Continuing with our series on the different colors used in fashion, today we turn our attention to the different shades of blue color. Blue has held a special place in my family – both my gran and my mum held blue as their favorite color, my Dad’s nickname for my Mum referenced the color and some of the first clothes I ever made for myself were blue, to match my eye color!
Aside from my own enjoyment of the color, blue has its own place in world history and is a color used in fashion season after season. Let’s take a closer look at the different shades of blue available to us!
A True Blue History
Blue has been a fashion staple ever since the ancient Egyptians. However, this color wasn’t always embraced as it was once considered barbaric and uncultured due to its close association with Viking face paints. Fortunately, time has been exceptionally kind to blue, and it has now become a standard fixture in almost everyone’s wardrobe as well as one of the most common favorite colors, symbolizing stability, trust, and strength.
The first recorded use of blue was by the ancient Egyptians who created what we consider to be the first ‘synthetic’ blue aptly named ‘Egyptian Blue’. Historians believe that it was made by combining sand, limestone, and copper and that this mixture was then processed with heat to transform it into a glaze. At this stage, the Ancient Egyptians ground up the glaze into a powder, and created a tempera by mixing it with egg whites. The result was a unique dye of blue that was able to emit a unique fluorescence when exposed to certain types of light.
The 12th century saw the color blue elevated into more prominence as, along with purple, it became the color of royalty, which is where the term “blue blood” originates from. Blue was also a well-known color used in both political and military clothing.
A shade of blue that garnered quite an extravagant reputation is “true blue” or “ultramarine,” synonymous with elegance and beauty. This shade of blue became more prominent when it was used for the color of the veil of the Virgin Mary in the illustration titled “Virgin Mary and Child with Female Saints” by Gerard David (1500).
Blue has for some time been one of the most common colors used in the fashion industry. It has become one of the default colors for specific types of clothing, such as jeans and has also evolved with a multitude of shades now present in modern fashion – allowing designers and consumers to mix and match the perfect combination of shades for their preferred attire. Am I the only one who loves to wear triple denim with each piece a different shade of blue?
Cool Blue VS Warm Blue
Blue is a traditionally cool color proven when you look at the color spectrum and its location in the wheel. By cool, we are not saying that the color blue is trendy or whatnot, but instead points to its aesthetic lack of warmth due to its lack of any shade of yellow. Yellow is on the opposite side of the spectrum and is considered one of the warmest colors.
However, you might have heard about the term warm blue. How could that be possible when blue is within the spectrum of cool colors? To simplify, warm blue is any shade of blue that incorporates purple bias rather than green. On the other side of the spectrum, cool blue shades have a green hue preference.
Choosing between the two shades regarding clothing will depend on several factors, including your preference and skin tone. For example, if you have warm-toned skin (skin has yellow undertones), you should consider going for warm blue. On the other hand, cool blue will complement your skin tone for cool-toned skin (pinkish or bluish undertone).
Different shades of blue
Blue comes in various shades, each with the aesthetic merit they bring into fashion design. We will go through the diverse spectrum of blue and introduce you to a handful of distinct ones that carry a certain level of finesse garments.
Light blue
Light blue has an almost ethereal charm and is considered a romantic color. A light blue hue can be achieved by mixing blue with other colors, primarily white. Below are some of the more notable shades under light blue.
Alice blue – this is a rather pale blue tint that was favored by the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, who is also a painter, Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Alice Blue has a rather cold and icy aesthetic to it.
Aqua blue – this is a variation of cyan and blends blue and green hues. Aqua-blue and cyan are considered interchangeable due to how closely each shade looks alike.
Baby blue – this shade of blue has a tinge of azure and features a soothing pastel aesthetic.
China blue – also known as Han blue, this shade of light blue color incorporates a mixture of cyan blue.
Celeste – this light shade of blue is akin to sky blue but with a more delicate turquoise undertone.
Lavender blue – this shade is closely similar to periwinkle blue and has a pastel purple-blue hue.
Powder blue – powder blue is a pale shade of blue that has some gray undertones.
Sky blue – as implied by its name, sky blue is a color that captures the stunning beauty of a clear daytime sky.
Medium blue
Medium blue is a bright blue shade with high contrast with both black and white backgrounds. This particular shade of blue is closest to its pure blue light.
Blue-gray – this shade is best described as having a dull lead-blue color, similar to a contused flesh – hence, the expression “beaten black and blue.”
Blue-green – this shade of blue has a deeper touch of cyan undertones and lies at the border, separating blue and green in the color wheel.
Celestial blue – this medium shade of blue is defined by its pale iron-blue hue and has dark indigo-blue undertones.
Cerulean – cerulean blue is notable for its bright and opaque shade and its high greenish-blue undertone.
Florentine blue – this shade of blue has a rather relaxing vibe to it. It is described as having a twilight blue with purple undertones.
Frost blue – as the name suggests, frost blue has an icy appeal to it with its pale, neutral blue with a slight indigo undertone.
Hydrangea – named after the lovely flower, hydrangea is a shade of blue that features a balanced blend of pink and blue.
Slate blue – this is a lighter shade of periwinkle blue that combines a muted pastel blue with soft gray undertones.
Turquoise – this exquisite shade of blue blends together pale blue, green, and a touch of yellow hue.
Verdigris – a rather complicated shade of blue that looks like a chaotic mixture of blue and copper green.
Dark blue
As the name implies, dark blue is a shade that has a shadier tint and is achieved by combining blue with black. Dark blue exudes a sense of authority and dependability, probably why the military, law firms, and finance companies often use it for their motif and logo.
Capri blue – this shade is best described as the more profound and darker version of sky blue and is found in between cyan and azure in the color wheel.
Cobalt – this dark shade of blue has a deeper tint, and you can distinguish a touch of greenish-blue undertone.
Delft blue – this is a shade of blue that resides close to the violet spectrum in the color wheel. It is a combination of blue and magenta hue.
Marine blue – somewhat similar to aqua blue but darker. Marine blue captures the shade of blue from the deeper parts of the ocean that light can barely penetrate.
Midnight blue – this shade of blue is distinguished by its low brightness and high saturation. It is slightly closer to black but has a richer hue.
Navy blue – this is another dark shade of blue that is quite close to black. It comprises several colors, such as cyan, magenta, and black.Prussian blue – this shade of blue features a mix of neutral, deep, indigo blue with a pinch of cobalt undertone.