Brown topless figure (5)
I believe the answer is:
umber
'brown' is the definition.
(I know that umber is a type of brown)
'topless figure' is the wordplay.
'topless' means to remove the first letter.
'figure' becomes 'number' (I've seen this before).
'number' with its initial letter removed is 'UMBER'.
(Other definitions for umber that I've seen before include "Dark brown coloring matter" , "Earthy colour" , "Yellowish-brown pigment" , "Deep brown" , "Natural colouring matter, dark brown" .)