The Use of Blue Color in Clothing

In most people’s wardrobe, blue is an unavoidable color. Many people say blue is their favorite color. It symbolizes dependability, stability, and trust, along with consistency, authority, and strength. There are numerous brands with blue logos (think Facebook) – this testifies to the confidence-inspiring power of blue. I love blue! And in this article, I want to show you the meaning of blue color in clothing.

What Is the Meaning of Blue Color in Clothing

Girl with blue and black and brown coat and gray pants

The color blue can mean tranquility or seriousness and a bunch of other things in between. Blue is, on the one hand, a calming color. It provides you with a feeling of well-being. On the other hand, the color blue can represent something traditional and serious. In clothing, blue can have a wide range of meanings – especially in shades or tints.

The color blue is always a good choice since you can never go wrong with it. Wearing it is just as comfortable as wearing any other “neutral” color: black, gray, and white.

Blue is without a doubt the most popular color for men and women of all ages.

Effects of Pure Blue Hue in Clothing

pure blue shades by Dopely color toner tool

The blue hue is the color blue in its fully-blown saturated state. Compared to the other versions, it’s ‘colorful’ or vivid in this state. The blue hue belongs to the cold/cool half of the color wheel. Thus, it’s a cold color.

The blue hue is associated with calm, intelligence, sincerity, and confidence. Blue is the color of the sky and ocean in nature. These create a sense of calm and security.

According to a study on the effects of color on college students, the color blue is also said to lower blood pressure and increase intelligence. Another study suggests that blue boosts creativity.

To make people perceive you as intelligent, calm, sincere, and all three, wearing blue is an excellent way to do so.

It’s true that blue can never go wrong, but saturating it in full can be challenging for men. Women, however, can easily wear clothing in saturated blue. Generally, women look much better in mid- to fully saturated colors – though guys shouldn’t be afraid to go all-out as well. The color blue works well as an accent piece for most men. Tie, shoes, scarf, wristwatch, and socks are among the items.

Effects of Light Blue in Clothing

light blue shades by Dopely color toner tool

There are several light blue colors, including baby blue, blue raspberry, pale blue, electric sheep, blue bolt, etc. There are more items to add, but let’s leave it at those already mentioned.

For a light blue color, white is mixed with blue. A blue tint, in general, results from this process, which produces a lighter variant of blue.

A light version of blue contains both blue and white properties, making it a blend of both. For instance, white symbolizes purity, cleanliness, and openness. Lighter blues are a reflection of these properties. As a result, lighter blues become associated with peace, friendliness, approachability, youth, and loyalty.

You will stand out as easy-going, laidback, calm, and trustworthy if you wear a piece of light blue clothing. Lighter blues can work as a canvas — say, ripped denim jacket and jeans — or accent — a beanie.

Effects of the Dark Blues in Clothing

dark blue shades by Dopely color toner tool

Now let’s look at the dark versions of the color blue. Technically, these are shades of blue. To make them, simply add any amount of black to the blue hue, that is, the blue base.

Blues appear elegant and sophisticated at first glance.

Those are just two of the characteristics borrowed from black. Blue shades can also signify trustworthiness, authority, intelligence, confidence and power.

When attending a formal event, a navy blue suit will make a lasting impression. If you want to step aside from the usual black suit, this will be a fantastic choice.

It is always a nice color for a suit to wear navy blue. This color goes well with many different accent colors (like pink)

Dark shades of blue are popular, and you can wear them in so many ways outside of a suit and tie. You can wear dark blue as a turtleneck, trilby, or jacket.

Midnight blue, navy blue, and dark blue are examples of dark blue. Midnight blue is the deepest followed by navy blue. It would be easy to mistake one for the other. But with enough exposure, you will develop the eye to tell one from the other.

Effects of Toned Blues in Clothing

toned blue shades by Dopely color toner tool

The name implies that toned blues are mixtures of blue and gray.

Gray is a color between white and black, so blue tones by default will have some properties of both colors. Clearly, different types of gray produce different tones of blue.

Blue tones are also known as unsaturated tones, as they have a muted or dull feel when compared to other colors.

These versions of blue could either reflect a sense of sophistication for you or a sense of detached detachment for someone else, depending on the context. 

Choosing Blue for Your Wardrobe

Your choice of color depends on a number of factors, but one of them is your skin tone. Warm skin tones should avoid blue and similar cool colors. If you have a cool skin tone, go ahead and wear blue. 

However, if you like blue and your skin tone is warm, you should use the warmer shades of blue – those closest to purple/violet in the color wheel than the cooler ones. You can find about your skin tone here.

blue guide for fashion warm and cool blue

Here are some simple guidelines on choosing the correct colors to go with your blue colored clothes. 

Blue Color Combinations

Wear Blue with Complementary Colors

Complementary colors are opposites on the color wheel. Because of their strong presence, they may appear clashing if used equally; Hence, one of the colors should be used as a small part of the entire scheme. As a small print or accessory, you can take one of the color combinations provided above, like aqua and purple, and use it on a smaller scale in your dressing.

blue guide for fashion the combination of blue with complementary colors

Go ahead and use them equally if you don’t mind the look.

Wear Blue with Other Cool Colors 

Cool colors are green, blue and violet. On the color wheel, these colors are next to each other. Together, they create a calming effect.

blue guide for fashion the combination of blue with other cool colors

Wear Blue with Monochromatic Colors

The monochromatic colors consist of lighter and darker versions of the same color – ranging from blue-green to blue-purple shades and nuances are used in the same dress or incorporated into parts of it. A combination of these blues can give a harmonious look. 

blue guide for fashion blue with monochromatic colors

Blue and Colors of the Same Bloodline

You get blue when you combine yellow and green. Blue, yellow, and green are a combination of their respective bloodlines. Therefore, yellow as well as green can look good together with blue.

blue guide for fashion the combination of blue with yellow and green

Blue with Neutral Colors

All versions of Blue make good combinations with neutral colors. Light blue as well as dark blue goes well with white. 

blue guide for fashion the combination of blue with neutral colors

The Combination of Blue with Some Colors

Blue with Yellow Outfit

Yellow has an interesting relationship with blue. Yoy may have seen it with specific shades of yellow, mostly mustard and butter yellows, paired with deeper blue or cerulean blues. Also, you can add whites or more blue to the outfit.

photo about blue and yellow outfit with color palette

Blue and Green Outfit

The color combination was one of the most popular ones. Apparently limey pastely green is very popular with blue, as well as mint green. Together, they look so beautiful and you can always balance them out with white or grey. 

photo about blue and green outfit with color palette

Blue with Orange Outfit

Orange is a scary color for a lot of people, but when done right, it can be a masterpiece. Orange and blue are a match made in heaven when worn together. When embraced, their brightness is their beauty and can be very powerful. For a more subtle look, you can pair a cerulean blue with tangerine or choose a deep or navy blue to tone down the intensity of the orange. 

photo about blue and orange outfit with color palette

Blue and White Outfit

If we are unsure about something, we turn to white, and that is a good thing. With lighter and brighter shades of blue, however, it looks exceptionally beautiful. You can play around with color in other parts of the outfit like shoes and bags, but even an all-white and blue outfit looks interesting. 

photo about blue and white outfit with color palette

Blue and Black Outfit

Some people are afraid of wearing black with blue or navy. Blues look great with black, especially royal blue, teals, or ceruleans. Black and baby blue also have a lovely contrast.

photo about blue and black outfit with color palette

Blue with Reds Outfit

The reds refer to all the different shades of red. This is a tricky color pairing, and you need to find the perfect shade of blue with the perfect shade of red or even burgundy. It is a statement to pair a really bright red with a royal blue, but they are beautiful together. To achieve more of a subtle look, you can use raspberry reds or reds that border on burgundy. Also, you can use red in your outfit for accessories, bags, or shoes. 

photo about blue and red outfit with color palette

Blue with Beiges and Browns Outfit

Brown and neutrals are usually a safe option for most people, and they really look good with navy, so feel free to stay with sky blues or deeper shades of blue. For a pop of color you can go for a bright blue and bring it out with an equally popping brown.

photo about blue and beige outfit with color palette

Conclusion

Consequently, the color blue is the most comfortable color to work with on the color wheel. Wearing navy blue can give you a confident look. To create an original look, Egyptian blue will work amazingly well.  

In some cases, however, it may connote negative meanings such as sad, reserved, or distant. There is a negative connotation associated with most colors.

Wearing blue pieces in your outfit has endless possibilities. Feel free to use it!

Posted by
Xahra

This is Zahra. I'm in love with different languages and colors. So I decided to be the messenger of the world of colors! Here in Dopely, I write about colors and I like to take you to their world with me.

2 Comments

  1. I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your website to come back later on. Cheers

  2. This design is incredible! You certainly know how to keep a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Wonderful job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *