Rosemary
Blue
#7A93C4
Bluebell
A True Summer color
Bluebell
anchor color 8 of 10 in True Summer. Also called Cool Summer in other systems.
By Kathleen Olsen · Updated November 11, 2026
- Hex
- #7A93C4
- RGB
- 122, 147, 196
- HSL
- 220°, 39%, 62%
Bluebell is a soft, medium blue with a little violet in it. It is a True Summer color, cool and gentle, and it sits three points from Light Summer's dusty cornflower, which means those two names describe one color. It is the blue this season wears instead of cobalt or navy.
Where it sits
Bluebell is an anchor color in True Summer. Its closest relative outside the palette is Dusty cornflower #7E93C8, a Light Summer color, at a perceptual distance of 3. That is near enough for that season to wear it as a neutral, with the accents kept in its own palette.
Blue is the easiest color to find in a shop and the hardest to find in the right version. Most blue sold as a basic is either navy, which is too dark for True Summer, or a bright cobalt, which is too clear. Bluebell is between them: medium in depth, soft in saturation, with the violet lean that keeps it from reading as sky blue.
On a True Summer it is close to a signature. It flatters the cool, slightly rosy skin this season tends to have, and it brings out blue and grey eyes without the harshness of a brighter blue. It pairs with the rest of the palette easily because everything in True Summer is cool and soft to the same degree. Cool rose beside it looks intended. Grey beside it looks expensive.
Three points from Light Summer's dusty cornflower is as close as two named colors get. A shopper cannot see three points. The difference between the two seasons is not in this color but in what sits beside it: Light Summer wears it with paler, lighter colors, True Summer with slightly deeper ones.
Easily confused with
Dusty cornflower in Light Summer is the same color under another name, at three points. Periwinkle, in Light Summer and in True and Soft Summer, is nine points off and a touch more violet. The warm periwinkles in the Spring palettes are thirteen points away and have a brightness this color does not; they look clearer and a little louder on a Summer.
The nearest named colors in other seasons, by perceptual distance (ΔE in CIELAB; under 10 is hard to tell apart on a screen, over 25 is a different color).
Dusty cornflower #7E93C8
Light Summer anchor · ΔE 3
Periwinkle #8E9BC4
Soft Summer anchor · ΔE 7
Periwinkle #96A6DC
Light Summer anchor · ΔE 9
Warm periwinkle #7C8FD6
True Spring anchor · ΔE 13
Light warm periwinkle #A5B4E8
Light Spring anchor · ΔE 13
Cool sky blue #7FB6DC
Light Summer anchor · ΔE 16
In stock in this color today
As of November 11, 2026, 9 in-stock pieces across Marine Layer and Frank & Eileen sample within a close match of #7A93C4. The dot on each card is the color we sampled from the garment itself; trust it over the photograph. Links are affiliate links: we earn a commission when you buy through them, at no cost to you.
What it's sold as
Retailers almost never use the palette name. These are the color names on the in-stock pieces that sample within a close match of #7A93C4 today, so they are the words to search for.
- Marine Layer
- Sky, Faded Blue & Gold, Faded Blue, Dutch Blue, Bluebell, Coastal Blue
- Frank & Eileen
- Blue
A retailer's name for a color says nothing about its undertone. "Navy" at one shop is a True Winter color and at another a Spring one. The sampled dot on each card above is what we trust.
Questions
Is bluebell a True Summer color?
Yes. Bluebell (#7A93C4) is an anchor color in the True Summer palette, and close enough to a Light Summer or Soft Summer color for those seasons to wear it as a neutral.
What color is bluebell?
A medium blue with a slight violet lean, softer than cobalt and lighter than navy. #7A93C4 is RGB 122, 147, 196: blue dominant, with enough red to tilt it toward periwinkle.
Is bluebell the same as cornflower blue?
In this system, nearly. Light Summer's dusty cornflower is three points away, which is below the threshold a person can see on a screen. True Summer calls it bluebell, Light Summer calls it dusty cornflower, and the garment is the same.
Can a Light Summer wear bluebell?
Yes, without reservation. It is three points from one of Light Summer's own anchors. The only difference is what a Light Summer pairs it with, which is lighter and paler than what a True Summer would choose.
Can a True Spring wear bluebell?
Not well. True Spring's warm periwinkle is thirteen points away and has a brightness and warmth this color lacks. On a Spring, bluebell looks a little dull. The Spring version looks a little loud on a Summer.
The True Summer guide · All in-stock True Summer pieces · ← Cool mint · Muted plum → · All colors