Forget a Pop of Red—This Is the Surprising Shade Cool Girls Are Wearing This Spring

As I write this, my copy of Lauren Elkin's Scaffolding sits face down to my left, exposing its cobalt blue back cover against my chocolate brown desk. It’s a fitting symbol—and lede, for that matter—for the way that this exact hue has saturated the zeitgeist to become somewhat of an overnight sensation.

Whilst the electrifying colour has always held a place in the sartorial landscape, from Phoebe Philo’s fixation with Yves Klein Blue during her tenure at Celine to the richly pigmented Dieu Bleu shade of Yeux Paint liquid eyeshadow from French beauty maven Violette, concurrent sightings of the tone on the runway and red carpet have seemingly thrust cobalt blue into the spotlight. Indeed, it appears that fashion has a new favourite colour to play with, and it’s bound to pique interest.

For the uninitiated, cobalt blue is a deep and vibrant tone that sits somewhere between the darker ultramarine and a lighter capri blue. It has been a prominent feature in culturally relevant works for centuries—some say since antiquity—like Chinese porcelain forged in the Ming Dynasty, to the works of 19th-century French Impressionists like Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet.

Yet, for spring 2026, the cobalt blue is taking on new meaning, with the shade signalling a shift away from winter blues—both literally and figuratively—and ushering in a wave of fresh energy. Because what could be more synonymous with the languid days ahead than a colour dotted across parasols on the Côte d'Azur or nestled into the cacti in Marrakesh’s famed Majorelle Garden?

So, how did cobalt blue come to usurp the pop of red trend and butter yellow as the latest primary colour to covet? Blame it on having the best publicity or an increase in visibility, but you only need to look to the spring/summer 2026 season to see why, with cobalt blue commanding new season collections.

Even back in September during Paris Fashion Week, there were signs of cobalt blue’s supremacy. At Celine, Michael Ryder brought a touch of California cool to the Parisian maison with tie-dye long-sleeves, colour-blocked rugby shirts and—as a standout—a pair of cobalt blue derbies. At Loewe, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez presented their debut collection with rubbery coats, neoprene dresses and slouchy separates that evoked the balmy essence of Ibiza’s coastline.

Just this weekend during London Fashion Week, Toga delivered a collection of moulded tailoring, with upturned skirts and scrunched up knitwear rendered in the piquant tincture.

The moment felt like a precursor to the vivid custom Chanel gown worn by Jessie Buckley to the 79th British Academy Film Awards, which was a crushed blue velvet inspired by Matthieu Blazy’s landmark Métiers d'art 2026 collection and paid homage to the late director David Lynch. With the two sightings of the shade occurring less than 24 hours apart, it’s proof that cobalt blue is only just getting started.

But the eagle-eyed amongst us, you’d know that cobalt blue is already everywhere, if you have the attention to detail to look out for it.

From the packaging of everyone’s favourite summer shoe brand, Ancient Greek Sandals, to the palette of 2000s-inspired surfwear brands like Rashi World and even Chanel Beauty’s new indigo denim Le Vernis nail polish shade, the reign of cobalt blue is already upon us.

Ahead, uncover the best cobalt blue pieces to shop and provide your spring wardrobe with a much-needed boost.

Shop the Cobalt Blue Colour Trend: