Abstract: A polarization-selective holographic element having first and second holographic layers, each holographic layer including holograms comprising a plurality of fringes which are recorded with light having a first wavelength .lambda..sub.1. The holographic optical element transmits a first component of light having a second wavelength .lambda..sub.2 without diffraction and diffracts a second component of the light having the second wavelength by a selected angle. The holograms have a high diffraction efficiency and are recorded with beams making angles .sigma..sub.1 and .sigma..sub.2 with a normal to the surface of the holographic layers, where .vertline..theta..sub.2 -.theta..sub.1 .vertline.=.vertline..sigma..sub.2 -.sigma..sub.1 .vertline.=2.alpha., .lambda..sub.2 /(sin.theta..sub.1 +sin.theta..sub.2)=.lambda..sub.1 /(sin.theta..sub.1 +sin.theta..sub.2), and .theta..sub.1 and .theta..sub.2 are the incident and diffracted angles of the second component of the light having the second wavelength.