Fashion designers have been favoring shades of blue this spring. As just one example, Aquascutum?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s spring 2009 collection was almost all in blues, from soft and powdery to sophisticated and navy. Purples this season have a lot of blue in them, making some of them more of a periwinkle blue. That?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s good news, because lavender is flattering to many skin tones and hair colors, from platinum blonde to shiny black.

One of the greatest things about blue is that, aside from flattering most people, it works just as well in the most casual pieces as in the most formal.

Spring and summer fashion embraces lots of dreamy blues this year, from denim used in new ways to blue jeweled sandals.

This Lanvin lacquer-heel denim pump is touted by Elle magazine as a clever way to circumvent ?¢‚Ǩ?ìno denim?¢‚Ǩ¬ù rules at work. They may be denim, but they?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢re anything but casual. $785 at Bergdorf Goodman.

While this casual blue ombre dress won?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t fly at most offices, it is perfect for summer picnics and laid back weekend activities. Made of cotton, this wrap dress by Converse One Star is available at Target for $33.

I guess most of us don?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t really need a blue formal silk chiffon gown for our social plans this summer, but hey, a girl can dream, can?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t she? This silk chiffon gown embroidered with agate is $3250 at Gucci stores.

Is there anything more glamorous than jeweled sandals to show off perfectly pedicured feet? It would be hard to find a pair of sandals more gorgeous than these Valentino leather sandals detailed with jewels (sigh ?¢‚Ǩ¬¶) These are $675 and along with similar styles can be found at Jeffrey, NYC.