Trouble with grey footwear... - YouLookFab Forum

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Trouble with grey footwear...

catgirl

Veteran

I wear lots of grey and black, although I'm transitioning toward color out of boredom and need for change. I have a few pairs of grey footwear, all boots, and you would think they would go with anything. But I'm having trouble actually styling them.

I know there are warm and cool tones, as well as blue-grey and brown-grey. Why is this neutral so difficult for me in footwear? How do you wear your grey shoes and boots?

Dressing

32 replies

Latest reply was from catgirl

deb

Veteran

I have one pair of blue grey boots and wear them with most of my wardrobe. But my wardrobe is all cool toned which makes it easier. I finally learned to not buy warm toned grey.

Sara L.

Veteran

I have problems with grey shoes as well. There are so many different tones of grey that they don't always go with the outfits I want them to go with. The greys will too cool or too warm to play well with each other.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I have a pair of warm deep gray flats that I wear fairly often - I used to feel like they didn't "go" with certain things but for some reason I find that lately I am wearing them without too much concern. I wear them primary with jeans or olive green pants and I have a couple of belts that help tie them together (and some jewelry with mixed metals).

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

I love grey but I have the same issue with the cool and warm tones. I try to buy cools otherwise they don't work. For some reason I find that on me, a taupe will work where a warm grey won't.

unfrumped

Veteran

I love gray footwear and have learned there are quirks involved, and so they're not as thought-free as black. If ound this out with my PG dark gray suede ankle boots.
-I'm usually can't wear gray with gray when it's pants; or not solid grays.
But with murky tweedy or false plain grays, it works.
--works well with navy bottoms
-- but, gray in skirts and especially with a print, is great because I want less contrast with my skin tone for "bare" leg look.
I will wear dark gray boots with black pants to purposefully avoid the conventional all-black look.
If I had burgundy trousers, would like gray with that instead of black
Love gray boots with gray tights as a concept but again, matching is harder than I thought it would be.
Metallic would circumvent some of these issues but I found I'm not as comfortable with metallics as I thought.

Diana

Veteran

I like charcoal. I wear them with pretty much everything, it's a little lighter than black, which I like sometimes.

I just got these oxfords in a warm grey to replace my dying charcoal arlettas. Hopefully they won't become orphans. (I don't think they will but you never know).

Another option would be to turn them metallic if you're finding you're not wearing them. Tarrago shoe cream is magic!

Børn Womens Netties Oxford

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rachylou

Veteran

I generally go with blue-grey for boots, jeans, tops - i.e., try to avoid the undertone problem. But the other thing is - patterned tops, like plaids or florals or something. Monochrome is difficult.

Also, jeans don't count. Jeans are neutral

always trying

Veteran

I find pewter much more blending with all grey. I have a pair of pewter ankle strap flats that seem to really work very well with everything. there was lots of this in metalics around for a while, but not seeing it anymore,

Gaylene

Veteran

Well, I think this is true of many so-called neutrals--white, blue, browns, tan, red--as well as gray. To my eye, black usually lacks the undertones that push a shade into a cool or warm category. I also think there are "true" shades of these so-called neutrals that are easier to incorporate into outfits than the versions with obvious undertones.

My tolerance for combining warm and cool undertones of a colour seems to vary according to colour. For some weird reason, I'm OK with outfits that combine warm and cool blues and whites, but really dislike warm and cool combinations of gray, red, and most of all--tan/beige.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

There is a reason you're battling, Una. My clients face similar challenges because matching greys is hard - grey is ALL over the place. You might find these tips useful:

Match the grey of your shoes to your hair - that way you always have a match.
Keep the shoes the only grey in the outfit
Match very light and very dark grey in one outfit

Diana

Veteran

Oh, Angie makes a good point. With 1 or 2 exceptions I don't wear my grey shoes with grey clothes. Like, I wouldn't wear my grey jeans with grey shoes. I wear them as a dark neutral that isn't quite as harsh as black.

The exception is certain handknit items like this tunic, because it's made from a hand-dyed yarn that has many shades of grey (and also some teals which you can't see in the photo) anyway. And I wouldn't wear it with warm grey shoes.

ETA: I also find grey footwear easier if it has some texture or other element that breaks up the block of grey, like distressing or shine or seaming.

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JAileen

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I know what you mean. I think it's kind of trial and error. I have collected a lot of grey footwear now. I think this is all of my grey/silver/pewter footwear. My hair is probably closest to the light grey slip ons in the lower right. I probably don't need any more. You can see how some look tan or green. It's hard to tell until they're all together.

My life being casual, I like to wear grey boots with blue jeans. I would go for contrast. Don't try to match. That way you won't have clashing greys. I like Angie's advice - bookend your hair.

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Aziraphale

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I've made mistakes buying dark grey shoes before. They tend not to get worn, and I'm not sure why. Most of the time, I think it's because in the outfits I would wear them with, black is generally a better option.

The only exception is a pair of very useful dove grey booties that I've had for at least six or seven years. There's a pic below. They are true wardrobe workhorses. They always end up being accent shoes, though, because they are very light grey. I wear them with dark denim jeans, generally, and I don't try to match them to anything. The buttons are medium warm brown like my hair, which may help.

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Janet

(website)

Veteran

I find it easiest to work with darker or metallic greys -- charcoal, gunmetal. I wear those with almost anything. I particularly like those with black bottoms because they break up the expanse of black. I have one pair of mid-grey booties that I wear with blue or black jeans, and they are a similar shade to my grey leather jacket and my grey denim jacket, so apparently I've done pretty well at choosing "matching" greys. I don't bother much with warm greys because they usually don't look very good on my skin tone anyway.

Marley

Veteran

I wear my gray footwear with anything - but, after reading this thread I'm wondering if I should pay more attention to whether or not they actually look ok with the other colors in my outfit? (This is a new challenge that I hadn't really thought of before!!!!)

Staysfit

Veteran

I wear my grey footwear with blue, and with other Greys but I'm careful when I purchase about the tones so they all go together. I definitely wear darker and lighter Greys with each other but I try not to mix warm and cool Greys together. Some Greys end up looking taupe, purple, green and even brown.

gryffin

Veteran

Una - I totally get this. Since I pretty much only wear black and gray you'd think I have a ton of gray footwear. I don't. The only "gray" I have is the Charles David Regiment boots. Those babies go with everything....why you ask? They are not gray. They are a washed black. They read mid-gray charcoal but like "faded" black reads. Instead of trying to find "gray" I'm on the lookout for distressed, beat up, faded black. But most versatile - cool, dark, shaded (very important to it blends with something) toward mid-charcoal. I'd love a clear med-light gray suede bootie but I've never seen one that reads true. Washed black it is, if I can ever find it!!

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CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I got rid of my gray booties because the shade of gray was so particular to match, and the heels were high. So basically, what everyone is saying. My Aquatalias are mushroom, so a warm gray/taupe. They match my hair better and are therefore more wearable.

I would keep those gray boots that work well with gray clothing that you like though. A good color match makes me want to wear pieces more often.

Elly

Veteran

I don't try to match my greys-- I wear grey shoes as the only grey in an outfit or will wear a grey top with grey shoes where there is distance and another color between them.

Leighways

(website)

I don' town grey myself, it makes me look like pasty bread

But - black tights go with all, as do white tees.
As Elly said, definitely don't try match greys, it's asking for trouble. One item at a time, or go with shoes and a clutch, or a heandband and boots, the sort that are too far apart for anyone to notice they're different unless you come really close.

Silver-grey goes with well silver and black, you can just go for a pop of coloured/grey shoes and wear all else in one tone, with like a patterned jacket, make a statement with it.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I hear you, oh do I hear you. And I just bought a new pair of grey booties!!

Ugh.

My tall La Canadienne grey boots are too warm a grey to wear with most greys in my wardrobe. This is problematic. Who knew? (Not I, when I forked out the big bucks for those pretty boots.)

They do, however, look good with burgundy, cranberry, and most blues. So at least there is some hope that I might wear them some day.

The new booties are also a warm (ish) grey; they work almost like a taupe and so will be okay with denim, black, and other taupes as well as cream. I hope.

I find pewter and metallics a lot easier to deal with. Or mixed greys, like the snakeskin Pettys. I also find taupe a lot easier, due to my hair, as per Denise.

La Canadienne Mazy

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Franco Sarto 'Linden' Leather Bootie (Women) (Nordstrom Exclusive)

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deb

Veteran

OK, I did not include the silver and metallic. I have 4 pair counting these. JAileen, love your idea of taking a pic of them all together. I can really see they are all cool toned.

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JAileen

Veteran

deb, I love your silver pointy toe loafers. I definitely think metallic and grey are interchangeable.

Roxanna

Veteran

I tend to wear a lot of heathered dove greys as I find that they look good on my skin tone (usually knit tips or sweaters). I paid them with grey boots that have some texture and dimension to the leather - much like Suz's booties. The variation in the leather colour makes them more interesting, dimensional and edgier in my mind, and goes with more.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I have sort of faded grey booties that work with my faded grey jeans. I have different issue - when I wear a dull grey color is makes may hair look dull. So I like to stick to the whiter, lighter more silver shades of grey most of the time.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

I have the same problem, Una. My grey boots can be complicated, since I own a lot of grey in my winter wardrobe. I basically do what Angie suggests:

1. Wear grey with everything other than grey. They're especially good with blue jeans - any wash

2. Wear black pants, grey boots and then add dark grey somewhere on top - jumper or scarf. The greys dont have to match at all when they're in different areas

This winter, I'm looking forward to wearing my grey boots with white pants. I think that will look awesome!

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Brooklyn

Veteran

Mine are a warm taupish grey and I wear them with jeans when I am wearing a lighter coloured top or a colour combination I feel does not go well with black. So if I was wearing a dark coloured top (say in black or charcoal grey), I would wear black boots. If I was wearing a light coloured top (say in white), black boots could feel a bit heavy to me so I would wear my grey boots.

dakotacheryl

Veteran

I have a beautiful charcoal wool EF sweater dress and a grey wool EF skirt to wear when the temps drop. I was going to try to find a pair of grey boots and found these Sorels which will be much more flexible.

They are black with a slice of grey along both sides of the laces.

Paired with some nice warm fleece lined tights, I will be very happy.

SOREL Cate the Great Wedge

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Janet

(website)

Veteran

I also think that unless you are wearing grey shoes/boots next to grey pants or hosiery, they don't need to *match* so much. I used to be much more insistent on matching neutrals in an outfit until more recently. Now I think they just need to not clash.

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