Don’t Wear White After Labor Day
Growing up in the Midwest, we were bombarded with rules that were never explained. We never quite understood why, for example, that you ”Don’t wear white after Labor Day.”
My curiosity lead me to try to get to the origin of this rule.
First of all, it seems the rule has been misreported. According to Jacksonville etiquette consultant, Diann Catlin, the rule originally applied to white shoes only, not clothes. But it’s too late. The application to clothes has stuck.
This is clearly a Southern thing where light clothes are cooler than dark clothes in summer, thus the rule that it’s okay to wear white between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The catch comes when this rule is applied across the country even in places where there are no sharp lines between winter, spring and summer.
Worse, the Southerners tie this to poor manners. As Catlin points out
“The only reason these rules are important is for your image,” Catlin said. “If I showed up on Feb. 1 in a white linen suit, you’d think this person does not know what she’s doing. What happens is that people notice that you just don’t know any better.”
Second, Acting Director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology Valerie Steele, has another take on this. She points to the fact that more people were entering the middle classes in the late 19th century and the 1950s. Because these newly-rich folks were often unaware of the standards of high society, they were given specific rules to follow in order to fit in. Not wearing white after Labor Day was one of them.
Whatever its origin, this rule has long been lost along with other dress codes on most Californians. When asked the dress code for almost any affair, the response is California Casual. From the varied outfits I’ve seen in this category, the color of the outfit is the least worry.
What relics from your childhood don’t apply any more?
