What Does the Color Blue Mean in Clothing?

Contents:

• 1. Blue in Clothing Psychology
• 2. The Meaning of Blue in Other Cultures
• 3. Meaning of the Color Blue - In Short

Last updated: Jan. 2022

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Listening to Blues isn’t that bad, and neither is wearing a blue piece in your outfit. Today, we’re looking at what the color blue means in clothing, and its psychological effects on people. And no, it’s not some kind of hoodoo thing. Or is it?

Whether it is or not, your goal for today is to gain knowledge on the meaning of the color blue in clothing. As you learn, your next step is developing an understanding of how you can apply it in your own style.

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Blue in Clothing Psychology

What Does the Color Blue Mean in Clothing?

The color blue can mean tranquility or seriousness and a bunch of other things in between. On the one hand, blue is uplifting - it can literally put a smile on your face. On the other hand, the color blue can represent something traditional and serious. Thus, blue has a wide range of meanings in clothing – especially if shaded or tinted.

The color blue is calming and soothing, but what does it mean in clothing and fashion?

You are probably asking: “Why would one color have so many meanings?” Our answer to you is, yes, it is one color, but a color with many varieties.

For instance, we have the light blues, the dark ones, the toned blues, and the pure blue hue itself.

As you’ll find out more in this article, the different versions of blue will connote mixed feelings and meanings in our minds.

A good thing when it comes to the color blue is you can never go wrong. It’s one of the most comfortable colors to wear, right after the other “neutrals”: black, gray, and white.

And there is no doubt that the color blue is the most popular color for both men and women of all ages. If you ask ten people what their favorite color is, the most frequent answer you’ll get is blue. This is especially the case with adults.

I hope you are excited to learn a thing or two about the meaning of blue in clothing. Super! Let’s get straight into it.

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Effects of Pure blue Hue

The blue hue is the color blue in its fully-blown saturated state. In this state, blue has a lot of intensity, and you could say it’s ‘colorful’ or vivid compared to the other versions.

On the color wheel, the blue hue is positioned in the cold/cool half. Thus, it’s a cold color. To get a better understanding of the concept of cold colors, you can check out the article in the link above.

A nice blue can be calming and reassuring. | Socks: Banana Sky

Some associations of the blue hue include calm, intelligence, sincerity, and confidence.

In nature, we have the sky and ocean, which are both blue. These create a sense of calmness and security.

The color blue is also said to lower blood pressure and encourage intelligence according to this study on the effects of color on college students. In another study, researchers posit blue as a booster for creativity.

If your goal is to have people perceive you as intelligent, calm, sincere, or all three, then having something blue in your outfit is an excellent place to start.

We know we said you could never go wrong with blue, but putting it on in full saturation can be tricky for men.

However, women can easily get away with wearing clothes in saturated blue. In fact, generally, women look a lot better wearing mid to fully saturated colors – but that shouldn’t stop the guys from going full-throttle.

For most men, pieces of clothing in vivid blue work well as accent pieces. These include ties, shoes, scarfs, wristwatches, and socks, of course.

Effects of Light Blue

Light versions of the color blue include baby blue, blue raspberry, pale blue, electric sheep, blue bolt, etc. The list can go on and on, but let’s leave it at ones already mentioned.

So, to get a light version of blue, white is mixed with blue. This results in a lighter variant of blue, which, in general, is referred to as a blue tint.

Being a combination of both blue and white, light versions of blues share a blend of properties of both colors. For instance, the color white is associated with purity, cleanliness, and openness. These properties are, in turn, expressed in lighter blues. Thus, lighter blues create feelings of peace, friendliness, approachability, youth, and loyalty.

Here’s a nice pair of COLORBUX socks that use a light blue hue:

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Banana Sky

CHF 10.95

Wearing a light blue piece in your outfit will make you stand out as easy-going, laidback, calm, and trustworthy. Lighter blues can work as both a canvas - a ripped denim jacket and jeans - or as an accent piece: a beanie.

Effects of the Dark Blues

Now, we come to the dark versions of the color blue. These are technically called shades of blue. And if you have guessed it already, they are made by mixing any amount of black to a blue base, i.e., the blue hue.

On appearance, shades of blue strike the eye as elegant and sophisticated.

Those are just two of the qualities borrowed from black. Other meanings and associations of blue shades are trustworthiness, authority, intelligence, confidence, and power.

Wearing a navy blue suit for a formal occasion would make a memorable impression. It will be a fantastic choice if you want to break from the regular black suit.

In fact, the color might even be a better choice for a suit.

Navy Blue is always a very nice color for a suit. It goes well with many different accent colors (like pink). | Socks: Pine-Able

Most people love dark blues, and there are so many ways you could wear them apart from the usual suit-and-tie outfit. For example, wearing dark blue as a turtle-neck, a trilby, or a jacket are all viable options.

Examples of dark versions of blue are midnight blue, navy blue, and dark blue. Midnight blue is the deepest followed by navy blue. You could easily mistake them for the other. But with enough exposure to them, you would develop the eye to identify one from the other.

Effects of Toned Blues

As the name suggests, toned versions of blue are those that are a mixture of blue and gray.

Since gray is a color between white and black, blue tones, by default, have some qualities of both colors. Obviously, the type of gray will determine the different tones of blue.

Blue tones can also be referred to as unsaturated: they have a muted or dull feel compared to other versions.

There are four different tones of blue in this image. The shirt color is the most saturated of the bunch. | Socks: Spicy Chili

Now, these versions of blue, depending on the context, could mean sophistication for you and detachment for someone else. Less gray gives an elegant feel, while less blue creates an overall passive appearance.

Other feelings associated with these kinds of blues are professionalism and seriousness.

Examples of blue tones are blue-gray, iceberg, cadet gray, cool gray, and shadow blue.

Blue tones can be perfect as canvas pieces while using a more vibrant color as an accent.

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The Meaning of Blue in Other Cultures

Blue is the color most people, societies, and countries favor around the globe. It’s even represented in 53% of all flags in the world.

Fun fact: One of 2021’s most trending colors is French Blue.

So far, the meanings described here pertain more to Western culture. For instance, feeling blue means being in a sad state.

In religion, blue represents love and immortality for the Hindus, and for the Jews, it’s a symbol of divinity and holiness. In the many Middle Eastern regions, blue means protection, repelling evil spirits. For Africans, blue signifies harmony and wisdom.

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Meaning of the Color Blue - In Short

In conclusion, blue is the most comfortable color to work with on the color wheel. You can wear it to show a confident look using navy blue. And for an original appearance, strong Egyptian blue will work amazingly.

Of course, it could connote a negative meaning, such as reserved, sad, or distant. In fact, most colors have such negative meanings attached to them.

The possibilities of using blue pieces in your outfit are endless. As always, explore, experiment, and have fun. There’s no real “wrong” when it comes to blue. And if there is, please tell us!