Sound Off: Pantone’s Color of the Year Is Telling of the Times We’re In

We all know that scene from The Devil Wears Prada when Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) reads Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) for filth when she suggests she is above fashion trends. As Miranda explained, Andy's sweater was a once-trendy color, cerulean.

"You … go to your closet, and you select … I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back, but what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean," she says. "You’re also blithely unaware of the fact that, in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns, and then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent, wasn’t it? … who showed cerulean military jackets."

While Miranda is a fictional character (depending on which Vogue employee you talk to), the concept of one entity choosing which color everyone wears each year is real, as she was referring to The Pantone Color of the Year program's inaugural color, cerulean. Since its launch, the program has selected which color is the top one for fashion, decor, and everything in between.

In December 2025, Pantone announced its 2026 color of the year. The color, a shade of white named "Cloud Dancer," has since sparked controversy, and rightfully so.

In December 2025, as many wrapped up the details of the year, Pantone shared a peek into the future. And, surprise, surprise, it's white. No, literally.

The program stated that "Cloud Dancer," the off-white color, is described as "soft," "serene," and "calm." According to Laurie Pressman, the institute’s vice-president, the precise choice in white was intentionally thought out, stating in an interview with CNN she was looking for an "equal balance of cool and warm undertones."

“Had we gone for a white that was more optically bright, not only does it take away from the natural feeling and honesty and authenticity that we’re looking for … it almost speaks to sterility and isolationism, because it’s cold," she added.

Following Pantone's release of the color of the year, the choice was quickly discussed by fashion and social media critics. On one hand, fashion lovers argued that the color selection was flat and promoted non-creativity. The color is also seemingly another push for fashion and decor to scale back into the minimalism and conservative space. Only, in the case of trends, many brands will start hiking up fees in the name of said minimalism.

Other online critics noticed the irony of Pantone's color of the year being a shade of white in our current political climate. In an age where professionals and scholars have been forced out of their positions due to President Donald Trump's rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, having white as the color of the year is tone-deaf at best and, not to be "woo woo," an omen at worst.

Since I'm hoping Pantone wasn't trying to threaten — or rage bait — the general public, I'm hoping they reimagine a possible secondary color of the year. Because, as this nation has proven, it best benefits and profits from a variety of hues. But, good luck trying to make "Cloud Dancer" happen.