Can soft autumns wear gray? The answer is yes…with some caveats. Gray is a notoriously cool-toned color, and that doesn’t jive with the rest of our palette, but we don’t easily give up this fight! There is such a thing as warmer-toned grays, and THOSE are the grays we want in our palette. They can be harder to find and might even require a more discerning eye as they’re not what you’d consider as a “typical gray”. Our grays have hints of brown, green, or beige in them. While Soft Autumn gray may not be a best color on most in our season, it can be a great color to incorporate into a Soft Autumn wardrobe for corporate, professional, and elegant looks.
Here are three grays that are part of the Soft Autumn palette:
Mushroom. This lighter, elegant color has subtle brown hints making it noticeably warmer than the cooler, more sterile grays. It’s not a cool, bluish gray, and it’s not quite brown either…more like a cozy in-between. The brown and taupe influences in mushroom gray lend it an earthy quality making it especially suitable for those who gravitate towards nature-inspired looks. This color shows up often in relaxed fabrics like linen, brushed cotton, or suede.
Griege. A harmonious blend of gray and beige, griege is a versatile neutral. For Soft Autumn, the best greiges have a soft, warm feel to them, kind of like oatmeal or wet sand. They’re not too cool and definitely not bright. When shopping, look for pieces that aren’t stark gray or yellowy beige, but land somewhere softly in the middle. If it reminds you of driftwood or stonewashed fabric, you’re probably on the right track.
Warm Pewter. This shade is a chic, adaptable deep gray with a hint of warmth. Unlike traditional cool pewter, warm pewter incorporates hints of brown which softens its overall feel. This is a deeper color, so a whole outfit head to toe may be overpowering for us Soft Autumns. We can use this color as a base to build an outfit around or as an accent color to add a small pop of interest to our look.
Grays to Wear
Here are some examples of grays that can work for the Soft Autumn palette. When finding these images, I was specifically looking for grays that looked like they had brown, green, or beige mixed in with them. If you notice, some of these colors could almost pass as beige or taupe.
Grays to Avoid
And here are some grays that will not flatter us Soft Autumns. Notice how some of these colors are extremely steely looking while others are too light or extremely metallic. Some of the colors could even pass for blue. We’re seeing the cool undertone at play here, and it’s what we need to steer clear of.
