Suri Alpaca Cardigan
French Blue
#7C8FD6
Warm periwinkle
A True Spring color
Warm periwinkle
anchor color 9 of 10 in True Spring. Also called Warm Spring in other systems.
By Kathleen Olsen · Updated November 11, 2026
- Hex
- #7C8FD6
- RGB
- 124, 143, 214
- HSL
- 227°, 52%, 66%
Warm periwinkle is the True Spring violet-blue: a periwinkle with a touch more red than the Summer versions, clear rather than dusty. It is the softest color in a palette that otherwise runs bright, and the one a True Spring reaches for when coral and turquoise feel like too much.
Where it sits
Warm periwinkle is an anchor color in True Spring. The nearest color on the same side of the warm–cool line is Light warm periwinkle #A5B4E8, a Light Spring color, at a distance of 18: close enough to mistake for it on a hanger, far enough to tell apart on a person.
At RGB 124, 143, 214 the blue leads, the green sits behind it, and the red is close to the green. The red being that close to the green is what gives it the violet cast and what keeps it warm enough for a Spring. The blue leading clearly is what keeps it a blue rather than a lilac. Pull the red down and add grey and it becomes the dusty cornflower that belongs to Light Summer; push the blue up and the red down and it becomes a cool periwinkle that belongs to True Summer.
A True Spring wears it as the quiet color: a shirt, a knit, a scarf, a dress for the days when the brights feel loud. It pairs with cream and camel as the frame, with warm navy for a tonal outfit, and with coral for the pairing that looks like a garden. It sits well next to light warm pink and next to golden yellow, which is its complement.
Retailers call it periwinkle, cornflower, lavender blue, hyacinth, iris or bluebell, and the names are unreliable: most of what sells under them is the dusty Summer version. Hold the garment against a white. Warm periwinkle looks clear and faintly violet. A cornflower looks grey beside it and belongs to a Summer. A lilac looks pink and belongs elsewhere.
Easily confused with
Light Summer's dusty cornflower is ten points away and greyer, the closest neighbor and the one most often bought by mistake; on a True Spring it reads flat, and on a Light Summer warm periwinkle reads a shade bright. True Summer's bluebell and Light Summer's periwinkle are both thirteen points off and cooler. True Summer's periwinkle is eighteen points off. Light Spring's light warm periwinkle is eighteen points off and paler, the same color a step lighter.
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 10
Bluebell #7A93C4
True Summer anchor · ΔE 13
Periwinkle #96A6DC
Light Summer anchor · ΔE 13
Periwinkle #8E9BC4
True Summer and Soft Summer anchor · ΔE 18
Light warm periwinkle #A5B4E8
Light Spring anchor · ΔE 18
Lavender #B7A7D0
Light Summer anchor · ΔE 23
In stock in this color today
As of November 11, 2026, 3 in-stock pieces across STAUD and Marine Layer sample within a close match of #7C8FD6. 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 #7C8FD6 today, so they are the words to search for.
- STAUD
- Coast
- Marine Layer
- French 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 warm periwinkle a True Spring color?
Yes. Warm periwinkle (#7C8FD6) is an anchor color in the True Spring palette. No other palette on the same side of the warm–cool line has a color near it, which makes it a reliable test for the season.
Can a Light Spring wear warm periwinkle?
Yes. Light Spring's light warm periwinkle is eighteen points paler, and both are warm and clear. Warm periwinkle reads a touch deeper on a Light Spring than the season's own version, but with cream or light camel it holds. It is one of the colors the two seasons can buy interchangeably.
Is warm periwinkle the same as cornflower?
Close, which is the problem. Light Summer's dusty cornflower is ten points away and greyer, and retail uses the two names for the same garments. On a True Spring the dusty version reads flat; on a Light Summer the clear version reads bright. The test is a white sheet of paper: warm periwinkle looks clear against it, cornflower looks dusty.
What colors go with warm periwinkle?
For a True Spring: cream, camel, warm navy, coral, golden yellow, light warm pink and clear warm blue. Periwinkle with coral is the pairing to try first. Avoid black, which makes it look cold, and cool grey, which makes it look dull.
Is warm periwinkle warm or cool?
Warm, just. The red is close to the green, which gives it a violet cast and enough warmth for a Spring. The Summer periwinkles push the blue ahead and add grey. Hold it against a white in daylight: a clear violet cast is the Spring version, a grey cast is a Summer's.
The True Spring guide · All in-stock True Spring pieces · ← Bright warm green · Clear warm blue → · All colors