This Is My Favorite Winter-to-Spring Color Combination—and It's All Over Zara, COS, and H&M

It makes for the perfect transitional outfit.

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Chanel; McQueen; Elie Saab; Off White; Proenza Schouler Spring 2026
(Image credit: Chanel; McQueen; Elie Saab; Off White; Proenza Schouler)

Colors are not common in my wardrobe, especially not bright ones. I like to keep my daily looks neutral, with rare exceptions. So, imagine my surprise when I found myself gravitating towards an unexpected (at least, for me) color combination for that transitional period between winter and spring: red with slate gray.

After seeing it on the Spring 2026 runways of brands like Chanel, McQueen, and Proenza Schouler, the pairing has opened up a new range of possibilities in my transitional wardrobe. Like the first flowers in the new season, red breaks up the monotony of my winter outfit rotation, whether it comes in the form of a vibrant spring jacket that lives up an otherwise monochromatic outfit or high-vamp ballet flats peeking out from under the hem of a maxi slip dress or slouchy office-ready trousers.

A street styler in Paris, France, styles a red trench with a gray jacket.

(Image credit: Launchmtetrics Spotlight)

Ahead, I sifted through the new-in selection from three of my favorite on-trend brands—Zara, H&M, and Cos—to find easy-to-incorporate red and gray options that you can wear now and well into the spring.

Julia Marzovilla
Julia Marzovilla
Fashion E-Commerce Editor

Julia Marzovilla is the Fashion E-Commerce Editor at Marie Claire, where she reviews the latest launches from fashion and beauty brands, finds the best on-sale items around the internet, and interviews experts to find the best products in any category to share with her readers. She also creates shopping guides that span every vertical on the site as an expert in everything from the best laptop bags to the best laser hair removal devices.

In her near decade of experience, Julia has both written for several top outlets in the E-Commerce space and worked at major fashion labels. Prior to joining the Marie Claire team, she contributed similar shopping stories to sites such as Bustle, InStyle, The Zoe Report, Who What Wear, and worked as the Trending Fashion and News Writer STYLECASTER. You can find her across the internet at @JuliaMarzovilla. In real life, you can find her creating shopping guides for her friends, cooking or baking in her too-small kitchen, or buying tickets for the next time Harry Styles is in town.

Julia has a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Journalism from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. She lives in New York City, her hometown.