You start picking clothes of a certain color, and suddenly, it becomes your uniform. Try to change it, and everyone hates it.

Who Decided Your Favorite Color? (And Why You Can't Escape It)

What role does color play in your life? It is a strange negotiation. Somehow, either you decide, or someone else decides for you, what your “favorite color” is.

It starts innocently. You pick a blue shirt. It looks good. You buy another. A few years pass, and suddenly, you are “The Blue Shirt Guy.” Then, the trap snaps shut: The moment you try to change—maybe you experiment with a bold new shade—your spouse or friends hate it. You have been branded.

The Illusion of Choice

I have observed that we have less agency here than we think. Clothing companies seem to act as a cartel, releasing the exact same “new” colors every year.

One year, I was inexplicably fascinated by fluorescent green. It was everywhere, so it was in my closet. But my safe zone remains firm: Blue, Pink, and Red for shirts. But pants? I tried. I really did. But I just couldn't pull off red or pink pants.

Pantone’s “Blank Canvas”

If you feel stuck in your color palette, there is good news. The industry has decided to hit the reset button.

In a recent article by Rachel Kurzius in The Washington Post, it was announced that Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year is… nothing. Well, technically, it is “Cloud Dancer.”

For the first time, a white shade has received the designation. According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, it is meant to be a “whisper of calm in a noisy world”.

A Chance to Reset?

Rachel Kurzius notes that this isn't just a lack of color; it signifies a “blank canvas, opening up new avenues and ways of thinking”.

Maybe that is the permission we need. If the world’s color authority says the trend is a “blank canvas,” perhaps we can finally retire the blue shirts and fluorescent green phases. Or maybe, just maybe, 2026 is the year I finally pull off the red pants.

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Thought for the day: Are you wearing that color because you love it, or because everyone expects you to?

Sources

• Kurzius, Rachel. “Pantone makes a surprising choice for its 2026 color of the year.” The Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2025.