Grey Denim Days

Grey jeans sit between blue and black. They feel a little cooler than classic blue, but softer and less severe than black, so they go with almost every fall color you own: cream, camel, burgundy, chocolate and navy.

The washes matter. Smoky mid greys look relaxed and a bit vintage, while deep charcoal reads polished enough for the office with loafers and a blazer.

I split the edit into two groups: straight, bootcut and flare pairs first, then wide leg jeans for a looser fall shape.

Start here if you want grey jeans you can wear every day. The washed straight pairs look easy with a knit and ankle boots, the faded boyfriend pair feels the most relaxed, and the charcoal pintuck pair looks almost like a trouser.

The flare and bootcut pairs are the ones to wear with a heeled boot, because the hem sits right over the shoe and makes your legs look longer.

My fitting room test: check the wash in daylight. Some greys turn green or purple in the sun. What I would skip: heavy whiskering and rips, which can make grey look dusty instead of cool.

Wide leg jeans in grey look softer than wide black jeans and less casual than wide blue ones. The light silver washes feel fresh with a cream sweater, while the charcoal and storm grey pairs look sleek with a black coat.

The barrel pair with knee seams is the most fashion forward pick here, and the raw hem pairs are the easiest to wear with sneakers.

What I check: the rise. A high rise keeps the wide leg from swallowing you, especially with a tucked knit. What I would skip: extra long hems if you mostly wear flats, since they drag and fray fast.

Try charcoal straight jeans with a camel coat, a cream turtleneck and brown loafers. On weekends, wear a light wide leg pair with a chunky green or burgundy sweater and sneakers.

Grey and brown look great together, so a chocolate suede jacket is an easy way to warm up any of these pairs.