Fashion
Aqua Blue Is The Pop-Girl Color Of The Summer
In a sea of neons, this hue has floated to the top.
As the summer of color rages on, I can’t help but return to a Lorde lyric from “Solar Power”: “Acid green, aquamarine / The girls are dancing in the sand.” The prophetess couldn’t be more on-target for the pop-girl color of the summer, and even though Charli xcx traded sand for mud in her “Wink Wink” music video, she agrees: Aqua blue is the 2026 hue of choice.
It’s telling that even though Charli is leaning full-force into being a rockstar with a black-and-white album cover, heavy graphite eyes, and a wardrobe of tattered white T-shirts and black pencil skirts, the pop of color she’s opted for time and time again is, in her own lyrics from “Stay Away,” “electric blue.” She sported a matching leather jacket and pant from Chrome Hearts in “Wink Wink,” and over the weekend at Outside Lands in San Fransisco, she also opted for a neon blue set from the brand for an afterparty.
The other favorites from our On Repeat Spotify playlists also concur. When Madonna linked up with Charli in Paris for another afterparty, she chose a highlighter-aqua Coperni minidress. Zara Larsson has also singlehandedly made rainbow an official color this year, and at Lollapalooza Berlin she wore a coordinated bolero-bra-miniskirt-glove set custom-made by Alexander Cole and James Nguyen. Addison Rae also slipped into a latex dress during her festival run earlier in the year. It’s a bold choice from all, but also feels like a neutral at this point when the girls are also equally enchanted by blazing pinks and screaming yellows, whether as pops of color via lingerie or as the statement-making piece.
If you’re hesitant to fully dip your toes into the aquamarine waters, look to Alexa Chung (as we are wont to do) and her turquoise statement ring she styled with a safari-chic look during a hot New York summer day. The striking color pairs so well with other neons, yes, but as Charli and Alexa show us, the ultrabright hue makes even more of a statement when offset by neutrals that let it sing. Whether you choose a turquoise necklace or go full monty, know you’re in agreement with the most stylish pack in the land.
