textiles.
If your bedroom is decorated in a blue or green palette, then golden ocher will dilute them well; it tends to balance the palette of cold tones, softening them a little.
If you are planning to introduce ocher into the kitchen interior, then this is a good idea. The fact is that another property of it is to whet the appetite. Ocher is associated with mustard, which is known to be an excellent stimulant. If you dilute the interior of a white kitchen with an ocher apron, it will soften the snow-white coldness without harming the modern style. A combination of glossy ocher chairs and light wooden furniture will be successful in the kitchen.
It will set the mood for work in a man’s office and will give your library a solid and respectable look, will not tire visitors to your office, and will be interesting framed by wooden paneling or leather furniture upholstery.
A good combination can be obtained if you decorate the floor with a terracotta color, and include ocher here and there in the design of the walls; it is not necessary to paint all the walls in this color, a hint is enough.
Using an ocher palette in the living room can make it the highlight of the whole home. Textured wallpaper will highlight her elegance and give her high status and elegance. This color will command respect, like an honorary elder at a family meeting, because it can rightfully be considered the elder in the collection of flowers. You can dilute the look of the autumn forest with dark brown furniture and soft light beige decor. If the curtains are ocher color.
What colors goes with ocher in the interior?
Most often, the color ocher is used in the design of walls and to enrich the color palette with small decorative elements, very rarely used in large details, for fear of disturbing the sunny, warm harmony. There are a lot of difficulties in choosing furniture in this tone; it is good in the vicinity of dark walls and floors, but they will most likely make your room dark and gloomy. It will not look very advantageous when surrounded by light or completely white neighbors, among whom ocher will lose its charm of warmth. In dark rooms with warm tones, small sofa cushions, lampshades, small splashes of color in textiles or paintings with autumn landscapes will show themselves brightly and interestingly; you can find many interesting decorations of a suitable color. Even in small quantities they will look so hard that you won’t be able to take your eyes off them.
His Majesty Ocher can be called a classic of the genre, but he may well show his other character traits, in addition to restraint and severity, with the proper framing. And it can serve as a deterrent in a varied colorful composition.
That is, as they say, “whatever you call the yacht, that’s how it will sail.”
We often receive letters in the mail asking our stylists what to wear with this or that item. We decided to combine them into one section, in which we will talk in detail about the wardrobe items that interest you. If you have a question about what to wear with this or that item, write to us at [email protected], we will be happy to answer you in this section.
Ocher is a color that includes shades from golden yellow to dark yellow. Warm and pleasant, it is associated with hot summer and late autumn at the same time, offering a lot of space for imagination and clothing combinations.
Due to its muted nature, this natural pigment sometimes seems to be a somewhat lifeless color. Therefore, it is important to use it correctly in your wardrobe, giving great importance to color combinations. Then the ocher will sparkle with the right colors and will look most impressive. Ocher combines well with natural, natural colors. To make the task of combining things seem simpler, you can remember your favorite landscape paintings and look at ideas for combinations from great painters. The color of lush grass, tree bark, bright sun and stormy sky - look for clues in nature itself.
It is not forbidden to wear several shades of ocher in one look. The combination of yellow-brown colors will create a calm and peaceful mood, and at the same time can be successfully used in military and safari styles. You can wear them not only in summer, but also in the off-season - ocher colors will fit perfectly on a rainy, cloudy day, making you stand out from the crowd.
It is worth paying attention to the combination of materials - corduroy, velvet and suede will make the ocher even more noticeable and expressive.
Combine ocher with deep colors, such as green or blue. The saturation of dark shades will add severity, and ocher will soften them, creating a pleasant harmony of the color palette. If you take a dark blue bottom as the basis for an office look, then an ocher-colored shirt will be perfect as a top. This way you combine rigor and style. A small light brown bag and large earrings will help turn a business outfit into an evening one.
Shirt Trends Brands, RUR 1890.
Trends Brands Base trousers, RUR 4,390.
Boots T&B Limited April, RUR 4,490.
Belt Trends Brands, RUR 300.
T&B Limited April bag, RUR 1,890.
Earrings IVORI JEWELLERY, 1890 rub.
Ocher can easily be played up with pastel shades. Against their background, it will look bright and juicy. For a short skirt made of light material, choose sandals with woven straw wedges, a light jumper and a neat hat. A massive necklace made of stones reminiscent of bright candies will refresh your look and add tenderness.
Skirt Trends Brands, RUR 1,190.
Sweater Trends Brands, RUR 2,690.
Boomboots sandals, RUR 1,690.
T&B Limited April hat, RUR 1,690.
IVORI JEWELLERY necklace, 2690 rub.
Clutch N-Spring, 2790 rub.
As mentioned above, ocher color goes well with natural colors. Therefore, you can safely choose calm shades of beige and wine colors for it. A midi skirt can act as a military element, and a shirt with an embroidered ribbon along with a woven belt will remind you of country style. Wear the belt over a long chunky knit cardigan, creating a little volume at the top. Complete your look with high wedge sandals and a practical chain bag. Warm sand and mustard shades are also suitable as an alternative to beige.
Skirt Trends Brands, RUR 3,590.
T&B Limited April shirt, RUR 1,290.
Cardigan T&B Limited April, 2890 rub.
Steve Madden sandals, RUR 3,890.
Arny Praht bag, RUR 4,190.
Belt Trends Brands, RUR 300.
Earrings INLOVENY, 1590 rub.
