Style Obsession: Blue & White
Not One of Pantone’s Picks!
Happy day, reader dearest!
Everywhere I look, I’m seeing bubblegum pink. Which I’m feeling meh about this season. Yes, that is amusing since the main accent color in my Summer Capsule Wardrobe is pink in many forms. AND pink is everywhere on the website! If pink IS your jam, then check this post for tips to wear pink with blue but are afraid of looking juvenile… I love pink, I’m just not loving the particular shade that is taking over the racks right now.
If pink isn’t my current color obsession, what is? Blue and White!
Blue and white, especially navy and white, make a comeback every spring. But navy’s not doing it for me. I’ve got nothing against navy and white. They’re classic and nautical when paired. Tres nautique! I had my fill of nautical when I was wearing navy and white every day for work, and to this day I feel foolish in sailor inspired garments. When you’ve worn the real thing, the rest feel silly. The blue I wish I could dive into headfirst is Cornflower from the box of Crayola 64’s.
Cornflower blue and white feel perfect for summer! Together they feel like beach towels and umbrellas. They feel like the ocean. They feel like blue sky and puffy clouds. That openness may just be why I’m obsessed. After a year of being cooped up, blue and white feel like fresh air and a fresh start! I might be able to get into almost any blue (That isn’t too dark.) and white
Cornflower blue and white also throws me back in time to the Corningware that my mom had when I was a girl. This is pre-French White. All Mama’s Corningware had the blue cornflower design on it… There’s even a website dedicated to the cornflower blue. Check out Hamlette!
Here’s some of the blue and white I’ve been wearing so far…
I’m seeing a theme!
How About You?
What color(s) are you crushing on for summer? Are you a fan of navy and white? What color or neutral do you like best paired with white? Did you (or do you still) have Cornflower Blue Corningware? Did you know that blue is the world’s favorite color? The color of a blue sky correlates with positive associations worldwide! What’s your favorite shade of blue? Do tell… I’ve asked the internet to leave extra space for your responses!
Stylishly yours,
3 Tips to Wear Pink and Blue
12 Comments
Sally in St Paul
Your comment about wearing “the real thing” cracked me up; it makes complete sense! I think in another life I was Horatio Hornblower (though in this one I get extremely motion sick, have absolutely no sense of direction, and am 100% too wimpy for that lifestyle), and I love nautical details. My brother-in-law just bought his first sailboat and one of my first 5 thoughts was “time to pull out the Breton stripes”!
Blue and white are a great combination, and I do like wearing it in all its variations in summer, including chambray and white and the classic navy and white. I have a pair of white pants with medium blue pinstripes that is a favorite. I am actually very picky about my blue (not navy) and white prints. I like stripes…and I could see polka dots, probably…but I do not like most other blue and white prints. I didn’t realize this before! I think blue and white prints remind me too strongly of the classic Chinese porcelain, which I’ve never liked at all for reasons I don’t know. (I even donated the Corningware cornflower casserole dish that my grandmother gave me.)
Liz K
Arrgh! I never liked the cornflower dishes back then, but I certainly appreciate that particular shade of blue now! I hope you remember the Dramamine before you go boating with your-brother-in-law… It sounds like you’ll need it. Have you tried ginger? I like the Gin-Gins candies to help with the queasies. I never had any kind of motion-sickness until pregnant with #3. It’s all his fault. I can see steering away from navy for you; it’s awfully dark for your fair coloring. Interesting about your blue and white print choices… I see lots of florals in your wardrobe. No blue white porcelain prints, but how about blue and white florals? Or Wedgewood?
Carol Karl
Pink and purple are my jam but I’m equally attracted to blue. I was filming videos on the weekend and I changed my clothes for each one (whoops secret slip there). I noticed that in almost all of them I chose purple or blue. It’s interesting – it was like a compressed week of outfits.
Liz K
Sssssh! I won’t tell! Great choices for cool undertone skin, Carol! What a great insight: A compressed week of outfits. Looking at a suitcase pack does the same thing!
Lydia
Blue and white is a favorite for summer, but a little tricky for me since I’m not much of a classic dresser. I just love those blue and white French toile “teacup” style patterns that pop up sometimes, but I haven’t found the perfect one yet that wasn’t outrageously expensive. Still searching!
My favorite way to wear the combo is white on the bottom and a blue blouse, to avoid the blue jeans and white shirt look that is cute but can feel boring.
Liz K
Mmmmmm… Toile is just gorgeous! And yes, the price point for gorgeous toiles can be breathtaking. My mother had the most lovely black and ivory toile skirt from Talbot’s years ago. I like blue and white both ways, but you’re right about blue denim and white top can feel boring. I always have to spice it up somehow. Hmm. I’ve done lots of Blue Jean + White Tee posts; it might be time for an IRL example post!
NATALIE K
Liz, Happy Saturday!! I love navy and white but khaki and white feels cooler to me in the summer. I”ve just never been a blue girl. I do love cornflower blue and dark denim!! I sometimes wear a tunic with royal blue stripes that my husband loves. These are supposed to be my blue colors!! My mother hates blue except navy and dark denim. I never gave it a thought but perhaps she influenced me!!!
Liz K
Sounds like she may have… Not just about blue, but about quite of a few of your sartorial preferences! I like the lighter combination of grey and white for myself in the summer, so I totally understand your preference for khaki and white. The blues aren’t always going to be your friends if your coloring is warm, but you have the consolation of all those gorgeous corals.
Vickie
I have an almost 50 yo pie pan with the little blue cornflower.
Liz K
Sigh. There are two casserole dishes of Mama’s that I wish I had. She was only feeding a family of 3. I couldn’t use them when she offered, because we were a family of 5 with 3 (at the time) teenage boys. I needed MUCH larger dishes. Now that they’ve all moved out? I could use them. LOL! What’s your favorite pie to bake, Vickie?
Linda Henderson
I’m a fan of blue and white! I am finding that I wear that combination many days during the spring and summer months. I had a navy/white outfit on the other day and overheard an older couple comment that it was a “classic” combination. Then the gentleman told the lady she wore it better! Too funny. But I digress. I like the crispness of blue and white. I’m currently looking for seersucker slacks to add to my closet! The search continues!
Liz K
Seersucker is such a treat in our hot summer months! It manages to look cool and crisp even when we’re wilting. Hmmm. It certainly is a “classic” combination, which may be part of the reason I steer away from it!