Forget Pantone’s white: this colour is ruling fashion in 2026
6/3/2026
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
While Pantone’s busy focusing on subtle cloud white, another trend is calling the shots on catwalks: bright shades of blue ranging from cerulean to cyan.
Cloud Dancer, an unassuming shade of white, is Pantone’s colour of the year. But what the colour institute views as «a promise of clarity» in times of unrest sounds more like cultivated boredom to some. Fashion, meanwhile, has a more exciting suggestion. To embrace a bolder, more beautiful colour – preferably cerulean.
The colour from the movie
Never heard of cerulean? That’s probably because you’re too young to remember Miranda Priestly’s legendary roast in The Devil Wears Prada. In this scene, the ice-cold editor-in-chief destroys her awkward assistant Andy by pointing to her cerulean blue sweater to explain that people who believe they’re above fashion are ultimately also subject to the influence of the industry.
Source: Launchmetrics/Spotlight
Source: Launchmetrics/Spotlight
Source: Launchmetrics/Spotlight
Maybe it’s just a coincidence that cerulean blue’s attracting new attention in time for the imminent release of long-awaited part two of the film. Or is the trend actually trickling down from the catwalk to the street and vice versa – or both at the same time? We’ll probably never know. One thing’s for sure. Unlike clueless Andy, you now know we’re facing blue times, and you can either ride the wave or opt out.
Cerulean or cyan? Who cares!
After all, neither fashion nor colour names are an exact science, so the collections for 2026 haven’t prescribed a specific shade, but merely set a trend. From renowned fashion houses such as Fendi, established labels such as Tory Burch or up-and-coming names such as Ashlyn, rich shades from the blue-green spectrum will be seeping through numerous designs in the upcoming seasons – be it cerulean, cyan or turquoise.
Source: Launchmetrics/Spotlight
Source: Launchmetrics/Spotlight
Source: Launchmetrics/Spotlight
After all the buttery, powdery pastels and the deep, velvety chocolates and purples of recent years, the bright blue hues are a refreshing change. As loud as they may be, they’re not that far removed from Pantone’s choice of colour that radiates calm and peace. While Cloud Dancer alludes to the clouds, the blue tones are reminiscent of a cloudless sky and the clear waters in which it is reflected. They’re both soothing and invigorating at the same time.
Sounds good? Then dive right into the crisp blue right here:
JJXX Jxfallon Str Sl Rib Top Jrs Noos
S
Selected Boxy T-Shirt
S
Daughter of Italy Schal
Selected Bestickte Cap
Jack & Jones Sweatshirt Sweatshirt
M
Fogal Tights "Opaque
30DEN, 36 - 38
Cotswold Sandringham wellington boots
38
Selected 100% Merinowoll Strickjacke mit Reissverschluss
S
Liebeskind Berlin Handbag Mica Shopper S
Header image: Launchmetrics/Spotlight/Prabal Gurung
Has endless love for shoulder pads, Stratocasters and sashimi, but a limited tolerance for bad impressions of her Eastern Swiss dialect.
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