🔗 Share this article

Hi there! I'm incredibly excited to learn what color will define 2026. Tell me everything!

Get ready, because every year for over two decades, Pantone chooses a Color of the Year. This selection seeks to represent the spirit of the times—informing everything from how we feel and fashion choices to how we design our living spaces. 2025's hue was the deep beige "Mocha Mousse," following the soft and warm "a delicate peach tone."

The latest announcement, though, is even more puzzling. It is "Cloud Dancer," which Pantone calls a "soft and structural white."

Laurie Pressman, VP of the Pantone Color Institute, remarked that it is "a pivotal neutral tone … allowing all colors to shine."

Well, Cloud Dancer sounds… wait, white? Are they joking? Can white truly be considered a real color?

What is the best way to describe the color of clouds? Fresh snow? Even though people often think of white as a color, every hue is fundamentally a spectrum of light waves. It appears in a child's crayon box, so for practical purposes the answer is yes.

If Pantone is being provocative is trickier to figure out. The company states, Cloud Dancer mixes well with other colors, avoids sensory overload, embodies understated style, and exudes subtle elegance.

Responses from critics, on the other hand, has proven more critical. Some commentators have suggested Pantone of being completely "tone-deaf." Style expert Mandy Lee described it as "underwhelming." Critics have compared it with subtle advocacy of certain ideologies seen in other media.

Okay, hopefully they're cheerfully oblivious that now is a sensitive time to be pointedly celebrating the color white... Therefore, how might someone not exactly adjacent to a catwalk apply this information in everyday routine? My kitchen ceiling is my ceiling with white, does that count?

It absolutely counts. The same goes for your earbuds, bathtub, or linen sheets.

It's interesting you mention runways, since many collections this year have been vibrantly colorful, featuring eco-friendly materials on the runway.

The color white featured prominently, like always, in luxury shows—from simple silk T-shirts to sleek suits. High-profile figures have also been spotted in pristine white ensembles at prestigious shows.

The good news is: chances are you already possess pieces in this "subtle" designated shade. As Pressman, Cloud Dancer "signifies a eco-friendlier decision for the environmentally aware," which could mean not having to buy new items at all.

FINALLY, a fashion trend for the truly minimalist. A fresh start, in a manner of speaking. A cocoon of calming neutrality against the clutter. Okay, I get it. Are you planning a all-white theme for your personal style?

Not a chance. Have you ever tried to get out tomato sauce stains from a white fabric? I don't need extra stain-removal drama in 2026.

I do own a pair of now off-white comfort shoes, and such staples never go out of style.