cobalt blue.

Be it celebrity style, recurring details on the runway or simply what you see on the street, the thing about trends that really irks me is the fact that it can sometimes put a huge limit on the colors deemed "stylish" in your wardrobe. While I understand fluorescents are hardly the hues of choice for winter and black funeral shrouds are never really "in" for summer, I don't think trends of any sort should have the right to dominate your decisions when it comes to color. One of my favorite things about putting together a colorful outfit is having the freedom to play with contrast and mood, regardless of the weather or season. There's nothing more refreshing than donning a color-blocked scarf in the dead of winter; color is an excellent way to liven up any outfit, be it workwear, formal-wear or lazy-Sunday-wear and my current favorite is cobalt blue. 

In my opinion, this electric hue is best suited to bold, geometric pieces such as statement cut-out heels and patent crossbody bags.There's nothing more chic than cobalt blue apparels slashed with neat, geometric doses of its equally powerful color-counterparts, namely tangerine/vermillion. Adding a punchy color to a head-turning accessory: that's real power-dressing for you! To lessen the "impact" of the color on its own is an equally gorgeous way to wear cobalt blue: in a print! The sharp blazer on the top left shows the color set in a soft pattern, and the iPhone case demonstrates just how effective the modern color is at giving ethnic prints such as ikat a futuristic update. 

Given how perfect of a backdrop cobalt blue provides for metallic accents and details, another effective way to wear the color is with a classy dose of metal. Simple studded/toe-cap flats fulfil this perfectly, as do geometric pops of color set in a gold chain or silver cuff. It's the harmonious marriage of edgy and trendy, and unlike other brighter colors, it's definitely something that can be pulled off by women of any age. 

What do you think of this great color?