Do You Abide By The “No White After Labor Day” Rule?
Posted by: Erin Flaherty
Filed in:
style
1:50PM, Wednesday September 2nd 2009
Between Sarah Jessica Parker‘s all-white ensemble on the “Sex and the City” sequel yesterday, Tiffany Thornton’s look for “It’s On With Alexa Chung” and Kylie Minogue‘s slammin’ ivory dress for just because, it seems like celebs are all frenzied trying to wear up their white clothes before the impending holiday weekend. Because, you know, someone in the public eye couldn’t possibly get away with—gasp!—wearing white after Labor Day.
Obviously, the rule is kind of outdated at this point, and the idea of “winter white” has become quite chic the past few seasons. But many of us, especially the southerners here among us, learned while growing up that wearing a white dress or shoes to school on the Tuesday after Labor Day was considered sacrilege. (Even though in most of the south it’s still burning hot and sunny for most of September—but that was never acknowledged.)
The real question is, who originally came up with this rule? The Fashion Police? A cursory Google investigation yielded few results on the actual origins of this commandment, which I think helps prove just how generational this whole idea is. Still—and yeah, I guess it depends on your age and upbringing—I know I’m not the only one out there who can’t help, just a tiny bit, feeling a little “racy” wearing white heels in the middle of September.
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Keesh Mia
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 12:58 pm: [report]
Nope. White jeans looks great in the snow. I love white in the winter. I do off-white in the fall. Why not!
Lynn
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 01:21 pm: [report]
I’m in KY…I don’t know anyone who really follows this rule, and if they do, they sure aren’t vocal about it.
mountain_laurel1183
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 01:34 pm: [report]
that is one of those ridiculous fashion rules that make no sense. I don’t know anyone who purposely follows it, either.
skywalk
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 01:45 pm: [report]
No way I love wearing white!
writergirl
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 02:57 pm: [report]
I used too. No white before Memorial Day, no white after Labor day. Now, I don’t care. If it’s still hot enough, I’m wearing white.
Sofjna
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 03:03 pm: [report]
There is a reason they make wool pants in white- it looks great in winter. It’s the people that wear their white sheer summer clothes in winter that look bad.
spatula
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 03:08 pm: [report]
I don’t follow any fashion rules, even ones I probably should, LOL. I don’t know that I would run around in white shoes in the winter (only because I think it would be hard to find shoes in white that don’t look sumnery)but with the right fabric, white clothes are great all year.
Although, I naturally shy away from buying things in white in general, because I am so hideously clumsy.
spatula
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 03:10 pm: [report]
*summery, that is.
Also, @writergirl, here in the South the old rule was no white before Easter, not Memorial Day, so all the ladies can wear their white Easter hats and shoes to church
hahaha
writergirl
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 03:12 pm: [report]
@spatula—ironically, it was the south that got me out of the “white rules”. We were living in Fl. temporarily and we arrived in mid-April. Five days later, I was breaking out the white capris. It was HOT. I figured if I could be in a damn bathing suit a week after Easter, no one was going to care if I was wearing white pants.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 03:14 pm: [report]
F’ that. I’m wearing pin-striped dress pants and a vertically striped shirt. No tie.
Also it’s not a rule, more of a taboo, and you can go against a taboo.
retro chic
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 04:11 pm: [report]
Huh? White is good all year-round. Just get the fabric weights right (like a few said). In Palm Springs, CA, where my dad lives, white is mandatory if you don’t want to immediately burst into flames walking to your car in 120° heat.
Hm. White shoes might be a little dicier, depending on the whole outfit, AND nothing looks worse than dirty/muddy white shoes.
Anniushka
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 06:27 pm: [report]
I really can’t think of a single white article of clothes (besides socks, undies, etc) that I actually wear. I’m not willing to go much beyond the minimum to maintain my clothes, and white’s just too much trouble.
If I had white clothes, though, I’d totally wear them after Labor Day. I really don’t see the point in that rule/taboo.
Aidra
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 06:54 pm: [report]
That is such an old fashioned rule. There is nothing wrong with wearing white all year ‘round and you won’t appear in the ‘don’t’ section of Glamour magazine for doing it, either.
Jenn27549
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 07:04 pm: [report]
As a Southerner, and damn proud of it, I do not wear white after Labor Day. I do wear “winter white” which is different and acceptable. Bright white is not, no matter the fabric.
And from my understanding the rule is EASTER and not Memorial Day for the reintroduction of white. And Easter is a moving target every year, so it might be hot before then, or it might still be cold. The Easter thing is also where the rule comes from, I thought, because of the Easter Lilly being white, and the symbol of Jesus’ resurrection. White is the liturgical color for Easter. But if you don’t observe that or believe that, or think its just another silly tradition, then the rule wouldn’t apply. That is why I personally observe the rule, not that I’m super religious or anything, or think that superficial displays like that matter all that much—but the reintroduction of white on Easter to me is symbolic like lots of stupid Christmas traditions and the like. Why it goes away on Labor Day, I do not know.
Just my personal preference. I don’t judge people who wear white after Labor Day/before Easter.
CaleeKay
wrote on September 2 2009 @ 07:45 pm: [report]
huh? i dont get this at all. why cant you wear white after labor day? and what does it matter if you wear it during winter, no matter the fabric? I wear plenty white and it can be dressed up/down with a coat, or whatever. And why not wear white shoes? i wear white heels with jeans and such, im confused. and too lazy to even bother to look it up. /shrug.