Colors that go with Blue for clothes
Blue · #3E6FA3
Blue (#3E6FA3) — a classic mid-blue — pairs best with muted red, ochre & gold, dusty rose, and terracotta & clay. To wear with it, reach for muted red, drawn from 8 historically-grounded combinations below.
Worn together, the pairing has to flatter skin and hold up in mixed light — confident partners read as intentional, not accidental.
About blue
Blue is a classic mid-blue — a gently muted, cool colour that reads as deep and grounding. As a cool tone it looks most resolved next to warm and neutral partners that add the warmth it lacks, and it needs both lighter and deeper shades nearby for the value contrast the eye reads as finished. That balance is what makes it feel refined in clothes.
- HEX
- #3E6FA3
- RGB
- 62, 111, 163
- HSL
- 211°, 45%, 44%
- CMYK
- 62, 32, 0, 36
Accessibility: put light text on blue for AA legibility (contrast 5:1 against off-white).
Why blue pairs with muted red, ochre & gold, dusty rose, and terracotta & clay
Across the 8 historical combinations below, blue sits most often beside muted red, ochre & gold, dusty rose, and terracotta & clay. That tracks with colour theory: a cool, deep tone like this one wants warm and neutral partners that add the warmth it lacks so the scheme feels intentional rather than flat, and both lighter and deeper partners supply the light-to-dark range the eye needs. Worn together, the pairing has to flatter skin and hold up in mixed light — confident partners read as intentional, not accidental.
- muted red
- ochre & gold
- dusty rose
- terracotta & clay
Using blue in clothes
To wear with it, reach for muted red and ochre & gold. Because blue is deep and grounding, keep it to anchor pieces or a single feature area and let muted red carry the larger surfaces.
8 combinations with blue, from the 1933 Dictionary
Peach Red & Dark Citrine +2
Plate 274 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Peach Red, Dark Citrine, Olympic Blue, Light Mauve.
#5a82b3 #f15a30 #8b835b #9a72aa
Pompeian Red & Olympic Blue +2
Plate 324 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pompeian Red, Olympic Blue, Aconite Violet, Neutral Gray.
#5a82b3 #ab2439 #a36aa5 #b6bfc1
Indigo Blue & Silver
Mid-grade indigo with the quiet sheen of silver — an understated Edo merchant robe.
#3C6E8F #BCBCBE #F8F4E9
Red Orange & Pale Lemon Yellow +2
Plate 241 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Red Orange, Pale Lemon Yellow, Isabella Color, Dark Medici Blue.
#547076 #dd4027 #ffefae #c5a56e
Hay's Russet & Ecru +2
Plate 249 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Hay's Russet, Ecru, Olive Ocher, Dark Medici Blue.
#547076 #793327 #c2ae93 #d6b43e
Spectrum Red & Brick Red +2
Plate 322 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spectrum Red, Brick Red, Eupatorium Purple, Blue Violet.
#6450a1 #e31f26 #a84222 #bf5892
Hay's Russet & Nile Blue +2
Plate 345 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Hay's Russet, Nile Blue, Venice Green, Blue Violet.
#6450a1 #793327 #bce4e5 #62c6bf
Pansy Purple & Olive Ocher +1
Plate 157 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pansy Purple, Olive Ocher, Olympic Blue.
#5a82b3 #7d133a #d6b43e
Blue in other settings
Other colors
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