What to Wear With Gray Hair

COLOR GOES CRAZY FOR SPRING '08

And it's Great for Gray Hair!

Hello, rainbow! We’re in for a brilliant season ahead. Beaming pink, bursting yellow, meant-to-be-seen tangerine. Sometimes, it’s a pure color play, other times, color explodes all over prints.

But, Houston, do we have a problem?

Absolutely not! Nothing brings more zing to gray, white or silver hair than bold, clear color. But just when you’re thinking you should “cool” your wardrobe palette, along comes this curve ball. Should you break out in hot brights? Sure, if you’ve always gone for the bold. Even if you gravitate towards quieter shades, try it. Color with great energy lights up your complexion. But this is where knowing your skintone comes into play. You can’t just grab any bright.

Let’s start with the hardest color for most women to wear – YELLOW. If you’ve got any gray in your hair, avoid the mellow yellows. They’re just blah, and might give your hair that off-yellow cast I wrote about earlier. But this season, you won’t have far to look for really bright yellow. It’s going to just bounce off your hair without affecting it in the least – it is what it is. A zinger. Is it for you? Yes, if you have an olive or tawny complexion and boost your skintone with a tan-enhancer or bronzer. Just up the ante a bit. Put on a great red lipstick and go dazzle!

f you don’t have a great tan, white teeth, gleaming hair, pick up a bright yellow handbag (or shoes) to give your wardrobe a fashion “lift” without getting it anywhere near your face.

What about all the other shades – the pinks, the purples, the reds, greens and oranges? If your complexion is more blue-based than yellow, you can go for the shades of magenta, purple, royal, cherry red. If you tend to look sallow, and still want to cool your palette to compliment your cooler hair color, add just a drop of blue or gray to the primary colors you select. Teal, instead of a bright Kelly green. Aqua instead of chartreuse. Dusty rose instead of magenta. And, while you can wear orange, you might look prettier in a strong coral-pink.

Of course, the greatest color of all for graying hair is bright, crisp white. Then you can bounce all the colors of the rainbow off it via accessories. Or go for metallics, the way the designer did here. Think about making a statement with a wild-colored sunglass frame. They’re coming in bright this season, too – purple, pink, red. That could be all you need to do.

Right now is a great time to do a little investigating. Go to a good accessories counter – the pashmina/scarf counters always have a zillion colors. Make sure you go on a good-makeup-day so your face is able to “stand up” to color. Wrap a scarf just under your chin. See what these colors actually do for you. Go ahead – try all the colors you never thought you could wear before. Ask yourself, Does this shade reflect nicely on my face? Does it “go” with my hair? Think about it now, so you won’t be tempted by something blazingly beautiful when the time comes to buy. You’ll know which shades are for you.

One interesting note – Spring Summer hasn’t given up on pales, either. Gray and loads of cool, icy neutrals are still very much in the picture. This time around, though, you might want to play it with something bright. Just for fun. Grab a purple bag, or put on a gleaming pink necklace and go!

Fashion Photographs by Marcio Madeira
Copyright © CondeNet 2007