Some fashion girls spend all year anticipating the early December reveal of Pantone's Color of the Year. It sets the tone for their closet's evolving color palette in the 365 days ahead, after all.
Now, it's time for the industry's elite to bid farewell to 2025's Mocha Mousse. The rich, warm brown is still going strong, popping up on Jennifer Lopez, Ella Purnell, Sofia Richie Grainge, and Rihanna this week alone. But on December 4, Mocha passed the torch to Pantone's 2026 Color of the Year.
Meet Cloud Dancer (PANTONE 11-4201, if you're curious), a perfect shade match to a stark white cloud in the sky. According to a press release, it embodies "a lofty white whose aerated presence acts as a whisper of calm and peace in a noisy world." Picture a blank canvas, freshly-fallen snow, a serene swan having a swim, or a crisp, brand-new T-shirt. The stark shade "quiets the mind, encouraging true relaxation and focus." Contrary to its "earthy refined" predecessor, Pantone hopes Cloud Dancer stimulates "creativity to breathe, making room for innovation."
A wide range of reactions welcomed the early-morning launch. "Perfection," said one commenter on Instagram, while others expected a more joy-inducing shade of green or blue. But Pantone's goal was to introduce "a billowy white imbued with serenity" to a world exploding with constant, colorful stimulation.
Cloud Dancer was certainly a surprise, but it's already a trending tone on the celebrity style circuit. Usually, stars require a few weeks to integrate the Color of the Year into their regular rotation. Cloud Dancer, on the other hand, is already widely beloved by Jennifer Lawrence, Dakota Johnson, Chase Infiniti, Priyanka Chopra, and Laura Harrier (to name a few).
It's a breath of fresh air on red carpets, including the 2025 Governors Awards on Nov. 16. Everyone from Anya Taylor-Joy and Zoey Deutch to Lawrence and Infiniti posed for photographers in Cloud Dancer-coded couture. Lawrence's delicately draped Dior gown and Infiniti's airy Louis Vuitton tulle shined amongst a sea of pastel picks. Taylor-Joy's sheer chiffon cape from Maison Margiela looked like it was crafted straight from the clouds.
Even the street style circuit is already overflowing with Cloud Dancer white. Last month, Taylor-Joy swapped one ivory shearling jacket for another stark white wrap coat. More recently, Selena Gomez paired an oversize Alo Yoga sweatshirt with split-sole Dior sneakers, both in snow white shades. Then on Dec. 3, Johnson proved the "coat is the outfit" theory correct in an eye-squinting white trench, which she barely took off at a The Hollywood Reporter luncheon.
Sure, Cloud Dancer season doesn't start until New Year's Day, but if Hollywood's elite is already styling it, you should, too. Shop the 16 styles below to add the 2026 Color of the Year into your winter wardrobe and beyond.
