Fashion, like anything, has rules and for a good reason.
Do you ever people watch to see what people are wearing? I do, I like to people
watch and fashion interests me so I look closely at what people wear. Rules
like don’t wear plaid with print, don’t mix brown and black, don’t wear white
socks with black shoes, and your hose color should either match the hem of your
clothing or your shoes, were made for a reason. The rule that is the most controversial is
that you shouldn’t wear white after Labor Day or before Memorial Day. All the
fashion magazines write about this rule at least once a year.
Why was this rule made and should we follow it. I followed it blindly for many years, then
the debate started raging in our office and it made me think about the logic of
the rule, so I did some research into the reason for the rule and here is what
I found.
This fashion “don’t” might stem from the fashion industry
itself. Since fashion editors worked mostly out of New York City in the
early 1900’s, the editorial spreads in Vogue reflected the seasonality
of – you guessed it – New York City. With a typically rainy fall, very
cold winter, and hot, muggy summer, it makes sense that the editors back in the
day shunned this light color post-Labor Day for fear of stepping in an
unsightly puddle in their new white pants in fall’s wet city streets.
Perhaps a more accurate explanation, though, comes from a
time when “summer” was still a verb and the elite class would leave the city at
the start of the season, vacation wardrobe in tow, and return only post-Labor
day to the drab suits of the urban working class. By the mid-20th
century, the “no white after Labor Day” rule had become a hard and fast way to
draw class lines and educate the “nouveau riche” on the prevailing etiquette of
the time.
The third and most practical explanation is that white is
worn after Memorial Day and before Labor Day purely because it’s cooler.
Summer is hot, and during a time before the tank top existed in its current
form, the only things people used to distinguish summer wear from winter wear
were color and fabric. But very rarely is there actually a functional
reason for a fashion rule…” So I suppose that rules this one out.
Even now most people put away their white clothes after Labor
Day. There was, however, a notable spike in winter white that
corresponded with the first week of February Fashion Week – perhaps a testament
to the likes of McQueen and Derek Lam.
If you are going to wear white before Memorial Day or after
Labor Day are there rules? Of course
there are.
Don’t overdo it. Wear one white piece and pair it with another one of
the season’s hot colors like magenta or turquoise in spring or emerald
or rio blue for fall. Add some great jewelry and you’ll look great.
Choose the right fabric. Fabric choices are the most important when pulling together
a season-friendly (and stylish) outfit. You would never think of wearing
a white parka in July; likewise, don’t wear your white linen trousers in the
fall or winter. Make sure that the fabric you are wearing is appropriate for
the time of year and the temperature.
Check
the calendar. The style of the outfit has to be in-sync with the time of year and the weather. Even if it’s June, if
the temperatures are in the 40’s you wouldn’t wear shorts and a tank.
Bottom
line, if you want to break the rules, at least look like you know what you are
doing by being conscious of fabric and style of the outfit that you are wearing
and you will be able to wear white any time of the year.
But whether or not you’ll be retiring your white pants
come fall, the season of whites is upon us. So stock up on light colors
and sunscreen, because summer’s right around the corner!
What
is your opinion on this fashion rule? Leave a comment below.
