Colour code - Blue
Here’s the second in our series of posts looking at colours, what they mean, how they connect and what works with your skin/hair colour. This month we’re concentrating on blue. This colour is a staple of most people’s wardrobes in some form or another, for there are many shades and textures of blue.
Why to people frequently wear blue?
Lets’ start with the obvious, how does the colour blue make you feel? The associations that you have with it will be influenced by personal experience, it’s a process called Enclothed Cognition. We think this process isn’t talked about anywhere near as much as it should be, because it is a powerful thing – if you don’t already know, or recognise it, here’s a guide to what it is and how it helps you.
A natural connection
Blue is all around us in the natural world, it’s no surprise that earth is called the blue planet. Given the propensity of blue in our environment, it’s also not going to surprise you to hear that many people like blue, and not just for clothing. Our connection with blue extends into many aspects of life.
Stereotypes and assumed knowledge of blue clothing
Blue is often associated with being calm, tranquil and serene. There are some really good reasons for this. You only have to look up at the sky to see an array of pale blues peppered with white. The clouds and skylines have always fascinated people, these light blue tones are almost hard wired into our psyche. The connection to warmth and calmness comes from experience – summer days and holidays, so it’s no surprise that these blues feature so prominently within the travel industry, where rich cyans are evocative of beautiful beaches and tranquil waters.
Then there’s the other side of blue, the side that can appear cold and distant. This connects into the colder climates of the world where icy blue hues reflect the sky within snow and ice. Depending on your personal experience, and points of view, this can be less appealing to some, and very appealing to others. Cold blues are completely different from warm.
Blue is a global favourite
There have been many surveys carried out and blue is consistently reported as being the most popular colour. When we look a little deeper, the preference for blue is led by men not women. Again there are some interesting psychological elements at play here – in my opinion a man’s wardrobe is less expressive that a woman’s – but there’s a whole blog it that notion, something we will return to I am sure.
Back on point, let’s look at why blue is a global favourite…
What blue means to you - The psychology
- Calmness and serenity. Blue, as I’ve already mentioned, is often associated with the sky and the sea. These natural phenomena often evoke feelings of peace and tranquility for many people. And for this reason, many people choose blue clothes for this calming effect. One of the most instantly recognised examples of this associated calmness and serenity is Santorini, Greece, with its blue-domed churches and panoramic sea views, it's double, or even triple, whammy.
- Trust and dependability. Blue is frequently used in branding because it conveys reliability and trustworthiness. It's a colour that instils confidence in the people who are associated with it. A good example of this connection is law enforcement officers uniforms, they often wear a dark blue uniform.
- Intelligence and wisdom. Blue is linked with intelligence and deep thought. It is often used in academic and professional settings to represent knowledge and professionalism, places such as universities, libraries and museums.
- Freedom and open spaces. When we look at the size of the sky and sea in relation to ourselves, the sense of infinite space, something so much bigger than ourselves that can evoke feelings of freedom and exploration for people. For this reason, blue is often connected with the ideas of infinite possibilities. A great example of this point and many others within this list is the NASA uniform, clothing which typifies innovation, deep thought and knowledge.
- Cool refreshment. Blue is often thought of as a cool colour, visually it is associated with water, ice and the refreshing sensations they bring to our bodies – this is a visual connection that is used by water companies the world over, it’s also a strong part of many other drink and beverage communications. So it stands to reason that blue clothes can evoke a sense of cooling and relief in hot climates, whether this is connected with the cold climate associations mentioned earlier or the prolific ways it's used with drinks and refreshment I'm not sure, maybe it's both?
- Spirituality and contemplation. In many cultures, blue has spiritual significance. It is often used in religious scripture and is seen as a colour that encourages introspection and contemplation. The Blue Mosque (Instanbul) typifies these spiritual connections.
- Sadness and mental health. The phrase “feeling blue” is common in English, reflecting the association of blue with sadness and depression. This emotional connection is widely recognised. Sometimes these associations can come from artists, for example Picasso, who during his “blue period” appeared to be lonely, sad and forlorn, emotions which cement these blue feeling thought patterns.
- Cleanliness and hygiene. Blue is often used within products, clothing and environments associated with cleanliness, for example cleaning products and healthcare environments, due to its association with water and purity. Hence we see blue surgical gloves and lots of other blue accents within healthcare environments.
Danger, danger!
Blue is a very popular colour, but it is also one of the least appetising colours for food and food related products. Blue rarely occurs naturally within fruit and vegetables. Infact humans have evolved to recognise blue foods as poisonous, often a sign of poison or decay (bacteria) though there are some weird exceptions like blue cheese where we actively want the decaying element within it to improve the flavour – god we are weird creatures!
Healthy blues
If you’ve read the list above, you cannot deny that the colour blue affects a person's physiological functions – how you feel, and how you operate (back to Enclothed Cognition again).
Wearing blue and being surrounded by blue objects/interiors has been proven to reduce a person's heart rate, creating what’s often referred to as a "sleepy effect." Depending upon the tone, surrounding yourself with this colour can also lower your body temperature (think about the cold and ice associations we mentioned earlier).
Blue language
WTF! No seriously, swearing has been referred to as blue language for a long time. Let’s look at where that came from. Oh dear, this feels like I’m opening another can of worms – there is no definitive answer here! Popular opinion leads to the 1890’s and Farmer & Henley, Slang and Its Analogues which provides this brief entry: "To MAKE THE AIR BLUE, phr[ase], (popular). To curse; to swear; to use profane language".
Many people believe it is connected with the battlegrounds, where the smoke from gunpowder literally turned the air blue, I think that we can all imagine what language would have been used during these moments of terror. There’s a good example in A Rose of Glenbogie written by Bret Harte in the mid 1880’s "the air was blue wi' sulphur".
If this is a rabbit hole that you’d like to explore further, there’s a really interesting thread on English Stack Exchange.
Before we leave this section of the blog here’s a few more blue sayings…blue moon, blue Monday, blue blood, the blues and blue ribbon. Whether you see these as positive or negative things is very much going to be framed by your personal experience. Of course social media has had a field day with these stereotypes, using them to create, or create the illusion in some instances, that these things are bigger than they really are.
Other blue related things
The colour blue has many associations, here are a few more that we’ve found interesting to think about.
- Blue meaning ‘in love’ and relationships, here the colour represents fidelity and loyalty, hence the traditional western saying about the bride wearing 'something blue' on her wedding day. It’s also easy to see where the term ‘blue movie’ comes from.
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Blue zones. We’ve already talked about the peace and tranquility blue brings in one's life. As we grow older, blue spaces can provide many therapeutic benefits. This global movement has years and years of research, that shows a direct correlation of these places on earth to peoples longevity.
Back to clothes, remember to work with what comes naturally
The clothes we are drawn to, often compliment our personal skin and hair tones, it’s not something that we do consciously, it’s instinctive, a process we have honed over millennia. Try putting a few colours next to your arm or face, you’ll quickly see what you a drawn to.
Admittedly this can lead to a wardrobe that is a little predictable and samey, so we would always advise seeking out professional advice, a fashion stylist or colour consultant who will challenge your thinking and confirm your choices.
Nothing is set in stone
It’s all up for grabs. It’s completely flexible, there for you to use for your benefit. It is amazing how colours can be used in clothing. As we all age, our colours (skin and hair) will change, it’s a totally natural process that we should embrace. It will certainly impact the choice of colour for our clothing.
Blue shirts
We make shirts in lots of colours, not just blue. We also have designed some repeat pattern shirts that use blues - no surprise really, given it's evergreen popularity. Our ‘made on demand’ service offers 3 standard collar shapes for both men and women.
DressCode Patterns
Here are a couple of the designs that feature blues.