Building a Chic Grey Capsule Wardrobe

One of my top tips for building a cohesive wardrobe, whether for travel, work, or just every day, is to start with a neutral base. A good core of neutral wardrobe essentials will make getting dressed and looking smart and put-together SO much easier. (And you can always add accents in your best colors.) Today I’m highlighting some grey capsule wardrobe ideas for cool or warm seasonal palettes.

Neutrals can include black, brown, navy, beige, white, ivory, and grey. But even “neutrals” can be warm or cool, so your best neutrals will depend on your coloring (seasonal color palette), your contrast levels, and (of course) your preferences. Grey is on-trend this season, in both warm and cool iterations, so if it’s a color you like to wear, you’ll have a good selection.

Cool grey capsule wardrobe

Pure grey is a mix of black and white pigments, so inherently cool. For those of you who look best in cool colors (Summers and Winters) grey can be an elegant alternative to black or navy. If your coloring is softer, you may find lighter greys work best. If you have deeper coloring or higher contrast, those medium or darker greys may be your best choice. (I’ve often found Winters look smashing in Charcoal, and that it’s better next to their face than black.) Here’s an idea for a casual wardrobe capsule in cool grey.

Cool grey outfit ideas

👉 Style tip: add interest to monochromatic or tonal outfits by mixing textures.

Grey-adjacent shades for warm palettes

I’ve always loved the quiet elegance of grey. It’s a neutral that spans seasons and “plays well with others” (colors, that is). But for those of us with warm seasonal palettes (Springs & Autumns) a cool grey can make us look like death warmed over, so I’ve been happy to see some warmer iterations of grey and taupe showing up this season.

For Spring and Autumn palettes, your best grey alternatives will range from “greige” to dark taupe. Think grey with a touch of brown. These can be just as elegant as cool grey, and will better suit your coloring (and pair better with other warm colors in your wardrobe). Your grey wardrobe capsule might look something like this:

Warm neutral outfit ideas

This season, Eileen Fisher has some nice warm grey options. Look for “Dove” (an almost perfect match to Dove in the Spring palette), “Taupe”, and “Wren” , which, depending on the fabric, ranges from a dark taupe to a soft dark brown. You can see me wearing “Wren” here. Also check out “Reed,” another greige-ish color. (I have the cargo pants in my shopping cart…)

An all grey outfit (whether cool or warm) can look very rich, understated and elegant. But if you feel it washes you out, try going with deeper shades, or add one of your best colors near your face with a jacket or scarf. (Check out my post about this fall’s best blues here, and I’ll be diving into more color trends in the coming weeks.)

And if you’re not sure of your best color palette, I highly recommend an in-person color analysis. It’s a great investment in yourself and your wardrobe! If you live near or will be visiting the Los Angeles area, I offer individualized color and style services. Check out my Style Services page for more information and to schedule.

Do you have any grey pieces in your wardrobe? Which shades do you wear best? Or is grey a no-go for you?

Susan B. sits on a wooden bench wearing a brown knit jacket, blue jeans and colorful bracelets.

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28 Comments

  1. Thank you for the gray round up. It’s one of my favorite colors to wear. Charcoal or medium gray are my favorites. A word of caution, sometimes Everlane’s back ground white is often more cream and some grays out there have a hint of yellow. Sounds strange, but I had a gray sweater that never to worked for me. When comparing it to another gray sweater which veered more blue I realized it had a hint of yellow.

    1. Yes, it’s very hard to find Spring’s bright navy. There doesn’t seem to be much of it around at the moment, but I’m keeping my eyes open.

  2. I do like grey but it can be tricky getting the right shade – not just whether warm or cool but NOT looking like faded black ! It was my mother who pointed out how terrific grey can look with pink – rather than red .

  3. This post really left me confused. My color palette is spring. I understand the dove grey, but not the colors that lean taupe. They don’t have the spring brightness or hint of yellow added to them. Look a bit like a mocha. Help

    1. Hi Barbara, yes, some of the softer taupe colors will probably be better on Autumns. There is a dark taupe-ish color in both palettes called “Donkey” in the Spring palette, and “Elephant” in the Autumn palette. And yes, most Springs would probably want to add something bright in the mix.

  4. FINALLY!! Something I can wear. Cool gray. I’m sick of black But when I went shopping not much gray to be found. Lots of blue jeans. A few black jeans. And a sprinkling of gray ones. Loving the red and burgundy accents. And I already have silver shoes.

    1. Hi Susan, what happens when you click on the links? If you have an ad-blocker installed, it may be preventing links from connecting.

  5. Susan thank you so much for the visuals for cool and warm neutral gray!!! I love gray and would like that neutral in my wardrobe but was flummoxed about what I see on my computer monitor and the descriptions by the retailers. Most valuable for me are the EF pieces. I love what you’ve shown here in today’s blog and feel ready to add some of this to my wardrobe.

  6. Susan, always love your posts. interesting, never repetitive and always very classey. we appreciate you and can tell you a lot of time and effort into your posts. also, love the new glasses you showed us a few days ago. I have the exact pair in a deep green. I am a winter and you are always spot on! Thanks again.

  7. I only have one gray shirt. I wore it last week. A photo was taken and I noticed that the gray really complimented my complexion. Will definitely be looking for more gray items. Thanks for the info!

  8. Eileen Fisher’s gray-brown-beige-taupe colors this season are confusing me. Part of my cognitive dissonance appears to come from the names — Dove, for example. Where I live, Doves, the birds, are a soft, cool gray. Yet, Dove, the EF color, appears to be a warm beige. As you mentioned, the color also varies by fabric. There’s a beautiful EF cotton sweater in a tunic length, my holy grail, in the color Dove, but it appears beige, in person and on screen. Here’s a link if anyone is looking for a beige cotton tunic sweater:
    https://www.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/eileen-fisher-cotton-crewneck-tunic-sweater?ID=5248168&CategoryID=1004040

    1. Oops. Further confusement! That sweater is called Sea Salt, another misnomer. Salt is white! This sweater is beige, in person.

      1. I have that EF cotton sweater in sea salt (shown in the link) and to me it looks like a very light grey. Funny how each person perceives color.

        1. Totally. But WHY is EF calling that color sea salt? I have never seen sea salt that is gray. Or beige. Or taupe! I’ve seen sea salt with seaweed mixed in, and that is a greenish white. Kill me!

  9. Thank you for today’s post on wearing greys! I am a winter with salt and pepper natural hair color. I have been slowly building my grey capsule wardrobe, but your advice really gave me some excellent ideas today. I finally ordered my cashmere JCrew twin set which will be smashing with my vintage variegated Honora pearls and sterling pieces. I also love the nail and lip colors particularly the Chanel.
    I have followed you for quite a while now and have always admired your style and your spot on knowledge of what works for you colorwise. Today I feel you really communicated your expertise to help me. Thank you!

  10. Hi, love your casual outfits. They fit my lifestyle to a T. As a Spring, do you ever wear black; especially in pants or a jacket?
    Thanks

    1. Hi Nancy, thanks! No, I’ve said “goodbye” to black in my wardrobe. Instead, I wear navy and dark browns.

  11. I totally agree with you but it is not my cup of tea. I once had a silk shirt and skirt in exactly the forrest green which suits me. Paired it with a cream top. Wouldn’t I love to find something like that again.
    Greetje

  12. Susan, this post was so, so helpful. Presenting numerous items in warm and cool grey AND having them in the same post provided a contrast that helped me see the differences in various warm and cool shades. I really thought the EF dove was more of a cool taupe/beige! Thanks for an excellent post.

  13. Naming colours appears to be very subjective and confusing especially now with online shopping. I always thought of dove grey as very pale and on the cooler side when growing up in the UK. Here in New Zealand we have Barbary doves which are considerably warmer.
    Wouldn’t life be so much easier if manufacturers just used dark, light, warm, cool, bright and soft?

    1. Yes, I always council my color clients not to put much stock in color names, but rather use their eyes and color palette as a reference.