Like many people, gray is a foundational color of my wardrobe. I own many pieces in various shades of color, including gray jeans, t-shirts, blazers, coats, pants, and more. I don’t wear the color every day, but I reckon a week rarely goes by without me trying an outfit with something gray in it. Navy is probably the only other color that featured more outfits.
Like navy, there are good reasons why gray is such a common color in men’s wardrobes. The two biggest are simply that it is incredibly forgiving, and there are many colors that go with gray clothes. Gray is a neutral shade, which means it doesn’t have any color other than black and white. In practical terms, this means it won’t compete with other colors in your outfit, it’s the perfect background. You don’t risk aggressive Color clashes when you wear gray. With that in mind, this article will look at seven colors you can wear with gray.
What Colors Go With Gray Clothes?
Black
Black is an obvious choice to go with gray. Who hasn’t paired a gray t-shirt with black jeans at some point in their lives? Or gray pants with black shoes? Both colors are neutral and they look pleasing to the eye when combined.
Top Tip: When I pair gray with black I like to wear lighter gray to ensure the outfit has some contrast. If I have to wear charcoal gray with black, then I’ll attempt to add some contrast somewhere else. A spot of color on a tie, contrast buttons, or a colorful pattern on a t-shirt can all help break up the outfit.
White
White is the other classic color that goes with gray. Think about the millions of office workers who head to work every day in gray pants and a white shirt or the people that pair gray sweatpants with a white t-shirt on the way to the gym.
Top Tip: I think lighter shades of gray go really well with white. When wearing a gray and white outfit, consider adding some black to finish it off. It’s easy to create a monochrome outfit by combining these three neutral colors.
Blue
Moving away from neutral shades, the next most popular color to pair with gray is probably blue. Most shades of blue will work, from lighter colors to navy.
Top Tip: Navy is my favorite shade of blue to wear with gray. It works because my wardrobe is full of both shades. Consider dressing the color combination up by pairing gray pants with a navy sweater or dressing it down by pairing dark blue jeans with a gray t-shirt.
Red
Most shades of red go really well with gray. It will tend to stand out more than the other colors in this article, although there is plenty you can do to tone it down if you want.
Top tip: I tend to use different shades depending on the use. I’ll use brighter shades of red in smaller quantities if I want to add a splash of color to an outfit. For example, a tie or a red-striped shirt. If I want to make red the star of the show, I’ll choose either a faded pastel color or a darker shade like maroon.
Brown
Brown goes really with gray. And it’s a pretty common combination with people pairing brown shoes with gray pants being the pairing you’re most likely to see. But it works in many other ways and the multiple shades each color comes in means there is plenty to experiment with.
Top Tip: Brown and gray is a color I like to experiment with in winter. Think about brown boots with a thick gray wool coat or a warm gray sweater with brown wool trousers.
Beige
Beige and khaki go really with gray. You’ll see plenty of people pairing beige chinos or shorts with a gray t-shirt in summer or beige jackets with gray jeans.
Top tip: Wearing shades of beige with a brighter yellow tinge can be a good way to inject some color into your outfit.
More Gray
Gray comes in shades that cross the full spectrum from off-white to off-black. This means it’s easy to combine multiple gray items in a single outfit. Think about light gray pants with a darker overcoat, or dark gray jeans with a light gray t-shirt.
Top Tip: If you are worried that too much gray is causing your outfit to be boring, consider playing with textures to add some interest. Wool, denim, and cotton all have unique properties that can add texture to your fit.
