WHITE AND BLACK is a pretty loaded palette. Good and evil, birth and death, virginity and “experience” are just a few of the weighty dichotomies this duo represents. Ask a creative conspiracy theorist and he might tell you monochrome patterns are secret symbols of the Illuminati.

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I am not in the Illuminati (as far as you know) but my décor and my wardrobe are predominantly black and white. For me, the opposing shades conjure alternate realities. Salvador Dalí placed chess boards in his uncanny paintings. Lewis Carroll’s Alice is often depicted as landing on a black-and-white floor after falling down the rabbit hole. During the dark days of lockdown, I invested in a Wonderland-worthy checked rug for my foyer as a form of surreal escape.

If new carpeting is not in your future, you might find William Klein’s 1966 film “Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?”—an absurdist fashion satire filled with black-and-white style—equally transporting. In one of my favorite scenes, American model Peggy Moffitt cameos as an unapologetically exasperated mannequin. In a group of lookalikes, Ms. Moffitt (seen at far left in the above photo) stands out thanks to her entrancing, densely lined eyes—two supernovas being swallowed by black holes. “She brought a physicality to modeling,” said Cameron Silver, the founder of Los Angeles vintage store Decades, who worked with Ms. Moffitt on a 2015 retrospective of the work of provocative Los Angeles designer Rudi Gernreich, for whom Ms. Moffitt served as muse. “She was one of the first non-Grace Kelly types to break through.” The striped look she dons here echoes the Gernreich designs she modeled (and reportedly still wears) in real life.

OPERATION OP ART Five hypnotic black-and-white runway looks. Clockwise from left: Carolina Herrera pre-fall 2021, Valentino fall 2021, Prabal Gurung fall 2021, Chanel pre-fall 2021, Jil Sander fall 2021, Oscar de la Renta pre-fall 2021.

Ms. Moffitt helped define the mod, op-art-infused aesthetic of the Youthquake era. And today, the graphic black-and-white prints and stark color-blocking in which she often posed have resurged, populating the collections of Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Victor Glemaud and Valentino, to name a few. Celebrities, too, have embraced chiaroscuro: Just this month, Emma Corrin (Princess Diana in “The Crown”) appeared on the cover of W magazine in Prada’s trippy take, and Marion Cotillard confidently walked the red carpet in striated Chanel at a screening of her new film “Annette.” Suggesting that the look has gone mainstream, social media platform Pinterest reports that, between July 15 and Aug. 15, searches for “black and white outfit ideas” shot up 680% from the same period last year.

For Wes Gordon, creative director of Carolina Herrera, the contrasting polka-dots and zebra prints in his pre-fall and fall collections connote a Youthquake-era optimism—something he found appealing while designing during the “bleak” lockdown. His 1960s inspirations, he said, represented a new generation announcing “its presence with graphic, bold clothes that were underlined, circled and marked with an exclamation point.” He hoped to reflect a similar pivot: “Celebrating change really spoke to me.”

Other readings of the trend are less buoyant. Linda Fargo, senior vice president at New York department store Bergdorf Goodman, credits the palette’s ability to reassure for its renewed relevance. “The uncertain times we’re living in make the definitiveness of black and white—and the lack of gray, if you will—a psychologically appealing choice,” she said. “There’s also a timelessness,” she added, noting that Chanel built its brand around the unfailing twosome. “It never goes out of style, so it’s a bulwark against this state of instability.”

The combo has been a constant for San Diego artist Sarah Grossman since she “began caring about fashion” in high school. Now 37, she reaches for black-and-white florals, checks and stripes whenever she “wants to feel a little power” or has a big meeting. “Stark black and white says, ‘I mean business, but I’m not afraid to stand out.” When dressing for pleasure, she advocates adding a bright shoe, belt or accessory to boost “visual interest.”

Alexandra Mandelkorn, a Los Angeles stylist who works with musician and actress Janelle Monáe—a maven of monochrome—agrees that a jolt of color “enhances a print’s graphicness,” but that’s an advanced move. She suggests beginners try an all-black outfit “and throw a bold black-and-white-print jacket” on top. “It’s super easy but still catches the eye.”

I’m no novice, but I don't possess the print prowess of Ms. Monáe or the OG graphic goddess, Ms. Moffitt. Presently, I’m partial to layering a harlequin-print jacket over a sheer, black-and-white polka-dot top and black balloon pants. It’s an outfit equally suited for dinners downtown and croquet with the Red Queen. And it looks unreal next to my rug.

MAKE IT MONOCHROME

Five punchy pieces to mix and match

BLACK AND WHITE TO WEAR ALL OVER Clockwise from left: Victor Glemaud Sweater, $375, saksfifthavenue.com; Dress, $1,490, carolinaherrera.com; Bag, $7,500, Chanel, 212-355-5050; Pants, $175, holidaythelabel.com; Shoes, $475, jimmychoo.com

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