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Hello! I can't wait to learn what color is set to be 2026. Tell me everything!

Get ready, because every year beginning in 1999, Pantone chooses a Color of the Year. This choice seeks to represent the spirit of the times—informing everything from how we feel and our wardrobe selections to how we design our living spaces. The previous year's color was the rich tan "a creamy brown," which came after the soft and warm "a fuzzy pastel."

The latest choice, though, is particularly baffling. It is "Cloud Dancer," which Pantone calls a "soft and structural white."

Laurie Pressman, the vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, remarked that it is "a pivotal neutral tone … allowing all colors to be highlighted."

Well, Cloud Dancer sounds… wait, white? Could they be trolling us? Does white qualify as a real color?

What is the best way to define the shade of milk? A blank page? Even though people often think of white as a color, the entire spectrum is fundamentally a range of visible light. You can find it in a child's crayon box, so for practical purposes the answer is yes.

Whether Pantone is being provocative is harder to determine. They claim, Cloud Dancer mixes well with other colors, avoids sensory overload, embodies understated style, and radiates quiet sophistication.

Responses from critics, in contrast, has proven more critical. Some commentators have suggested Pantone of being completely "out of touch." Trend analyst Mandy Lee called it "a let-down." Some have even drawn parallels to implied endorsement of certain ideologies seen in popular culture.

Okay, it's to be hoped they're cheerfully oblivious that the timing is awkward to be pointedly celebrating pure white... Anyway, how might someone not exactly adjacent to a fashion show apply this news in everyday routine? I just painted my ceiling in white paint, does that qualify?

That definitely qualifies. This applies equally to your earbuds, bathtub, or ceramic plate.

It's funny you mention runways, because many recent shows have been exceptionally bright, featuring eco-friendly feathers on the catwalk.

The color white featured prominently, like always, in designer collections—from structured tops to sleek suits. Celebrities and public figures have also been seen in monochromatic white outfits at major events.

On the bright side is: you likely already have items in this "discreet" color of the year. In the words of Pressman, Cloud Dancer "signifies a eco-friendlier decision for the eco-conscious," which might translate to avoiding the need to purchase fresh products at all.

AT LAST, a style movement for the truly minimalist. A blank page, in a manner of speaking. A cocoon of serene simplicity amid the chaos. Okay, I get it. Are you planning a whiteout for your wardrobe?

Definitely not. Attempting to remove red wine stains from a white shirt? I don't need additional cleaning headaches in 2026.

I do own a pair of once-white sandals, and those remain perpetually fashionable.