Combining Blues: Royal Blue, Cobalt

The easiest way to combine shades of blue is with calm neutrals: royal blue with white and cream, cobalt blue with white and gray, dove blue with beige and pink. The stronger the blue, the quieter the rest of the outfit should be.

Blue is not just blue. A deep royal blue needs different partners than a soft dove blue or a pale ice blue. For the basic rules on blue, the guide What color goes with blue helps.

Shades of blue at a glance: royal blue, cobalt blue, dove blue and ice blue

Shades of blue differ in lightness and saturation. The partner color depends on that.

Royal blue. A strong, deep blue.
Cobalt blue. A clear, vivid blue.
Dove blue. A muted, slightly gray blue. Soft and calm.
Ice blue. A very pale, cool blue, close to white.

Marine, dark blue, light blue and denim blue have their own guides: What color goes with dark blue and What color goes with light blue. For blue with a green tint there are the guides What color goes with petrol and What color goes with turquoise.

Basic rule: one strong blue per outfit, plus one or two calm partners. Strong shades like royal blue and cobalt need white, cream or gray. Soft shades like dove blue also go with beige, pink and brown.

Combining royal blue

Royal blue is easiest to combine with white, cream, beige and gray. White and cream give the deep shade some air, gray keeps it calm. Camel and brown make the look warmer. Black works too, and then a light partner in between helps.

One example: a cardigan or top in royal blue, with white or cream pants and light shoes. The blue is the only color, everything else stays quiet.

With a fine stripe pattern there is the knit cardigan with zip in blue. White, gray and light jeans go with it. You will find more styles in Blue cardigans & knit jackets.

Combining cobalt blue

Cobalt blue is a clear, vivid blue. White, beige, light gray and light denim shades go with it. Brown in cognac or camel also makes a contrast that stays warm.

One example: a cobalt blue top, beige pants and camel sandals. Because cobalt glows, a single piece in this color is enough. Yellow is a strong counterpart, best used only as a small accessory. You will find blue tops in Blue tops.

Combining dove blue

Dove blue is soft and slightly gray. It goes with cream, white, beige, pale pink and light gray. Brown gives it something to hold on to. Because dove blue is quiet, a second shade can be a bit stronger, such as a dark brown or dark blue.

One example: a sweater in dove blue, beige pants and white shoes. The shades are close together and stay calm.

One example of a summer dress in blue is the Summer strap dress with spaghetti straps and a side slit.

Combining ice blue

Ice blue is so pale that it almost works like a neutral. It goes with white, light gray, cream and pale pink. A dark partner such as dark blue gives it something to hold on to.

With the basic top in blue, white or beige make a clear look, brown or camel a stronger contrast.

Combining two shades of blue: tone on tone

Two shades of blue go together when they differ clearly in lightness, such as dove blue with dark blue or ice blue with royal blue. Everything else stays neutral.

Denim blue and a strong blue. Denim blue is muted and leaves room for a strong blue. The denim jacket with palm print in blue is an example of denim blue. You will find blue jeans in Blue jeans.
Patterns with several blues. A check or stripe pattern brings several shades of blue into one piece. The blue check jacket goes with white, gray and denim.