Neiman Marcus has declared Navy Blue the “new neutral” for the fall 2012 season. Here at Bay Area Fashionista, we could not agree more. Shades of blue, from vivid medium blue through to navy, were spotted on the runways in Milan, Paris, London and New York; and store buyers seem to have stocked their shelves with the hue for the fall season.

Blue and navy blue are considered pleasant colors and tend to look fabulous on every skin tone, and with every hair color imaginable. Blue and navy are also easy shades to match with other colors and neutral tones. Navy blue and blue are being shown on everything imaginable including shoes, handbags, clothing and jewelry. In fact, lapis jewelry has become immensely popular and is an easy way to invest in something classic which also fits perfectly into the dark blue trend for fall 2012.

The one thing to consider when shopping for blue or navy, or pulling out an accessory or garment from a previous season, is the shade of navy or blue. Try to stay away from extremely dark navy blues which are difficult to tell apart from black. The lighter shade of navy is what is hot for fall 2012. Also, make sure your garment or accessory is not obviously from the spring season. Stay away from anything with ropes or with a nautical feel for fall.

We found a few fabulous blue and navy items from around the web and assembled them into the Polyvore set below. Hope you love it! Happy shopping and stay fabulous