Lavender and gray outfits work best when both colors are soft, more stone and lilac than pastel. I pair a feather-trimmed lavender cardigan with gray trousers, then swap the pieces three more ways.
Lavender and Gray Outfits to Try This Fall
Victorian mourning had stages. After the first year or so of black, a widow moved into half mourning, when black could give way to gray, mauve, lavender and violet. Those were the colors of easing back into the world, and they still carry that mood: quiet, a little romantic, never loud.
Lavender and gray work because gray takes the sugar out of lavender. On its own, lilac can look like an Easter egg. Next to a good gray flannel, it looks like it belongs in a city in October.
A quick test: hold something lilac next to your gray sweater in daylight. If the lilac looks cool and the gray looks soft, you have a match, and the rest of these looks will feel easy.
Start With One Piece of Each
The simplest start is a pair of lilac jeans with gray everything else. Agolde's Low Curve Crop jeans are a pale lilac denim with a barrel leg, and they look good with almost any gray sweater. For gray, Brunello Cucinelli's maxi suede tote is a big, slouchy gray bag, Gianvito Rossi's Joelle 45 ankle boots are gray suede on a low heel, and Lisa Yang's Frieda scarf is dark gray cashmere. Pick the jeans and one gray piece, and you are done.
A Lavender Cardigan, Gray Trousers
Valentino Garavani's wool cardigan is lavender with a soft feather trim at the neckline, which is as much fun as knitwear gets. Sacai's belted pleated pants are gray twill with a wide leg, so the trousers keep the cardigan from getting too sweet. Maison Margiela's Tabi ballet flats in gray leather add a little strangeness, and Acne Studios' suede shoulder bag is light gray with gathered sides.
How to wear it: button the cardigan all the way and wear it as a top, with nothing showing underneath.
A Gray Cardigan, a Lavender Skirt
Toteme's cashmere cardigan is a plain gray with a collar, the kind of knit you will wear a hundred ways. Pauline Dujancourt's Najia midi skirt is lavender silk-blend chiffon that drapes and fades to pale at the hem. Aeyde's Tate boots are lace-up suede with a lug sole, which keeps the floaty skirt from feeling precious. Déhanche's Hollyhock belt in dark gray suede pulls the cardigan in at the waist.
A Lavender Polo, a Gray Jacket
Moncler's ribbed wool polo is lilac with a contrast stripe at the collar, and it looks sporty in a good way. Almada's Funda jacket is gray twill with a row of small buttons and no collar, and Bottega Veneta's wool flannel straight-leg pants are a lighter gray with pleats. Gray on gray with one lilac piece is the whole idea. Balenciaga's Le City bag is gray crinkled leather.
What I would skip: purple shoes. One lilac piece is enough when everything else is gray.
A Gray Blazer Over Lavender
Stella McCartney's double-breasted wool blazer is an oversized gray that works over anything. Under it, &Daughter's Emer cropped T-shirt is lilac cashmere and cotton, and Deiji Studios' Ease pants are a soft purple cotton with a straight leg. Lavender top and lavender pants make the blazer feel like a frame. Johnstons of Elgin's Reel scarf in dark gray cashmere is tied at the neck.
Keep It Soft
Lavender and gray are a quiet pair, and that is the appeal. Choose lilacs that lean cool and grays that lean warm, like flannel or suede, so the two do not both go cold. Use gray for the big pieces and lavender for the one you want people to notice. Start with the lilac jeans and a gray sweater, then try the feather cardigan when you are ready. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Chartreuse and Lavender Outfits to Try This Fall and Pink and Gray Outfits to Try This Fall.
