Black and white clothing holds the secret to an essentiality that is full of imagination, creativity and a healthy pragmatism that will revolutionise the appearance of any person. The chromatic combination of black and white, as old as the world itself, has the characteristic of never aging, always coming back into fashion in a totally unexpected and unforeseen way. With its powerful simplicity, with the aesthetic subtlety that is inherent in simplicity, this immortal combination has even gone beyond the concept of fashion itself, becoming in effect a stylistic benchmark for millions of people around the world.
Compared to traditional colour combinations of two, three or even four different shades (all of them bright), the mix of black and white can certainly appear poor, soulless, as if it were a random combination put together by a lazy person, or by someone who dresses in a hurry and does not have the time to think of a good match. In reality, there are infinite possibilities in the way of dressing in black and white.
Meaningful combinations
Black and white are the colours of yin and yang, which in ancient Chinese philosophy represented the two fundamental (and opposite) principles of the universe. The strength of this combination is undoubtedly in its meaning, in its ability to reconcile two seemingly irreconcilable poles, but also (and above all) in the great aesthetic power they give rise to when placed side by side. Seeing these two colours together – in a person’s clothing, but also in art – one is immediately taken back to an oriental dimension of pragmatism and essentiality, a culture in which the concepts of apparent poverty and solitude were continuously exalted (just think of Zen and the two venerable concepts of wabi and sabi). Black and white, together, represent the quintessence of simplicity, of that sensational idea enclosed in the phrase “Less is more”, by now overused and never fully understood. The basic concept is that through the combination of two simple and essential elements, such as black and white, it is possible to create extremely powerful combinations that rival (if not surpass) those created with more traditional colours. Black and white is also synonymous with elegance, that special kind of refinement that requires very few elements to be expressed, the minimum necessary to fix itself in the mind of the observer and never leave.
Creative Pragmatism
When selecting a clothing combination based on black and white, it will be essential to choose balanced clothes, so that no one combination dominates over the other. Black and white, in the chosen combination, should be present in equal measure, perfectly balanced. The use of black and white in combination can also lead to creative and pragmatic patterns, full of visual cues that attract the eye of the beholder. This kind of juxtaposition also has illustrious precedents in the world of cinema: in the 2001 film Erin Brockovich, Julia Roberts not only won an Oscar for Best Actress, but also enchanted audiences and critics with her splendid vintage dress by Valentino, strictly in black and white. Other cinematic precedents include Audrey Hepburn’s dress in Sabrina, but also Julianne Moore’s fabulous Tom Ford dress in A Single Man.
It is the same kind of pragmatism that has led the online casino and gamble world to rely on advanced software such as Pragmatic Play, a highly innovative platform based on the combination of different services that produce the same exciting effects as black and white colour combinations. Those who rely on this platform are able to offer a unique gaming experience, encompassing in one place everything they need to have unlimited fun. In this sense, innovation has met the practicality of pragmatism, creating an unprecedented user experience.
Pragmatism can take on different shapes and forms, depending on the field or domain in which it is applied. In clothing, an essential, pragmatic combination can produce surprising visual effects, capable of lasting through time and of continually surprising the observer, as if he had seen them for the first time. But the pragmatic approach also closely concerns brands and companies specialising in the provision of services, and in particular those dealing with entertainment: by betting on simplification, on all those intangible aspects that facilitate the user experience, eliminating barriers and obstacles, the brand will win the eternal trust of the customer, and will never lose it.