LONDON — The whole world has got the blues right now — and not just turquoise, lapis or cerulean, hues famously noted by Meryl Streep’s character Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada.”
It began at the four-day Platinum Jubilee Celebrations, where Queen Elizabeth II stepped out onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace in a dove blue coat that slowly trickled down to influence the rest of the royal family, including her granddaughter Princess Beatrice, who wore a blue belted Beulah London dress the following day.
For the Garter Day celebrations this week, the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out in a neat Catherine Walker coat dress in the queen’s favorite shade.
The monarch has always turned to the cold tint for landmark events. In 1960, she wore a baby blue Norman Hartnell design that consisted of a ball skirt, bolero jacket with matching gloves and fascinator that was captured by fashion and royal photographer Cecil Beaton on Princess Margaret’s wedding day.
Blue is not just a color — rather a political expression of where one sits within society. The controversial Wallis, Duchess of Windsor married Edward VIII in her own custom shade of blue in 1937 instead of opting for a subtle soft blush.
The French artist Yves Klein loved the color so much, he created his own version and in 1957 began his “blue period.”
Saul Nash’s spring 2023 collection — the young designer is recipient of the Woolmark Prize and Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.
Saul Nash
For Saul Nash, recipient of the Woolmark Prize and Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, is short of feeling blue. His new men’s collection played gleefully with the color via track pants, shorts, vests and polo tops.
In the Saharan desert, the Tuareg people wear indigo-blue turbans and veils as a means of protection from desert sands and superstition to keep away evil spirits. Hoor Al Qasimi, creative director of Qasimi caught the blue fever for her spring 2023 collection — the London-based brand released a short film showcasing the pieces in a deep blue room in collaboration with photographer and director Fabien Montique.
Tiger of Sweden’s creative director Bryan Conway wanted to focus on elegance and the not-so-tasteful, too.
Tiger of Sweden
The gray weather of Britain has had designers craving clear bright skies. Tiger of Sweden’s creative director Bryan Conway took his spring 2023 collection to Mallorca, inspired by his youth of chasing the sun in Spain with his three sisters. He wanted to focus on the elegant as seen in the indigo pieces to the not-so-tasteful pieces we accumulate over a lifetime such as vivid sky blue jeans.
And if you’re singing the blues this month, it’s probably because Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” is readying itself for release, starring Austin Butler. A blue version of the musician’s famous white rhinestone jumpsuit sold for $250,000 in 2017.
Source: WWD