Pantone's 2026 Color Of The Year Is A Win For MAGA Celebs — But A Snooze For Fashion: 'Yawn'

By Jessica Choi
Melania Trump in a white dress Taylor Hill/Getty Images

On Thursday, December 4, Pantone announced its 2026 Color of the Year, and if you've been fervently waiting for the big reveal, be prepared to be disappointed — unless you're a MAGA celeb, that is. Its name is Cloud Dancer, and it sounds promising enough. But when Pantone got to the description, all we heard was a giant "womp, womp." As shared on its site, Cloud Dancer is "a lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection. A billowy white imbued with serenity ... Cloud Dancer encourages true relaxation and focus, allowing the mind to wander and creativity to breathe, making room for innovation." Many weren't enthused by this reveal, with one X user sharing our exact sentiment: "The Pantone color of the year being just white..... yawn."

In essence, the 2026 it-color is a total bore loved by MAGA women, including Melania Trump, who wore more daring outfits before she became first lady. Then, there's Brittany Mahomes, whose outrageous outfits increasingly include white clothing. With Pantone's annual pick having a large influence on fashion, we can predict looking out into a sea of white next year, and with the rising influx of trad-wife style, we fear 2026 will be a sartorial snooze.

Pantone's Cloud Dancer color is devoid of personality

Brittany Mahomes wearing an all-white outfit brittanylynne / Instagram

Trad wives have adopted white as their go-to uniform, as it's typically seen as a symbol of innocence and purity. They're often seen in flowy dresses, sensible yet feminine shoes with heels, and an ever-present smile on their faces. MAGA celebs sometimes step away from this silhouette but still embrace an all-white look, whether in athleisure or pantsuits. However, Pantone's 2026 Color of the Year is just as bland as a trad wife's wardrobe. And the description further proves that it's meant to whisper, not shout: "Cloud Dancer is a key structural color whose versatility provides scaffolding for the color spectrum, allowing all colors to shine." That doesn't sound like main character energy to us.

Pantone doesn't always hit the mark with its color picks — just look at 2025's divisive Mocha Mousse. However, Cloud Dancer has the internet up in arms, with one Instagram user commenting, "I wonder how many hours of meetings it took to come up with this idea and who came up with this unique idea. Is creativity really dead?" Another asked, "Is this rage bait?" White was a groundbreaking fall trend in 2023, but folks want to see more color in their lives now — can you blame them? Plus, that fall had going against the "no white after Labor Day" rule going for it. Two years later, shades like teal and tangerine were all over 2026 runways, and we'll be leaning toward those rich colors next year. MAGA can keep the all-white fashion aesthetic.

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