Pantone, the self-styled color experts, have been predicting a “color of the year” since 1999. Their pick for what everyone will be wearing, wanting, eating and otherwise consuming in 2026: Cloud Dancer, officially PANTONE 11-4201. Either way, it’s a pretty fancy name for … white. Or “a symbol of calming influence in a frenetic society” as well as “a blank canvas” on which we can all start again.
Have they gotten it right? Reporters for the Styles desk sat down to debate. Let us know what you think in the comments.
VANESSA FRIEDMAN The announcement heralding Cloud Dancer as next year’s color features a woman, all in white, looking dreamily into a cloud-filled sky. Serenity is clearly the vibe. But given the recent political discourse, when I hear “white,” less salubrious associations also leap to my mind — ones that I doubt Pantone took into consideration but that could be twisted to pretty uncomfortable ends.
CALLIE HOLTERMANN It’s certainly a conspicuous choice following a year in which D.E.I. programs have been dismantled and the party in power has been debating how friendly to be with a white nationalist. That may not be what Pantone means by “peace, unity and cohesiveness,” but I have to imagine it will come up for some viewers.
ALEX VADUKUL In terms of meaning, I wonder if there are some clues in its title: Cloud Dancer. What’s going on there? Sounds like a 1980s one-hit wonder track.
JACOB GALLAGHER Political implications aside, I do understand why a blank slate might be the right pick for this moment. Culture right now is pretty darn stagnant — everything feels like a rehash of a rehash or a piece of media getting squeezed till there’s no juice left. (“Stranger Things,” Season 5, looking at you!) We’re in this moment where we’re awaiting the next turn of the dial that moves culture forward. Hence, blank slate.
FRIEDMAN There are so many associations with white: the white dove of peace, the baptismal gown, the wedding dress, the white T-shirt. In some Asian countries, mourning. White is a color replete with meanings. So not really that blank at all.
GALLAGHER Well, isn’t that the other advantage to picking this shade? People can see in it what they want. Looked at another way, it’s an ideal pick for this fence-sitting period where no one wants to offend anyone.
HOLTERMANN This white, in particular, strikes me as a little flavorless. It’s the color of cottage cheese and dental floss, of marshmallows and AirPods. It reminds me of the clothes I put on when I’m in a rush and the foods I eat when I have a stomach ache.
VADUKUL From a sensory point of view, I think I’m a fan. There’s something exploratory and a bit mysterious about it. Also confident. I see it as a kind of attitude-heavy white, if a not exactly welcoming white. Maybe even a bit of James Dean to it.
FRIEDMAN This is the first time Pantone has chosen a shade of white in the 26 years they have been picking a color of the year. I don’t think it escaped them that it might cause a stir. The closest they came before was “sand dollar,” the color of the year for 2006, which was more beige.
GALLAGHER This is not a very color-heavy moment in fashion. There’s no Brat green or Barbie pink. With that said, if Pantone is going this minimal, I would’ve preferred black. That feels truer to the visual landscape of right now.
HOLTERMANN Personally, I miss Viva Magenta from 2023. An insane choice, but at least it was a choice. Cloud Dancer feels like a product of being too tentative to make a statement in any direction. Which is, of course, its own kind of statement.
FRIEDMAN White goes with everything. I will say, when Pantone picked Mocha Mousse as the color of 2025, I was full of doubt, but they turned out to be absolutely right — brown has been everywhere this year. So maybe 2026 will be the year of white.
GALLAGHER Brown did end up being ubiquitous, and it felt like Pantone was onto something. White is just … white. Will people even think to credit Pantone’s predictive powers if it does take off?
HOLTERMANN Which is why even presenting the color white as representative of a fresh start feels a little bit divorced from reality.
VADUKUL White is a loaded color. On many levels.
GALLAGHER White, historically, has been worn to signal wealth. It showed you have the means to keep your clothes clean. Maybe this just foreshadows a massive year for stain removers. At the least, it is a bit elitist. But doesn’t that itself match the moment?
FRIEDMAN So maybe Pantone got the choice right, even if the reasons they named (calm, restoration) were not entirely convincing? Ralph Lauren just revealed its designs for Team U.S.A. for next year’s Winter Olympics, and they are overwhelming … white. White flannels and white duffle coats for the opening ceremony and white cargo pants and white puffers for the closing ceremony.
HOLTERMANN It’s the white elephant in the room!
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