Introduction to Cloud Dancer
Pantone has unveiled Cloud Dancer as its highly anticipated Color of the Year for 2026, describing the hue as the "perfect blank slate" for the world of fashion, interiors, and design. Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, said: "As we approach 2026, we realized that this is an evolution – a time of transition. People are questioning everything: what we believe, how we want to live, where we want to live."
The Desire for Calm
She added that the collective feeling of being "overwhelmed and overstimulated" had led to a widespread "desire for calm – less noise, less excitement, more simplicity". This desire for lightness has been a consistent theme in recent selections. Pressman emphasized the importance of a color’s name, saying, "Every color has a name – and that name is important. When you change the name, you change the emotional response." She pointed to 2024’s "Peach Fuzz," which "had a white, lightened feel because people wanted lightness."
Previous Colors of the Year
Likewise, last year’s "Mocha Mousse" "wasn’t a dense brown; it was a whipped brown – airy, soft, lighter – because we just don’t want to carry around any heaviness." Starting in 1999, the Pantone Color of the Year was created to engage the world in a shared dialogue about color. “The goal was really to start a color conversation,” says Pressman, “to highlight the relationship between color and culture, because the colors we engage with reflect what is happening in the world at a given time.”
Introducing Cloud Dancer
This year this path continues. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, says Cloud Dancer is "imbued with serenity – a calming influence in a hectic society." “We look forward to a future without toxins and surpluses,” she says. “Cloud Dancer awakens our desire for contentment and harmony – a feeling of peace, unity and cohesion. It is a color that lets us rise above the clouds, free us from the cacophony and make a new beginning.”
Styling Cloud Dancer
It’s not necessarily difficult to style this color, as we undoubtedly all have a neutral white piece in our closet, but the institute says silhouette and fabric finish are crucial to pulling it off in 2026. “Cloud Dancer-infused fashion exudes a billowing softness – weightless, light and serene,” says Eiseman. She talks about the rise of elevated minimalism on red carpets – just think of the recent monochromatic looks on the Fashion Awards carpet: Sienna Miller, Sharon Stone, Alexa Chung, and Kylie Minogue all wear the hue.
Fabric and Silhouette
Here it is fabric surfaces such as mesh, silk, and satin that make the outfits work. “Fabrics with a soft sheen create shifting shades—the light and dark you can only achieve with white,” says Eiseman, which is key to styling this color in the new year. “Weightlessness is the point,” she says, “rounded shapes, cocoon-like layers, warm and cozy yet light.” This makes sense, if you just look at the bubble hem and balloon pant trends of the year, baggy and flowy silhouettes are becoming increasingly popular.
Trends of 2026
According to the institute, designers will focus on shape rather than pattern. "Voluminous silhouettes work beautifully because the simplicity of the palette allows the line to be exaggerated," says Eiseman. “We see sheer, flowing, flowing fabrics – from organza and light silk on the body to billowing, cloud-like drapes.” You might argue that this year’s color is probably more of a shade than a color. So what else was in the running? “This whole idea of rest and relaxation,” says Pressman, “there’s certainly a piece that could play with the blues, but it was about simplicity and making our lives easier, creating order and getting rid of all these distractions.”
Nostalgic Trends
The idea of simplifying and returning to convenient staples led to the choice of Cloud Dancer. “[It’s] “A little nostalgic,” says Eiseman. “We might even see it again in go-go boots.” I have no doubt this will be a trend in shoes. Other nostalgic trends that Pantone experts are predicting will make a comeback include icy eyeshadow from the ’90s and white eyeliner from the ’60s. "This color comforts us," says Eiseman, "even in beauty, you know, this path to white eye makeup. I mean, we haven’t seen anything like this since eyeliner in the ’60s."
Conclusion
It seems that this color will manifest itself more in the familiar than in the avant-garde, predicting a comeback of the trends of the Swinging Sixties in 2026. Some key pieces to look out for include a silk-blend blouse with tie detail, a top with contrast lace-up collar, ruffle sleeves and lace detail, bubble hem trousers, and an ivory fur tote bag.
