Light blue and gray are soft, cool and easy to wear, which makes them a good place to start if you rarely wear color. These four outfits mix powder blue suede, merino and poplin with gray cashmere, wool and denim. The trick is texture, not brightness.
Light Blue and Gray Outfits to Try This Fall
In 1896, John E. Brooks, the grandson of the Brooks Brothers founder, watched a polo match in England and noticed the players' collars were buttoned down so they would not flap. He brought the idea home, and by around 1900 the store was selling the button-down shirt in New York. A pale blue shirt with gray trousers has been a quiet uniform of American dressing ever since.
That is the idea behind this pairing. Light blue and gray are both soft, both cool, and both easy to wear to work, so the combination looks calm rather than bold. The fun is in the textures, like suede, cashmere and a little metallic knit, which keep it from looking like an office.
A quick test: put a light blue shirt under a gray sweater. If your face looks brighter, this pairing is for you.
Start With One Piece of Each
Bottega Veneta's Nodo shoulder bag is pale blue suede trimmed in Intrecciato leather, and Christian Louboutin's Iriza 85 pumps are the same powder blue in suede. On the gray side, Toteme's cotton-jersey scarf is soft and light enough for early fall, and Brunello Cucinelli's canvas tote is gray with leather trim, big enough for a laptop. Any one of these makes a navy or black outfit feel lighter.
A Light Blue Sweater, Gray Jeans
This is the easiest look in the edit. Skall's Campa sweater is light blue merino wool, and SLVRLAKE's London jeans are a washed gray, high-rise and straight. Gianvito Rossi's Levy 55 ankle boots match the jeans in gray suede, so your legs look longer. Gabriela Hearst's Elster belt is light blue suede, and it is the small detail that makes the sweater and jeans look planned.
How to wear it: tuck the sweater in loosely so the belt shows.
A Gray Cardigan, a Light Blue Skirt
Khaite's Nora cardigan is cropped gray cashmere, short enough to sit right at the waist of Tory Burch's metallic jacquard-knit midi skirt, which is pale blue with a soft shine. Aeyde's Clara pumps are blue leather with a pointed toe and a small heel, an easy height to walk in. Extreme Cashmere's dark gray bandana scarf, tied at the neck, gives the outfit a little weight.
The Light Blue Dress, a Gray Jacket
Rebecca Vallance's Aylin dress is light blue embellished cady, the kind of dress you buy for a wedding and then keep wearing. McQueen's padded double-breasted jacket in gray wool turns it into something for a dinner in October. Manolo Blahnik's BB 70 pumps are light gray suede, and Demellier's Stockholm bag matches the dress in light blue leather.
What I would skip: silver jewelry on top of the embellishment. Let the dress handle the shine.
A Light Blue Jacket Over Gray
Frame's Utility jacket is sky blue cotton poplin, light enough for the first cool days. Under it, Nili Lotan's Lana ringer T-shirt and Marant Étoile's Jeldia skirt are both gray, so the jacket reads as the one color. The skirt is gathered, draped stretch fabric, comfortable enough for a long day. Bao Bao Issey Miyake's Carat mini bag is covered in glossy gray triangles.
Keep It Soft
Light blue and gray are the gentlest pairing in this series, which makes them good for anyone who does not usually wear color. The thing to watch is contrast. Keep the gray mid-tone rather than charcoal, so it does not overpower the blue, and look for texture instead of brightness: suede shoes, a cashmere knit, a skirt with a bit of shine. If it ever starts to feel too quiet, a crisp white shirt will lift it. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Lavender and Gray Outfits to Try This Fall and Gray and Black Outfits to Try This Fall.
