What color characteristic is achieved by mixing a hue with gray?

Mixing a hue with gray results in a color known as a "tone." This process alters the original hue by softening its intensity, making the color less vibrant and more muted. Tones are essential in design as they add depth and complexity to a color palette, allowing for more versatile applications in fashion and art.

In contrast, a "shade" refers specifically to the darker version of a color obtained by mixing the hue with black, which does not involve gray. A "tint" is created by adding white to a hue, resulting in a lighter version of that color. The term "neutral" typically describes colors like browns, grays, and beiges that do not have a strong hue and aren’t derived from mixing with gray. Understanding these distinctions is vital in the study of color theory within fashion design.