Glorious grey footwear

October 16th, 2008

I’m besotted with the grey footwear trend. I think I caught the bug when I saw the abundance of grey footwear in Paris earlier this year. We’re in Hong Kong this week and, if anything, the trend is even more pronounced.

Grey peds are an effective alternative neutral. The colour operates like a metallic without the glitz, which makes it a more versatile choice than neutrals like brown or navy. I’ve found that grey shoes add a refreshed edge to Autumn and Winter outfits. They also tend to soften the look. As much as I adore a great black ped, I’m enjoying and encouraging the refinement and newness of grey footwear this season.

I currently have grey Chuck Taylors and distressed titanium pumps. Both pairs are in heavy wardrobe circulation because they seem to “lift” my current clothing combinations. So much so that I am bringing home a pair of grey knee-high, slouchy boots and round toed, studded pumps from Hong Kong.

I love it when a single item like a new pair of shoes brings life to an existing wardrobe. Try adding grey shoes to your mix. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

Converse All Star® Low Sneaker (Women)Biala 'Regazza' PumpMe Too NakitaSam Edelman 'Yollie' PumpCirca Joan & David FlaviaFranco Sarto EraHispanitas Metallic Toe Ankle BootAquatalia by Marvin K. VibrateDr. Martens Adina 14 Eye Boot

An assortment of grey ballet flats, pumps, booties and boots. Those of you that are ahead of the game and own grey shoes, help me to convince others.


 

28 Replies

Posted on Thursday, October 16th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Ellen

I am loving the grey this fall! My grey and white Jack Purcell Converse go with almost everything and I like them because they are not quite as bold as black and white. In everything from footwear to headgear, grey is getting a workout from me this fall and I feel fab!

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Tanya

I absolutely adore grey shoes! I have a pair of grey suede wedges from last fall and I have found them extremely versatile and probably worn them more than any other shoes I have. I later duplicated them in black, but still wear the grey pair much more. This season I also got charcoal Converse , grey patent wedge shoes with zebra heel,and grey oxford booties, and I am loving all of them. I am even thinking about getting a pair of grey boots!

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Antje

I love my grey pumps! (The Sam Edelman ones, first one in the middle row.) Quite comfortable, and they look great with skinnies as well as with skirts and tights. For someone like me who used to wear mostly black shoes in fall/winter this is a very welcome change.

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Patience

I’ve been on the lookout for a fab pair of grey footwear and have just not found them yet. I’ll keep looking. I’m definitely doing the converse though.

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Violet

Yay, so excited to see this post! I just bought my first pair of grey shoes! As per a recommendation from Angie on a forum post, I got a pair of Me Too patent t-strap heels in a grey. Here are a couple of pictures. I was so excited, I took a picture of them in the car. :)

http://i383.photobucket.com/al.....G00718.jpg
http://i383.photobucket.com/al.....G00719.jpg

I normally wear black and brown shoes in the fall, and I had never before thought about grey. I plan to wear them with an outfit tomorrow and I have already thought of plenty of other things I can wear them with.

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Kristen

I am in love, love, LOVE with my Franco Sarto Deer grey patent booties.

http://www.zappos.com/n/p/p/7440922/c/18248.html

They are very comfortable and unbelievably stylish. I would wear them every day if I could.

The grey Converse are also very cute; I’ve been thinking about a pair of casual grey shoes, and that might fit the bill.

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 9:38 am
shiny

Love this trend too. I have the grey aerosle spectators and the dark silver metallic booties…. add matching grey hose, and it’s a great leg-lengthing look for petite little me.

I have been lusting after grey converses too…. but we’ll see. I don’t wear sneaks as much as I thought I would. They don’t look right with skinnies.

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 9:38 am
mirah

One of my favourite pairs of peds are grey structured knee high suede boots that I got last fall. They work for dressy and casual and go with so much more outfits than black shoes or boots. Perfect neutrals without looking boring. However I havent found low vamp grey shoes in a shade which suits my skin tone yet.

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Laura

Absolutely love grey shoes. I’ve had my eye on this pair of spectator flats in grey, ever since Angie posted these shoes (in a different color) in her blog about spectators:

http://zeta.zappos.com/product.....lor/135058

They look dark here, but they are really very grey. Love the pinstripes!

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Kirstin

I could not agree with you more on the grey shoes Angie. If you don’t have a pair of grey shoes ladies, go and get some! I got a pair of spectator style grey leather pumps last fall from BCBGirls and I’ve worn them so much they’re awaiting a trip for repair for new heel tips. I wear them with navy, grey and black suits. I also have a pair of Franco Sarto grey suede t-strap pumps from last year, grey patent ballet flats, and a new pair of grey suede boots on the way. I think they really freshen up the look of an outfit and I love the look when paired with black tights – it really makes the grey pop.

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 10:07 am

Oh! Wearing the grey converse as I type :)

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 10:31 am
K Lauren

I’m also in love with grey peds! I started wearing some last year, but they were so hard to find! Now there’s more selection, you know I’m getting more. I’m with you, Angie – grey looks so much more interesting with neutrals. I gave up on trying to find a navy shoe because I really like grey with navy/blue so much better. Grey just seems so much fresher and current and you don’t get the matchy-matchy look that gets dated so fast.

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 10:47 am

Those gray doc martens make me swoon.

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 10:56 am

I love grey anything actually! I agree that it adds a softness that you don’t get with black!

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Violet

Hm, tried to comment earlier, but it did not go through. I was really excited to see this post, b/c I just bought a pair of gray shoes this week. I even took a picture of them in the car. :)

http://i383.photobucket.com/al.....G00719.jpg

I normally wear black and brown shoes in the fall, but I’m excited to try these with jeans and dress pants for work.

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Maya

(This is where I reiterate how much I love my gray patent Natural Comfort mary janes.)

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Wendy

What great timing, Angie! I just bought a pair of grey boots a few days ago, and received many compliments when I wore them with a long, navy boyfriend cardigan (also very timely post!).

They came pretty cheap from Target due to my current status as a broke college student, but they’re definitely pretty fab!
http://www.target.com/Womens-M.....ustReviews

They’re actually good quality (and very comfortable) for that price, and should last me a decent length of time. I was debating whether or not to get grey or stick to my tried and true basic black, but eventually I did, and it proved to be a fabulous decision. Check out the many rave reviews on the product page!

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 5:12 pm

The maryjane flats at top right are so adorable! Might have to put those on my Zappos wishlist. :D

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Kyle

Agree, agree. I have the grey Converse and some grey patent pumps. They do function as a neutral. I’m tired of black shoes!

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Risa

I have always loved grey. So when it made a fashion comeback last season I was thrilled but this year to see it so popular in shoes is a BONUS for me. I have purchased a beautiful pair of grey booties that have seen heavy rotation already this fall and just ordered an amazing pair of suede lace up boots with a chunky heel. Cant wait for them to arrive. They are going to be GREAT during our frigid Bavarian winters.

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Therese

I’ve been seeing grey all around Central and CWB (though black is still the main color in MK). Thank goodness you’re here during a good week! ;)

Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Mai

Still looking for the perfect pair of grey shoes that’ll fit within my budget! The pair of pumps at the end of the second row is gorgeous.

Posted on October 17th, 2008 at 6:44 am
Sarah

Grey shoes look like a great way to add variety and still wear a neutral shoe. I want these: http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/4.....n/s/2.html

Posted on October 17th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Joelle

I have a pair of gray sneakers and they are my favorite walking shoes right now. Also have a pair of navy blue ones, but I only wear those with my dark wash jeans. I’m definitely getting lots more mileage out of the gray pair so far. They are more interesting looking than black.

I also have a pair of metallic gray strappy sandals which I have been wearing a lot (got them on sale a year ago) but now it’s getting too cold to wear them (grrr!).

Violet–that is a lovely gray T-strap shoe!

Posted on October 17th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
wjj

Greys – to me, myself & I – are actually like the designer’s dunno-exactly-where-this-should-end-so-let’s-make-it-a-blend.
So i boldly stick to black and white.
Black suits (pinstripes – even!), white shirts, black shoes.
And for the leisure outfit I add some colourfull accessories from my daughter’s wardrobes.
And Converse All Star Con Hi’s in stead of the TerraPlana’s.
Easy, & perfectly happy with it!

Posted on October 18th, 2008 at 4:28 pm

Thanks for encouraging the purchase of grey shoes and boots, ladies. You are ahead of your game. Grey shoes have made my general “must have list” this season. Like a coconut, they are the perfect instant quick-fix outfit update.

Grey shoes are not only all over HK stores, but on the streets too. In HUGE amounts. So fab. Thanks for echoing my perception, Therese.

Beautiful shoes Violet and Sarah! For the lasses that are looking, I hope that you find fab grey shoes. They shall be a good investment.

Posted on October 19th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Jane

Oh my goodness…I bought the Franco Sarto era’s a few weeks ago!

Posted on October 21st, 2008 at 10:27 am

I also have a thing for grey shoes (love those grey converse). In my post today at BarkingDogShoes.com, I featured a grey felt mary jane wedge by Palladium. It is SO cute!

Posted on October 27th, 2008 at 12:50 pm

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