After you decide to go gray, a slew of things changes in your life. Suddenly, you have fewer salon appointments and spend much less money on hair maintenance. But some changes take a bit more getting used to—especially if you’ve had the same hair color for decades. One of the biggest is the clothing colors that look best on you. While you may have categorized yourself as someone who looks incredible in light pink or olive green when you had colored hair, you might find yourself drawn to other hues now that you’re gray or silver. To help you navigate this change, we asked stylists to outline the colors that look best on people with gray hair. No matter your coloring, there’s a hue for you.
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When choosing clothing colors to wear with gray hair, avoid ones that mirror the hue. “This tends to age you and will appear to drain the vibrancy away from your face,” says Patrick Kenger, personal stylist at Pivot Image.
Instead, “you want to mirror the other coloring in your face.” For example, if you have blue or green eyes, Kenger notes those colors will be especially flattering as they’ll bring attention to your more vibrant features.
That rule is also true for those with darker eyes.
“If you have a warmer eye color such as brown or hazel, it’s best to use colors to pull those out instead of directly mirroring the gray in your hair,” says Kenger.
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Fortunately, grays aren’t off-limits—but you’ll want to find the shade that best accentuates your features.
“When choosing to wear gray, try to make sure it is not the same darkness or lightness of the gray in your hair,” says Kenger. “If you have vibrant white hair, it’s best not to wear a vibrant white shirt, and instead go for more of a charcoal color.”
That works in reverse, too: If your hair is deep gray, choose heather gray clothes.
No matter your eye color or undertones, red always looks fabulous.
“Nothing is more striking than a woman with silver locks dressed up in red; it is such a beautiful combination,” says Clare Holden, designer and stylist at White Night. “When you see a woman with grey hair in either a red sweater or red dress, it is so elegant.”
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If you have cool undertones, try black, suggests Holden. “Black looks amazing and stylish,” she notes.
If it feels too stark for you, go in the opposite direction. “If you want to brighten up your look, lavender or a warm pink really can compliment cool undertones, too,” says Holden.
If you have warm undertones, stock up on warm colors. “Think burgundy, fuchsia, deep bottle green,” says Holden. “They will all lift your complexion and hair color for a more elevated look.”
A matching lipstick will tie everything together.
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In addition to clothes, certain jewelry tones work incredibly with gray. “We’ve found rose gold is the best earring type for grey hair; grey makes the pink undertones pop,” says Lexi Taubi, founder of Alexis Jae Jewelry.
There are also colors to avoid: “White gold and sterling silver are too monotoned with grey hair,” Taubi adds. What better excuse to hit the mall for a shopping spree?
