Grey, along with black and white, is an achromatic colour devoid of red, yellow and blue pigments. It blends harmoniously black; white; all the muted colours and all the shades of grey, making it a versatile choice in fashion.
The spectrum of grey includes shades such as charcoal, slate, battleship, smoke, shark and dove.
Naturally occurring grey, found in the world around us, such as rock or stone, signifies stability, immobility and resilience. In industrial settings, grey can be seen in metal and smoke, symbolising functionality, construction, labour and productivity.
Silver, a precious mined metal, can be linked to the Moon, where it has also be found. The moon's silvery glow from Earth is a reflection of the Sun's light and is gentler to look at in the night sky, compared to the bright sparkle of the stars.
Grey hair, associated with old age can symbolise wisdom, knowledge and sophistication.
Historically, grey has been linked to poverty. In France, 'Les Grisettes' being the name for working girls from the late seventeenth Century, who wore cheap, grey fabric dresses and were expected to blend into the background.
In 1947, Christian Dior incorporated grey flannels and silks into his post-war designs. This 'New Look', ushered in the elegance of 1950s fashion. The film 'The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit' (1956), featuring Gregory Peck, illustrated the post-war conformity and sophistication of men's fashion of the 1950s.
Shockingly, the 1960s saw the rise of silver clothing, from Paco Rabanne's metallic minidresses to Andre Courreges's foil fashions, taking inspiration from the newness of space exploration and symbolising dreams of the future. The 'Mercury 7' crew, the first space crew in the world, sported shiny, zipped-up space suits.
Moving onto the 1970s disco era, silver lame and sequins were popular in fashion, reflecting the light from the rotating glitter ball on the dance floor for a high-shine, glamorous effect. This look was epitomised in the New York nightclub 'Studio 54' where the clientele might wear Halston, Bill Blass or Thierry Mugler designs.
By the 1990s, the minimalist trend embraced grey in clothing and interiors, creating a somber and sophisticated, yet universal, fashion image, after the excesses of the 1980s. Grey was, perhaps, chosen for its association with understatement, restraint and adaptability, allowing appreciation for the designer's emphasis on cut and fabric.
The early 2020s saw the rise of grey marl in the 'athleisure' trend and street style, possibly symbolising a form of camouflage in the urban environment reflecting global growth of urbanised populations, as well as the increasing democratisation of fashion.