Blue and Black Dress Shades: 50 Blues With Hex Codes and Black Pairings
By Mariah Johnson · Updated
The blue in a blue and black dress is rarely the blue on your screen. Retailers use the same six or seven names for dozens of distinct shades, and the same dress can read navy blue in daylight and near black under a flash. This guide lists all 50 blues used in formalwear, grouped by family, with hex codes, undertones, the black that pairs with each, and how each behaves under camera flash.
Whether you search for a black and blue dress or a blue and black dress, the listing photo rarely matches what arrives. Work through the family that matches what you’re shopping for, then check the pairing column before you order.
At a glance
- Prom and cocktail shopping: start with Royal & Classic Blues or Cobalt Blue & Electric Blues, both hold saturation under flash
- Wedding guest and mother of the bride: start with Navy Blue & Midnight Blues or Jewel & Deep Blues
- Bridesmaid and daytime events: start with Powder & Pastel Blues
- Not sure which family a listing belongs to: match its hex code against the table below before you buy
Jump to a section
Royal & Classic Blues
| # | Shade | Hex | Undertone | Pairs with | Under flash | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Blue | #4169E1 | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Prom, Cocktail |
| 2 | Imperial Blue | #002395 | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Prom, Wedding guest |
| 3 | Cornflower Blue | #6495ED | warm | Charcoal | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Wedding guest, Cocktail |
| 4 | Denim Blue | #1560BD | warm | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Cocktail |
| 5 | Egyptian Blue | #1034A6 | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Prom |
| 6 | Persian Blue | #1C39BB | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Prom, Cocktail |
| 7 | Klein Blue | #002FA7 | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Cocktail |
| 8 | French Blue | #0072BB | cool | Charcoal | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Wedding guest |
Shop this shade
Royal blue holds its saturation best of the eight blues in this family. It's the shade to search first for unmistakable blue under stage lighting.
Cobalt & Electric Blues
| # | Shade | Hex | Undertone | Pairs with | Under flash | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Cobalt Blue | #0047AB | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Prom, Cocktail |
| 18 | Electric Blue | #0892D0 | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Prom |
| 19 | Azure Blue | #007FFF | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Prom |
| 20 | Cerulean Blue | #007BA7 | cool | Charcoal | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Cocktail |
| 21 | Brandeis Blue | #0070FF | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Prom |
| 22 | Bright Blue | #0096FF | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Prom |
| 23 | Neon Blue | #1B03A3 | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Prom |
Shop this shade
Cobalt Blue reads slightly greener and darker than royal blue in person, and stays saturated under warm indoor lighting where cheaper electric blues grey out.
Teal & Blue-Greens
| # | Shade | Hex | Undertone | Pairs with | Under flash | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Teal Blue | #008080 | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Wedding guest, Cocktail |
| 25 | Peacock Blue | #005F69 | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Wedding guest |
| 26 | Deep Teal Blue | #014D4E | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Mother of the bride |
| 27 | Turquoise Blue | #40E0D0 | cool | Charcoal | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Cocktail |
| 28 | Petrol Blue | #1B4D5C | warm | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Wedding guest |
| 29 | Lagoon Blue | #4C9EA0 | cool | Charcoal | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Bridesmaid |
| 30 | Pine Teal Blue | #00695C | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Wedding guest |
Shop this shade
Teal Blue shifts toward green in poor product photography more than any other family here. Check in-hand photos, not just the listing thumbnail.
Powder & Pastel Blues
| # | Shade | Hex | Undertone | Pairs with | Under flash | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Powder Blue | #B0E0E6 | cool | Black lace | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Bridesmaid, Wedding guest |
| 32 | Baby Blue | #89CFF0 | cool | Black lace | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Bridesmaid |
| 33 | Periwinkle Blue | #CCCCFF | cool | Black lace | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Bridesmaid, Wedding guest |
| 34 | Sky Blue | #87CEEB | cool | Charcoal | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Wedding guest |
| 35 | Ice Blue | #D6ECEF | cool | Black lace | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Bridesmaid |
| 36 | Pale Cornflower Blue | #A2C4E8 | warm | Charcoal | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Bridesmaid |
| 37 | Alice Blue | #F0F8FF | cool | Black lace | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Bridesmaid |
Shop this shade
Powder blue is the pastel most prone to washing out next to black. Look for a lighter lace weight if the black sits as an overlay.
Dusty & Muted Blues
| # | Shade | Hex | Undertone | Pairs with | Under flash | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Dusty Blue | #6E8CA0 | neutral | Charcoal | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Wedding guest, Mother of the bride |
| 39 | Cadet Blue | #5F9EA0 | neutral | Charcoal | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Wedding guest |
| 40 | Steel Blue | #4682B4 | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Mother of the bride |
| 41 | Slate Blue | #6A7B8C | neutral | Charcoal | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Mother of the bride |
| 42 | Chambray Blue | #7B93A8 | neutral | Charcoal | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Wedding guest |
| 43 | Smoke Blue | #8CA3B8 | neutral | Charcoal | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Mother of the bride |
| 44 | Fog Blue | #9AAFC0 | cool | Black lace | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Bridesmaid |
Shop this shade
Dusty blue sits closest to true grey-blue of any shade in this guide. Black trim or piping is what keeps it from reading as plain grey.
Jewel & Deep Blues
| # | Shade | Hex | Undertone | Pairs with | Under flash | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | Sapphire Blue | #0F52BA | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Prom, Wedding guest |
| 46 | Lapis Blue | #26619C | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Cocktail |
| 47 | Indigo Blue | #3F51B5 | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Prom |
| 48 | Yale Blue | #00356B | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Mother of the bride |
| 49 | Admiral Blue | #1F3A5F | neutral | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Mother of the bride |
| 50 | Classic Blue | #0F4C81 | cool | True black | Placeholder, needs a real flash-test observation before launch. | Wedding guest, Cocktail |
Shop this shade
Sapphire Blue against true black is the highest-contrast pairing in the jewel family, and the most reliable for stage or flash photography.
Shop the Standout Shades
Three individually notable shades from the table above, worth a direct search rather than settling for whatever a family search surfaces first.
Three shades worth a direct search
The most saturated shade in the royal family, closer to violet than any other blue here.
The teal blue family shade most likely to photograph greener than it looks in hand.
The pastel most bridesmaid parties choose to pair with black lace.
FAQ
What is the most popular blue for a blue and black dress?
Royal blue (row 1) and navy blue (row 9) account for the largest share of black and blue dress listings in formalwear. Royal blue reads as the more overtly festive choice. It holds saturation under stage and phone flash lighting, which is why it dominates prom listings. Navy Blue is the safer, more conservative pick and is the default for mother of the bride and wedding guest dresses because it behaves like a dark neutral rather than a statement colour. If you want the dress to photograph as unmistakably blue rather than reading as black from across a room, royal blue is the more reliable choice of the two.
Why does my dress look black in photos when it's navy blue?
Navy Blue (row 9), midnight blue (row 10), and oxford blue (row 11) all sit close enough to true black in luminance that a camera flash, which compresses shadow detail, can push them the rest of the way. Fabric finish matters as much as the hex value: a matte crepe in navy blue will read darker under flash than a satin in the same shade, because satin’s sheen catches light and reveals the blue undertone. If keeping visible blue in photos matters, a satin or taffeta navy blue will out-perform a matte navy blue at the exact same hex code.
What’s the difference between royal blue and cobalt blue?
Royal blue (row 1, #4169E1) sits slightly toward violet. Cobalt Blue (row 17, #0047AB) sits slightly toward green and reads marginally darker and more saturated in person. Side by side under daylight the difference is obvious, but under warm indoor venue lighting, the condition most wedding and prom photos are actually taken in, the two can be hard to tell apart in a listing photo. If a retailer’s product photo was shot under warm tungsten light, treat the name in the title as more reliable than the colour you see on screen.
Which blue works best against warm skin tones?
Warm undertones generally pair better with the shades marked "warm" or "neutral" in the undertone column: denim blue (row 4), space cadet blue (row 12), ink navy blue (row 15), petrol blue (row 28), and most of the dusty blue family (rows 38 to 44), because a blue with some warmth in it doesn’t fight the skin’s own undertone. Cool leaning saturated blues like klein blue (row 7) or neon blue (row 23) can look striking on warm skin too, but they read as a deliberate contrast rather than a flattering match. That is a different effect, not a wrong one.
Do navy blue and black actually go together?
Yes. Navy Blue and black is a standard formalwear pairing, not a mismatch, contrary to the old "don’t mix navy blue and black" rule of thumb for accessories. On a single garment the black functions as a placement colour (a bodice, trim, or lace overlay) rather than a competing item, so the visual logic that makes navy blue shoes with a black belt look off doesn’t apply. The real risk with navy blue and black on the same dress is contrast, not clash: see row 9 for how much black area a navy blue dress can carry before it stops reading as navy blue at all.
How do I match a dress shade to a suit or tie?
Match the family, not the exact hex. A royal blue dress (rows 1 to 8) doesn’t need a suit dyed to #4169E1, it needs a suit in the same warm versus cool register. Navy Blue and midnight blue suits (the near universal formalwear default) pair cleanly with almost every shade in this guide because they read as a dark neutral rather than a competing blue. The pairing to avoid is two saturated, differently toned blues in close proximity, such as a cobalt blue dress (row 17) next to a royal blue tie, since that combination reads as a mismatch rather than a coordinated one.
Related guides
Mariah Johnson
Editor, Blue and Black Dress
I maintain the shade index and the placement pattern guides on this site, verifying each hex value against real garment photography as I work through the list, and I keep the pairing tables current.
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