Trust me: you'll want to wear this icy hue long after summer is over

Move over butter yellow

baby blue trend
(Image credit: Getty Images/L-R:Ahluwalia,Akris,Alberta Ferretti)

Call it the antidote to the red trend, but there's been a resurgence of all things pastel of late. Whether you're into lavender, butter yellow or mint green, these softly colourful trends run the gamut of sorbet flavours.

But none have captured our attention quite like baby blue, on and off the catwalk.

During fashion month, designers such as Alberta Ferretti, Arkis and Ahluwalia backed the icy hue for everything from tasseled dresses to silk separates and easy-breezy cotton tailoring.

As the Spring/Summer 2024 collections proved, it's a flattering shade that works, whether you are wearing it head to toe, mixing it in with other neutrals such as white or beige, or with a pop of primary colour such as red.

On social media, baby blue has taken the world by storm too. It's perfect on floaty summer dresses, as seen on Renia Jaz, teamed with silver shoes for that extra vibrant touch.

Those not wanting to go tonal can take inspiration from Mariko Nakafuji, who ticked two trend boxes by pairing a blue blazer with a yellow floral dresses.

baby blue trend

(Image credit: Instagram/Renia Jaz)

baby blue trend

(Image credit: Instagram/Mariko Nakafuji)

Perhaps another way to explain the hue's success is its meaning. The icy blue colours is often associate with calmness and serenity, and we all need a little bit of that in our hectic lives. Dress the way you want to feel, etc.

As for me, I'll be teaming a baby blue shirt with a white maxi skirt, and carrying the trend over into Autumn by mixing it with darker shades such as navy.

Shop my favourite baby blue pieces below.

Shop the baby blue trend

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.