Russet fabric — coarse, undyed or minimally dyed wool in reddish-brown — was the everyday cloth of medieval European peasants, as opposed to the dyed fabrics of the wealthy. To dress in "russet" meant to live simply and honestly — the colour became associated with plain-spoken rural virtue versus the artifice of court colours.

Honest, autumnal, and unpretentious. Russet is the colour of the countryside in October — fallen leaves, rough wool, and the homespun quality of things made without pretension. It lacks the polish of mahogany or the intensity of scarlet; instead it suggests the quiet beauty of unadorned natural materials.

Shakespeare uses "russet" to describe both cloth and skies — "the morn in russet mantle clad" in Hamlet. The association of russet with honest simplicity persisted in English culture — the "russet-coated captain" in Cromwell's army referred to plain-living Puritan officers. Russet apples (Cox, Egremont Russet, Golden Russet) have become associated with traditional English orchards and heritage fruit culture.