🔗 Share this article

Greetings! I'm incredibly excited to learn what color is set to be 2026. What's the scoop?

Brace yourself, since every year for over two decades, Pantone announces a signature color. This selection is a reflection of the current cultural mood—influencing everything from how we feel and our wardrobe selections to how we design our living spaces. Last year's selection was the deep beige "a coffee-inspired shade," which came after the subtly inviting "Peach Fuzz."

This year's selection, though, is even more puzzling. It is "Cloud Dancer," described by a "billowy, balanced white."

Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Color Institute, commented that it is "a key structural color … enabling all colors to shine."

Hmm, Cloud Dancer… wait, white? Are they joking? Does white qualify as a proper color?

What is the best way to define the hue of a cloud? Milk? Although many view white as a color, all color is at its core a range of visible light. You can find it in a set of colored pencils, so I'd argue the answer is yes.

If Pantone is out of touch is trickier to figure out. The company states, Cloud Dancer combines easily with other colors, avoids sensory overload, embodies understated style, and exudes subtle elegance.

Feedback online, in contrast, has not been as kind. Some commentators have accused Pantone of being completely "out of touch." Fashion and trend forecaster Mandy Lee labeled it "underwhelming." Critics have compared it with coded promotion of problematic concepts seen in recent advertising.

Okay, it's to be hoped they're happily ignorant that the timing is awkward to be explicitly championing the color white... So, how can a regular person not exactly adjacent to a fashion show apply this information in everyday routine? I just painted my kitchen ceiling white, does that qualify?

Yes, that certainly counts. This applies equally to your earbuds, sink, or favorite mug.

It's interesting you mention catwalks, since many this season's presentations have been exceptionally bright, featuring plant-based materials on the catwalk.

White ensembles featured prominently, like always, in designer collections—from elegant blouses to collared dresses. Celebrities and public figures have also been seen in crisp all-white attire at public appearances.

The good news is: chances are you already own items in this "discreet" color of the year. In the words of Pressman, Cloud Dancer "represents a eco-friendlier decision for the environmentally aware," which could mean skipping the requirement for anything new at all.

AT LAST, a fashion trend for the deeply unmotivated. A blank page, in a manner of speaking. A haven of calming neutrality against the noise. Okay, I'm sold. Do you intend a whiteout for your wardrobe?

Definitely not. Do you know how hard it is to clean red wine stains from a white shirt? I don't need additional cleaning headaches in 2026.

I do have a pair of formerly pristine comfort shoes, and such staples remain perpetually fashionable.