Wearing black with grey in the Autumn and Winter is a classic. Some of my clients and friends only wear black and grey, with a smattering of white. Hubs Greg is a black and grey outfit devotee, but throws in a lot of dark blue, some olive, some white, and a bit of dark red. Black works with all shades of grey, but greys are notoriously hard to match. My advice is to deliberately mismatch the greys, stick to matching the blacks in the outfit, or add a shade of white instead of more grey. Here are some easy black and grey outfits.
On to some outfit formulas with an emphasis on fabric texture, which creates interest and outfit depth. In some instances, the wearer’s hair adds a lot of texture to the look. That comes through strongly in examples 2 and 3.
1. Columned and Wrapped
Three distinctive textures are the strength of this vibe. A cocktail of knitted and tweedy herringbone, wool, and leather is yummy. The leather can be faux or real. Cropped black relaxed straight leather pants are paired with a black sweater. It’s tucked, but you can leave it out. Add black boots to complete the column of black. Throw a tweedy grey wrap, ruana, cape or poncho over the top, and you’re done.
2. Black Pants, Slogan Tee, and Sneakers
Combine a pair of black roomy pants or jeans like relaxed straights, wide crops, or pleated pants, with a grey slogan tee. Finish things off with white sneakers, black boots, or loafers that work with the palette of the outfit. The model’s hair adds fabulous texture to the outfit, as does the shiny leather bag. A black leather moto will add a nice bit of texture too. The necklace adds a fab bit of shine to the tee.
3. Patterned and Quilted
The grey and black pattern of the pants, the quilted fabric of the vest, AND the model’s hair create dramatic texture. The simple black layering top and boots make the statement items shine. The lantern silhouette of the pants are theatrical and roomy, but feel free to sub them with a shape that is more to your taste. The cropped length of the vest tempers its volume and the volume of the pants. The model’s cascading grey locks are my favourite part of the outfit
4. Grey-Out
The last look has no black at all, and is instead deliciously textured in shades of grey. The three-part silver complement of bag, shoes and belt makes a glam and shiny impact, and is an effective fifth texture. The rest of the look is made up of nylon, wool, cotton, and plush teddy. The stitch interest of the scarf and hat add further interest. The greys match pretty well, or are at least tonally similar, which is quite the accomplishment. By all means leave off the belt and wear the pullover untucked. If silver is not your thing, try Winter white or black. Add jewellery, watch and eyewear as desired
I don’t wear black and grey, but I’m cheering on those who do from the sidelines. I hope we will see many iterations on the forum. It’s especially a GREAT neutral palette with salt and pepper hair. Who bats for Team Textural Black and Grey?
