Olive owes its fashion image to uniforms. Olive drab was the standard color of U.S. Army wool service uniforms in the Second World War, and the shade has carried a utilitarian, army-surplus feel ever since. In lingerie it appears in that spirit: ribbed cotton bralettes, sporty briefs, modal lounge sets and the occasional lace set aimed at a less conventional buyer.
Olive works better in matte fabrics than in satin, where it can look oily. It flatters warm and olive skin and pairs with cream, rust, tan and black.
The classifier places olive between green, which is brighter and cleaner, and mustard, which is more yellow. In dim photos olive often looks brown or khaki. A grey-green with no yellow is closer to sage, which falls under green here.