Friday, August 27, 2010

Working with Grey

 

Dress: Mexx
Shoes: Aldo
Nylons: American Apparel
Ring & Earrings: Banana Republic
Purse: The Gap


Grey was not one of the bigger fall color trends this summer on the runways, but it still made several appearances, especially in knit wear (Diane Von Furstenburg was a favorite of mine) so I expect to still see grey lingering in stores soon. I've always been really fond of grey because it's neutral yet rather dynamic depending on the fabric and exact shade used. It can be soft like my dress above or edgy like my heels. It's basically moody and that strikes a chord with me being a rather moody girl.


The best thing about grey is all the fun you can have with contrasting it. It serves as the perfect back drop no matter what color you pair it with and you can be as discreet or loud as you want with your pairing. Here lighter shades of grey have been color blocked with pastel colored tops.



Rich and deep colors can add a lot of elegance to a grey article of clothing like Kate Moss' royal blue jacket above and Nicole Richie's ruby red scarf. I would suggest keeping your other accessories neutral rather than juggling several color contrasts with grey, if you want a more sophisticated look.


The greater amount of grey you are wearing the more dramatic the juxtaposition a pop of color will have against it. You can add this color through any accessory imaginable from a pair of gloves to a bow tie and pocket square.

Grey is a particularly beautiful slate to display metallics against. Try stacking your arms in gold bracelets or pile on a few chains around your neck.


If you're crazy enough about grey you can go head-to-toe in it like myself and these two ladies. I've often read it's a no-no to match two tones of the same shade because it looks off or clashes, but if you're mixing different textures as well as tones the clashing works in your favor. Kate above is wearing a blazer that is probably a rayon/polyester blend with jeans and a wool top and the fact that the greys are all different tones still works well.

4 comments :

Erin (penny. LA) said...

I love gray, too. And wow, SJP pulls it off well. She has a pair of gray cords, too, that she wears all the time.

And Angelina - WOW.

I'm always sad that there aren't more gray of things, like nail polish and leather bags. It never goes out of style and is classic - it's chic.

Love your Aldo shoes, by the way. And I can't believe that purse is from the Gap! It's so lovely!

Tracey said...

Thanks Erin :)

Yeah, that bag is from the season Gap had Sarah Jessica Parker model for a few years ago. It was an atypical collection for the Gap for sure!

Becca. said...

i love grey too at the moment, love the olsen twins trousers (can't tell which is which!) love your outfit to, especially your shoes, you look really lovely!
i really like you blog would you like to swap links?

XOXO, BECCA
www.fashion-train.co.uk

Anonymous said...

I really like your shoes! Looks good with that grey dress :) very nice blog indeed