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Grey pants—they seem like an easy addition to your wardrobe, yes? Well, we have some good news for you: they are. Grey trousers or jeans may be the missing piece in your otherwise full wardrobe.
If you just realized this you’re in luck. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about grey pants, including what to wear with grey pants.
It all comes down to math. Now I hate math, it’s never been my strong suit, but even I know that black + white = grey. And grey just happens to be the ultimate all-purpose shade for pants.
Black pants are a must-have and most of us can’t live without them. Since they’re considered a wardrobe staple many of us will wonder, how could I even get dressed in the morning without them?
What about white pants? They’re trickier to style, of course, but they’re still a spring/summer basic for the graceful among us.
Grey pants, however, hit all the notes. Depending on the fabric, they’re a year-round must-have. And once you’ve found the pants of your choice, the next question is, what to wear with grey pants?
Answering the question of what to wear with grey pants couldn’t be easier, since they pair well with any color or shade. So, when putting together your outfit the options are almost endless.
What to Wear With Grey Pants
Not to be repetitive, but grey pants go with almost anything and everything. Here are just a few combinations you can try when deciding what to wear with your grey pants.
- Grey trousers + white button-down + anti-fit black blazer + black patent platform loafers
- Grey flannel chinos + crisp white tee + fresh white sneakers
- Grey checkered trousers + tonal grey cashmere pullover + grey suede Chukka boots
- Grey, distressed jeans + black hoodie + black high top sneakers
- Grey sweats + matching grey hoodie + black overcoat + black leather combat boots
- Grey tweed trousers + matching blazer + crew neck knit + grey flannel slide-on sneakers
- Grey jeans + pale pink pullover + tonal sneakers
- Grey trousers + black silk blouse + black heels
Grey pants are among the most versatile pieces you can own. As I demonstrated above, the opportunities to style them and ways to wear grey pants are somewhat endless.
If you already own a pair but find yourself stuck in your closet wondering what to wear with grey pants, this article is for you.
The key to wearing grey pants, whether they be trousers, jeans, or sweats, is not to overthink it. You would have to commit some huge mistake in order to make grey pants look inappropriate.
Honestly, we can’t even think of something that would clash with grey pants. If a shade or tone can vibe with orange then it can pretty much work with almost anything.
Next up, this ‘what to wear with grey pants’ guide will check out some outfit ideas for both men and women.
4 Outfit Ideas With Grey Pants for Men
Here we have a great example of a tonal grey outfit. Although the pants and blazer aren’t a perfect match, the different textures make the look composed and wearable.
By adding a charcoal knit underpinning, black belt, and black dress shoes, this outfit is sophisticated enough for the office and chic enough for dinner and drinks.
A different variation of the first outfit, this look is warmed by the addition of a rich brown Chelsea boot and glen check overcoat. Swapping out the grey turtleneck for a black crew neck and black scarf would be an equally chic way to wear these grey pants.
For a more casual look, this gent has swapped his jeans for scripted grey trousers. The white sneakers and button-down shirt are the perfect companions to make this grey pant chic, casual, and appropriate for any daytime occasion.
Shades of brown and tan go beautifully with grey pants, especially these checkered trousers. The matching pullover, monk-strap shoes, and braided belt create a balanced outfit.
The addition of a light camel, single-button overcoat takes the tonal magic to a whole new level.
6 Outfit Ideas With Grey Pants for Women
Now here’s a winning look. The wide, belted grey trousers, black turtleneck, and plaid overcoat are grey-tonal perfection.
The addition of blush-toned sunglasses and slip-on sneakers gives this otherwise completely sophisticated outfit a cool, new-age vibe. This ensemble is fashionable, wearable, and comfortable, which is the perfect combination.
Few pants are more famously grey than the sweatpant. An athleisure staple, the grey sweatpant has recently had a resurgence as fashion wear.
If you own grey sweatpants and are wondering what to wear with them, this gal has the answer. Pair your favorite sweatpants with a matching sweater, and add more substantial pieces to make it street-wear-appropriate.
A black leather boot, leather vest/jacket, and a sophisticated handbag can elevate your comfies into something chic and wearable.
Here we have a more tone-on-tone outfit, but this woman has mixed things up by adding a chunky designer sneaker to her look.
The otherwise all-black/grey ensemble benefits from the punch of white, lemon yellow, and all-black soles of the shoe. This proves that grey pants really can do anything and go anywhere.
This one may be my personal favorite since I’m a lover of all things oversized. This look is hip and laidback, but the grey trousers ground it, making it supremely wearable.
With an outfit like this, you can feel like you’re wearing your pajamas, but still look composed and refined.
Grey and taupe are the most neutral of all the neutrals. This outfit is extremely well-balanced. The slimness of the grey pants compliments the oversized, intentional messiness of the pullover.
By adding an extra-long tee and high-top Converse shoes, the wearer has taken what might be considered more conservative pants and transformed them into something cool, calm, and collected.
This ‘what to wear with grey pants’ guide wouldn’t be complete without considering the grey jean.
The success of any denim depends on balance. The early 2000s are over and head-to-toe fitted outfits are no longer fashionable. (To those skin-tight die-hards, don’t worry. Fashion is cyclical and what once was in style will always come ‘round again).
This look pays homage to the skinny jean but stays modern with the oversized cardi and cropped puffer jacket.
What Type of Grey Pants Can You Get?
Grey pants come in all shapes and fabrics. From lightweight wool trousers to warm flannel pants to denim, grey pants can easily slip into your wardrobe. Grey is the ultimate neutral hue, so it’s friendly with every shade and goes with every color.
Before you buy a pair, first you have to decide what function you want your grey pants to accomplish. For instance, do you want them to take you to work with a matching jacket? Then tailored trousers are likely the ideal choice for you.
If you’re looking for something to wear with your favorite tee and blue denim jacket, then charcoal cargo pants or distressed denim jeans are the right choices.
If you want something soft, warm, and wearable to pair with your collection of luxurious knitwear then grey flannel pants (in a solid color or a checkered print), are a perfect choice.
As we’ve said, grey pants, much like black pants, are available in all shapes, fabrics, styles, and sizes. I must note that grey pants (or any pants for that matter), will not be as universally flattering as black pants.
That being said, play to your strengths. For instance, I have a slim waist but wider hips and thighs, so high-waisted, pleated-front pants have been a dear friend of mine for some time.
We are a fervent advocate of wearing whatever you want and not allowing conventional beauty standards to diminish your style. So please, wear what you feel best in, regardless of what society, social media, or the fashion industry as a whole tells you what you look best in.
Regardless of whether black, white, grey, or even orange pants are most flattering on you—choose the style you like best. Feeling good in whatever you wear is always, always in style.
How to Choose the Best Grey Pants
Once you’ve decided that you’d like a pair of grey pants, the next step is deciding what type of pants you’d like to buy. After that, you must decide what to wear with them.
When deciding which grey pants are the best for you, there are a few primary factors to consider. Price, quality, and content are always vital considerations, while fit, style, and size are equally important, yet far more personal.
As we mentioned earlier, when it comes to fit, style, and size choose something you feel great in. We can’t offer much more advice based on those factors unless you want us to join you on your shopping trip.
However, the other considerations, like price, quality, and material are things we can help you with right here and right now. So here are a few tips for you:
Price
Grey pants are a basic—one that will expand your pre-existing wardrobe by opening up new outfit combination opportunities.
Because of that, this is when splurging a little is a good idea. Always invest in the most high-end basics, and save frugality for when you decide you want to buy orange pants. (Hopefully, that day will never come.)
Quality
Again, when buying a basic, go for gold when it comes to quality. Buy from a brand you know and trust. Make note of where the pants are manufactured and what they’re made of, which leads us to my next point…
Material
If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times: content is king. There’s no factor more vital to the quality of goods than quality material.
How to Style Grey Pants
When deciding what to wear with grey pants, you first have to consider what grey pants you’re working with. Deciding what color shoes or tops to wear can be aided by considering the shade of grey, the season, and the style.
If you’re not sure what color shoes to wear with grey pants, there are a few go-to options. Truthfully, season, style, or shade aside, black, brown, white, tonal grey, or even pink shoes will almost always work with grey pants. So if you’re thinking about wearing a grey pants brown shoes combo, go for it.
The same applies to what color tops go with grey pants except, in this case, you can play around with color a little more. That’s because, like we’ve mentioned many times, there are so many colors that go with grey.
So, when thinking about what color shirt goes with grey pants, you can be a little more adventurous. Grey and olive green make a great pair, as do grey and navy, pink, or pale blue. And even the elusive and risky orange can make friends with grey.
Ladies, if you’re wondering what to wear with your light grey pants, you have several options. Here are a few ‘what to wear with light grey pants’ female looks.
- Charcoal pullover: Pair your light grey pants with a charcoal pullover. The tones are complimentary, and you can always add a long collared shirt underneath.
Allowing the collar, cuffs, and tails to hang out from under your knitwear will break up the grey, and give your outfit a professional look. We love this look with an off-the-shoulder knit, displaying the shoulder in an elegant way.
- Pink top: Light grey pants and pale pink tops are quite friendly with one another. The combination creates a distinctly feminine feel. A luxe pink cashmere pullover, grey pants, and pale pink sneakers make for a perfectly pretty outfit. Note: adding a darker grey overcoat and scarf will help this look transition into cooler months.
- Black attire: When struggling to decide what to wear with your grey pants, go for a classic look. A black fitted top and black footwear will never do you wrong.
Now, if you’re wondering how to wear your darker grey pants, we have a few tips and tricks for styling those as well.
Wearing grey pants, whether they’re heather grey, charcoal, or feature a print like a check, houndstooth, or plaid is a great alternative to your basic black trouser. So we’ll take a look at some more ‘what to wear with grey pants’ female styles below.
- Different shades: Heather grey pants are your classic medium-grey pants. Pairing these with layered, tonal grey pieces like charcoal knitwear, light grey outerwear, and pale grey accessories is a nice way to create a not-quite-monochromatic masterpiece look.
- All-back outfit: Charcoal grey pants could be the pants for the woman whose friends/family/partner/closet space has forbidden her from buying another pair of black trousers.
But jokes on them, because charcoal pants do everything black pants do. They especially pair beautifully with—you guessed it—black. Wearing charcoal pants to an all-black outfit adds a little dimension to your look, without you having to sacrifice your favorite all-black-everything image.
- Patterned grey pants: This is another great option. Of all the basic tones for checkered pants, grey is our favorite. They often have tones of navy, brown, charcoal, and black running through the print, making it easy to pair them with other items.
Just choose your favorite accent color in the pants, and build your outfit from there. For example, a chocolate brown sweater + grey checkered pants + brown leather ankle boots = one happy you.
Fashion Tips to Avoid With Grey Pants
This is a tough one because grey pants can go with nearly everything. There are, however, a few mistakes one can make when choosing the right grey pants. So before you put together your grey pants outfit, check out these fashion tips.
- Too light, too tight: Similar to white jeans, if you’ve decided to purchase a pair of light grey jeans, be mindful of the size. Light grey, though not quite as unforgiving as white, can still make you feel bare.
If you’re shopping for light grey jeans, choose a pair with less elastane and more cotton. The cotton offers rigidity and thickness that can help you feel less exposed than the thin stretchiness of elastane.
- Grey leggings? No: Not ever. Normally we’re not one for staunch rules, but heather grey leggings are up there with tight white capri pants.
- Wear properly-tailored trousers: This is the last thing to keep in mind with grey pants, although it’s not grey pant-specific. If you, like most of us, aren’t a standard off-the-rack shape and size, taking the time to have your pants properly fitted is important.
Best Places to Buy Grey Pants
Depending on what you’re looking for, there are a couple of different designers that make great grey pants.
- Theory: The Theory classic Treeca Trouser comes in many colors, including a couple of different versions of grey. Some are stretch Ponte, some are flannel, and some are cut in cool wool. They offer solid grey, tweeds, and checks. If you’re looking for sophisticated grey pants, Theory.com is the place to go.
- Nili Lotan: If you’re more interested in a hip, casual pair of grey pants, head to Nililotan.com. Look for the washed charcoal color. There are several different styles to choose from—The Paris Pant, The East Hampton Pant, or our personal favorite, The Cropped Military Pant.
- AG: AG Jeans are some of the best you can get. There’s an endless range of fits, fabrics, content, and colors to choose from. We recommend the Prima Cropped Cigarette in Sulfur Shadow. It’s a light-medium grey wash, mid-rise jean that’s so comfortable you’ll end up with a pair in every wash imaginable.
Final Thoughts
When answering the question, what to wear with grey pants, there’s no wrong answer. Unless, of course, you mean heather-grey leggings, in which case every answer is wrong.
As we’ve stated, grey is the ultimate neutral, which means you can be as creative with your tops and footwear as you’d like to be—which makes grey pants the perfect addition to any wardrobe.
Do you have a lot of colorful pieces without companions? Are you eager to break up your closet full of black (without actually adding any ‘color’)? Either way grey pants are sure to be the pin that keeps your wardrobe wheel spinning.
Wondering how to style more clothing items? We’re here to help:
What to Wear with Grey Sweatpants
How to Wear Grey Pants with Brown Shoes – A Style Guide
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