Launchmetrics/Spotlight/Prabal Gurung
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Forget Pantone’s white: this colour is ruling fashion in 2026

Stephanie Vinzens
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.

Fendi spring/summer 2026
Fendi spring/summer 2026
Source: Launchmetrics/Spotlight
Fendi spring/summer 2026
Fendi spring/summer 2026
Source: Launchmetrics/Spotlight
Tory Burch spring/summer 2026
Tory Burch spring/summer 2026
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.

Auralee fall/winter 2026
Auralee fall/winter 2026
Source: Launchmetrics/Spotlight
Fendi spring/summer 2026
Fendi spring/summer 2026
Source: Launchmetrics/Spotlight
Fendi spring/summer 2026
Fendi spring/summer 2026
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
Blouses
Quantity discount
CHF13.90

JJXX Jxfallon Str Sl Rib Top Jrs Noos

Daughter of Italy Schal
Scarfs
CHF35.61

Daughter of Italy Schal

Selected Bestickte Cap
Caps
CHF39.90

Selected Bestickte Cap

Jack & Jones Sweatshirt Sweatshirt
Sweaters
CHF44.90

Jack & Jones Sweatshirt Sweatshirt

Selected 100% Merinowoll Strickjacke mit Reissverschluss
Sweaters
CHF139.90

Selected 100% Merinowoll Strickjacke mit Reissverschluss

Liebeskind Berlin Handbag Mica Shopper S
Handbag
CHF228.73

Liebeskind Berlin Handbag Mica Shopper S

JJXX Jxfallon Str Sl Rib Top Jrs Noos
Quantity discount
CHF13.90

JJXX Jxfallon Str Sl Rib Top Jrs Noos

Daughter of Italy Schal
CHF35.61

Daughter of Italy Schal

Selected Bestickte Cap
CHF39.90

Selected Bestickte Cap

Jack & Jones Sweatshirt Sweatshirt
CHF44.90

Jack & Jones Sweatshirt Sweatshirt

Selected 100% Merinowoll Strickjacke mit Reissverschluss
CHF139.90

Selected 100% Merinowoll Strickjacke mit Reissverschluss

Liebeskind Berlin Handbag Mica Shopper S
CHF228.73

Liebeskind Berlin Handbag Mica Shopper S

Header image: Launchmetrics/Spotlight/Prabal Gurung

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