Blue dresses from navy to baby blue, made to your measurements

01

Navy, midnight, royal, powder or baby blue: which blue is which

Blue has more names than almost any other colour, and shops do not use them the same way. On this page a name means the shade a design is actually drawn in, so the dress that arrives is the blue you expected. Navy, royal or midnight blue separates the three dark ones; from the lightest to the darkest, this is what we make:

• Powder blue, baby blue and pale blue: the light end of the family, with a little grey in it so it never looks sugary. The Wisteria dress is drawn in powder blue with lilac and silver embroidery, and the powder blue frock carries pearls over its bodice and skirt. Baby blue and pale blue sit a shade either side of powder blue, so these two designs are the ones to look at for all three names
• Ice blue: the palest, coolest blue of all, almost white with a frosty edge, and one of the shades of the season for winter weddings and evenings. The powder blue designs are the nearest we draw; for a true ice blue, the seamed maxi can be cut in it as a colour outside its six, or the Wisteria made on an ice blue base, matched to a daylight photo you send
• Sky blue and dusty blue: a brighter, clearer blue and a greyed, muted one. Neither is drawn yet; the note below explains how to order them
• Royal blue: bright, deep and saturated, the blue that shows up in every photo. The Royal Blue Yoke Dress is drawn in it with silver and white embroidery, and so is the frock with silver embroidery spreading down its front
• Cobalt and sapphire: near neighbours of royal blue, cobalt a touch brighter and sapphire a touch deeper, both ordered in the same way as sky and dusty blue
• Navy: the darkest blue most people wear, close to black in a dim room and clearly blue in daylight. Five designs come in it: the Tiered Maxi, the seamed maxi and the shirt dress as one of their colours, the personalised shirt dress as drawn, and the navy frock scattered with small silver stars and flowers
• Midnight navy: a step darker again, the shade of the frock with the sparkling bodice, drawn for evenings

02

Long navy dresses, navy maxi dresses and the midi lengths

Long navy dresses are what most people come to a page like this for, and four designs answer them at full length. The Tiered Maxi in Navy falls from a gathered yoke into three tiers of chiffon that reach the floor, with balloon sleeves gathered at the wrist. The seamed maxi in Navy is its opposite: fitted through the bust and waist by curved seams and flaring gently from the hips to the ankle, with nothing on it but the cut. The personalised shirt dress is navy as drawn and straight to the ankle, with your name on the chest and a verse of your choosing across the back. The navy frock with silver stars has a long, easy skirt and short sleeves, and like every frock it can be cut anywhere from the knee to the floor.

For a navy midi dress, the shirt dress in Navy stops at the calf, with a pointed collar, buttons from the neck to the hem, roll-up sleeves held by a tab and a slit at each side; it also comes in a knee-length version. The midnight navy frock flares to mid-calf from a sweetheart bodice covered in sparkle, and the Wisteria in powder blue ends at mid-calf too. Knee and midi lengths in inches helps you put a number on the hem for your height, and midi dresses and maxi dresses show more of each length in other colours.

03

Blue for wedding guests, bridesmaids, graduations and evenings

Blue is the colour guests reach for when they want to look dressed without any risk of clashing with the couple, and it photographs well in every season. For a blue wedding guest dress in daytime, the Wisteria in powder blue and the powder blue frock are the light choices, and the Royal Blue Yoke Dress, with long sleeves and a skirt to the floor, suits a reception or a nikah. For an evening wedding or a winter one, navy and midnight navy take over: the midnight frock with its sparkling bodice, the navy frock with silver stars, or the seamed maxi in Navy with a shawl. Wedding guest dresses has shapes in other colours, and winter wedding guest outfits covers the cold months.

Bridesmaid searches come in three blues above all: navy, dusty blue and pale blue. Navy is the easy one. The Tiered Maxi, the seamed maxi and the navy frock can each be made for a row of bridesmaids, every dress cut to its wearer’s own measurements, and we quote several together. Pale blue is covered by the Wisteria and the powder blue frock. Dusty blue is not drawn, but the seamed maxi can be made in it as a colour outside its six, and the Wisteria on a dusty blue base. Bridesmaid dresses goes through sizes, timings and photos for a group.

04

What to wear with a blue dress, and getting the shade right

Navy goes with more than black does. Tan, camel and cognac shoes warm it up, white or cream sharpens it, and silver, pearls and gold all sit well against it, so wear the jewellery you already own. A red lip and a red bag turn a navy dress into something for the evening in a minute. Royal blue likes metallics and neutrals: gold or silver shoes, a nude heel, a cream or black coat over the top and very little else competing with it. Powder blue is prettiest with white, silver, pale grey and blush, and looks grown-up with camel or tan rather than with more pastels. What colours go with navy builds a whole capsule around it, and what colours go with sky blue does the same for the light end.

If you are choosing one dress to wear for years, navy is the colour that goes on working. Which dress colour is the most versatile? makes the case, and a navy plain enough to take different shoes and scarves, like the seamed maxi or the shirt dress, changes character with each one.