17 Ways to Wear Classic Blue, Pantone’s Color of the Year

It’s official: We’re all about to be incredibly blue. Emotionally, yes, there’s plenty to be down about in the world, but visually, practically, and actually we are looking to be colored like the sea or the sky come 2020—at least if Pantone has anything to say about it. The high court of color has declared its Color of the Year for 2020 to be Classic Blue. The shade is what most people would call cobalt or royal blue, the inoffensive, omnipresent hue that colors everything from NASA’s space suits to Pop Tart wrappers. In an interview with the New York Times, Pantone’s vice president of its Color Institute spoke about the color being a release, a refresh from the strife of our modern era. “We weren’t looking at this as a political message,” she said, and yet this exact share of unfiltered blue is also the color of America’s Democrats, of England’s Conservatives, and of the European Union flag.

In fashion, cobalt is not exactly a hot color commodity. Over the past year, sumptuous neutrals with a coy bourgeois sensibility have reigned supreme thanks to Hedi Slimane at Celine, Riccardo Tisci at Burberry, and Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen at The Row. When a bright blue does pop up—it’s usually in the hands of a savvy designer with a strong point to make. At Balenciaga, Demna Gvasalia used it to reinforce a political message of unity, coloring both his show space and one of his most gigantic dresses in the shade. Haider Ackermann used the color in techy suiting, Eckhaus Latta used it for a first foray into sequins, and Gucci colored a maxi-dress with a navel-baring neckline in the hue.

Earlier this year, color therapist Constance Hart told Vogue that this shade of blue also poses psychic possibilities. “If you have enough exposure to this color over time, you can begin to notice that you’re going to be tapping into some of the higher realms of the mind,” she said. With more exposure to this color, you really can tap into the more intuitive mind….Every human mind does have psychic ability and most people are not tapping into that part of the mind at all, but it’s always there and it’s always available.” If your psychic mind has not yet quite figured out how to shop or style a royal blue ensemble for 2020, let the runways be your guide. The best 17 options from the Spring 2020 season are here.