Pantone has recently announced their Color of the Year for 2026. And surprisingly, the colour chosen was “Cloud Dancer”, a soft shade of white. This has been the first time Pantone has selected a shade of white. The institution explains that Cloud Dancer embodies new beginnings, feelings of serenity, calmness, and clarity.
While the colour itself is a balanced neutral, with equal cool and warm undertones, the reveal has been met with many discussions online. While some are excited to see how the colour will manifest over the upcoming year, others online mentioned feeling disappointed at such a neutral colour. Whereas some debates emerged on whether white can even be considered as a colour. Nonetheless, with AI slop creating vibrancy and excess, it is a welcome change to turn to something neutral.
Within fashion, the colour has a lot of potential. On its own, it brightens up any complexion due to having both cool and warm undertones. As an accent, it helps balance contrasting colours, grounding the overall piece. If you’re looking to make the hue work for you, here is our roundup of Pantone-inspired pieces to add to your wardrobe.
Starting with abayas, there are plenty that feature this shade and are made interesting with details such as beadwork and embroidery. Serrb’s two-toned abaya also shows us how the colour can be utilised in colour combinations.
Whereas modest dresses and kaftans offer easy elegance with fluid drapery.
Evening wear and other occasion wear elevate the colour through complementary embellishments such as crystals and pearls. In fact, we predict pearls to become a trending piece of jewellery again as the colour becomes popular.
In footwear, a white shoe is an everyday essential, offering plenty of options, whether that’s ultra-high heels or ballet flats.
And for bags, while there are plenty of iconic white pieces in the market, we take a look at some unique clutches that caught our eye.
And to end on a (scent) note of cheekiness, we can always wear a “cloud” through a cloud perfume. While there are plenty in the market, we want to highlight Louis Vuitton’s Cosmic Cloud. Ideal for the winter season, it is rich in its musk accord and mixed with fruity notes, tonka bean, and chocolate. It’s powdery, a tad animalic, and made to smell oud of this world.
