My 57-Year-Old Mom Welcomes Her Gray Hair—Experts Suggest These Elegant Outfit Colors That…

      One of the highest compliments I've received is being told I resemble my mother. I'm thankful to carry her elegance and beauty with me wherever I go and to have her as my friend—my best friend, to be precise. Catherine Mary is a woman of great intellect and wit. After just one brief conversation with this Brooklyn native, you'll realize she has a clever five-minute routine that could easily earn her a spot on late-night television. Just say when and where, Jimmy Kimmel.

      As I transition into adulthood and navigate life post-graduation, I'm starting to see my mother through a different lens—not through the eyes of the girl she raised, but through the perspective of the woman I'm becoming. I'm witnessing her strength, wisdom, and maturity. My mother has always embraced her natural beauty (my unwavering self-love stems from that), and in a media landscape where insecurities are monetized, I'm incredibly thankful to have her as my role model. "I don't dye my hair or try to hide aging," she shared with me. Her choice to keep her graying hair has resulted in a breathtaking silver shine. "I remember when the first grays appeared as silver strands framing my face in my mid-30s. At that time, I had a Vidal Sassoon-inspired bob. It suited me, but as the years went by, my childhood black/almost-blue hair evolved into a salt-and-pepper mixture," she explained. "Now, at 57, I've grown my hair past my shoulders, added some bangs, embraced the silver, and have never regretted it." My mother is not the only woman over 50 who has welcomed her gray hair. Fashion stylist Roz Kaur has noticed a similar trend among her clients: "In recent years, there has been a significant shift. Many women feel that letting their natural color shine through is authentic and liberating. Gray hair is no longer something to hide; in many cases, it becomes a beautiful and distinctive aspect of a woman's identity."

      Creators in the beauty industry have unique journeys to acceptance as well. Tennille Jenkins, the editor in residence at Who What Wear, shared, "I’m so grateful that I had that heart-to-heart with myself and fully embraced it because I love my hair color." The runways have also taken note. Model Stephanie Cavalli opened the Chanel S/S 26 haute couture show, and her curly, silver-speckled hair made headlines in Vogue. Perhaps it's Matthieu Blazy's openness to casting models with visible signs of a life well-lived that is inspiring the Chanel clientele to travel to Paris for his debut collection.

      Whenever we're out, it’s common for my mother to receive compliments on her hair. "Despite the affection from kind strangers and the hype from my daughter, Josephine, sometimes I feel restricted by my gray hair regarding my wardrobe. I get the impression that I can't wear color," she explained. Her closet resembles what I picture Morticia Addams's wardrobe to be: dark, colorless, and gray. Don’t get me wrong—I fully support a stylish, monochromatic outfit, but a hint of color now and then wouldn't hurt. It's not just me who thinks so. "I want to wear color. I just don't know how to begin," my mom confided. That's my cue.

      What are the best colors to pair with gray hair? As my mother's personal stylist, I'm available 24/7. For years, I've encouraged her to expand her color selection beyond black, so when she casually mentioned over the phone that she wanted to explore color, I was more than excited. I reached out to fashion stylists, beauty experts, and specialists in gray hair, and even scheduled a color analysis with Seklab, all in pursuit of discovering the ideal colors to wear with gray hair. "When working with clients undergoing a gray-hair transformation, wardrobe color often comes into play," celebrity hair colorist Jack Martin confirmed. "Many clients initially raise concerns about fashion and makeup post-gray. A frequent concern is that gray hair may make them look washed out or older, leading them to think they should stick to safe colors like black." This reassurance eased my mother's anxieties, particularly when I shared Kaur's clear statement. "I don’t believe gray hair restricts the colors someone can wear at all. As a stylist, I focus on the entire person—their skin tone, contrast, personality, and lifestyle—rather than just their hair color," Kaur clarified.

      Whether you're embracing your natural gray hair or looking to incorporate more color into your wardrobe, keep reading to see the color combinations our experts recommend starting with. But first, join my mother and me at a color-analysis consultation at Seklab to uncover her best color palette. Spoiler alert: The outcomes were unexpected.

      The Seklab Color System

      Seklab is a personal color-analysis studio located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. I was first introduced to it by our wonderful beauty editor