Chromatic antithesis that is loved by designers and proposed again and again every season. The two non-colours , alpha and omega, yin and yang. White: the origin of all colours. Black: the absence of light.
The black and white binomial was the real protagonist in the history of fashion. Coco Chanel made it a pillar of strength of her idea of elegance, and it is stated that, in re-elaborating the use of the two non-colours, she re-elaborated the severity of a monk’s habit and the experience that she got by living in the Sacred Heart congregation as a child. So, when miss Coco created her Chanel n°5 in 1921, it was packaged in a transparent pharmacy bottle. How about the label? It was minimalist, with a white background and black letters, just like the two iconic C’s, which later became the House’s logo.
With Optical Art, an artistic trend from New York that based its principles on negating colours and favouring black and white, the two non-colours started being expressed through graphics: chess boards, lines, vortexes and spirals. André Courrèges and Pierre Cardin were the couturiers who absorbed this trend and included it in their outfits.
In 1966, Truman Capote threw a masked ball, which was baptised by the papers of that time as “the party of the century”. What was the dress code? Black and white, naturally. In the setting of the legendary Plaza Hotel, Capote had invited 540 celebrities of the time; including Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow, Henry Fonda, Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon, Phillip Roth and Arthur Miller.
It is while thinking of Capote’s ball and of how much I would have loved to have been around in those talent-filled years that I am showing you the outfit of the day. What is its topic? Black and white, obviously!
– White vintage blazer
– Strappy Cami black top by River Island
– Trousers with sideways sash by Zara
– Two-toned low neckline by Zara
– Vintage ring
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