Gray Is The New Black: The Return of The Groutfit

There’s something about New York Fashion Week that simulates the experience of being at a zoo. The city becomes a natural habitat for celebrities and a thick sheet of glass is wedged between us and the exclusive presentations they attend. Suddenly, we’re exposed to all these beautiful, exotic creatures that are normally secluded from the rest of society. The best part? We don’t need a ticket to enjoy the show.

Beyond a potential run-in with a star, another plus of New York Fashion Week is the street style. This year, one gleaming trend both on and off the runway was the “groutfit,” or gray outfit, which is notorious for its inextricable ties with fashion burnout. Nonetheless, Balenciaga, JW Anderson, Vivienne Westwood, and Prada made a compelling case in defense of gray at their fall fashion shows.

Sure, groutfits are easy to crank out. That’s why they have such a bad rap. However, designers like Gucci and Bottega Veneta played with its formula to produce fresh looks that also overlap with other trends, such as the classic pantsuit. Ferragamo similarly used this tactic to create a gray, pantsless suit. It’s this kind of experimentation that allows us to understand the groutfit’s endless possibilities—making us confident that it’s not going anywhere.

Unsurprisingly, celebrities have already embraced the groutfit in recent appearances. Gigi Hadid, Kim Kardashian, and Ariana Grande are just a few examples of stars who transformed the once abhorred trend into a seeming sartorial phenomenon. It’s only about time that we start seeing gray everywhere.

Color-based trends are interesting because at some point, everyone gets sick of a color. Take Barbiecore, for instance. The Barbie movie campaign single-handedly propelled the world into a Pepto-Bismol pink era. Since the movie was released, however, people don’t regard pink with the same fervor as before they entered the theater. Perhaps the dawn of gray has come right on time.

It’s worth noting that the groutfit’s newfound popularity is likely a result of the “stealth wealth” movement associated with the TV series,” Succession.” Gray symbolizes stability and balance, standing at the intersection between black and white. On the other hand, it also signals boredom and a lack of creativity. Clearly, people are craving the color gray because they’ve been missing something. In a world where everyone wants to stand out, it appears that the only way to achieve this is by fitting in.

Article by Meyme Nakash, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Designer, PhotoBook Magazine

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Style WatchAlison HernonOctober 15, 2023#NYFW, #runway show, #models, #designers, #gray, #groutfit, #celebrities, #stability, #balance