Black-and-White Menswear : Night-to-Day Transition Is Easy, Designers Say

What’s black and white and worn all over? Menswear for fall, from many of America’s top designers. And stores will be riddled with this non-color story when the fall clothes begin to hit shelves soon after Father’s Day.

At the fall 1987 Designers Collective show, held in New York and featuring some 86 menswear labels, black and white was definitely a wardrobe staple in tailored and sportswear categories, in both solids and patterns including stripes, plaids, checks and prints.

Why is this positive/negative attitude expected to have such a bright future in the coming season? Designers say it’s because these piano-key tones work well for transition from day to evening wear.

Black and white also make a perfect background for accessorizing with colorful shirtings, sweaters, ties and socks, the designers say. And basic black, worn head-to-toe, has become the pop uniform in Europe, New York and Los Angeles of fashion trendies who yearn for the kind of “cool” that recalls the beatnik Bohemia of the ‘50s.

What’s more, black and white don’t lose their sharp edge from season to season. And for menswear consumers with tight fashion budgets, items offering wardrobe longevity look good right now.