Wearing white after Labor Day

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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Wearing white after Labor Day

— by Angie

on September 3, 2007

I’m all for etiquette and manners, but this rule was made to be broken. I couldn’t find a single definitive version of the rule, but if Wikipedia is to be believed…

“In actuality, the etiquette originally stated that white shoes were the taboo while white or “winter white” clothes were acceptable. This custom is fading from popularity as it continues to be questioned and challenged, particularly by leaders in the fashion world.”

wiseGEEK provides two theories on where this custom originated: One, that the rule serves as a reminder that white clothing is impractical in Winter and two, that the rule was part of a program to educate the nouveau riche…

“Older society families were concerned about the fashion etiquette of more recent additions, and established a complex code of fashion rules to guide them.”

Something in common with all of the theories is that the original motivation is now outmoded. So by all means, wear white shoes or clothes before Easter and after Labor Day. White reflects the sun and keeps you cool, which makes it the perfect colour to wear in places where the weather is hot during this period.

We at youlookfab wish you a very happy Labor Day.

Colour

6 comments · Add a comment

Meg

(website)

Thank goodness! As I announced on my blog last Thursday, I am NOT packing up my white shoes. Of course, with the weather as hot as it is here, I’ll be wearing summer clothes for most of the winter.

September 3, 2007 at 9:42 am

Tarzy

(website)

I’m always late to the party. Up to now I have not owned any white shoes. But this weekend I saw a woman wearing a pair of white loafer mules and I really loved the look. She wore them with capris and she looked so pulled together and sophisticated. Of course, Zappos is out of most white shoes in my size by now, but I did find these from Mootsies Tootsies – they had one pair left in my size. http://www.zappos.com/n/p/p/7273133.html
They are not white – they are light taupe, but I hope I can wear them with my capris for a warm weather look (it’s over 100 here in LA and I think I’ll be able to wear them for a while longer!) I hope I haven’t made a fashion mistake! (I can always return them if they don’t look great, right?)

September 4, 2007 at 9:10 am

Debbie L Milne

I love my white shoes in the summer, but here in northern New England, I always think it looks out of place when the cool weather arrives.

September 4, 2007 at 2:33 pm

SUSAN

AS LONG AS IT IS SUMMERLIKE WEATHER I WANT TO CONTINUE TO WEAR WHITE
AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. I DON’T THINK I WOULD CONTINUE TO WEAR IT IN WINTER
BUT HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE OTHER SEASONS.

September 5, 2007 at 9:22 am

Joey

Spread the word far and wide. Stomp out the no white shoes after Labor Day rule! Silly little rule.

September 5, 2007 at 5:11 pm

tarzy

Well, I received the shoes I ordered and I’m just not sure. The color is “light taupe” and it’s nice but I don’t know if it’s as useful as white would be. Since it’s warm here in LA for so much of the year, I had thought I could wear them with capris, but I’m just not sure about the color. I like the style (flat loafer mule) although I usually like a bit more of a heel. I wanted a casual warm weather shoe. I’m really not good at pairing shoes with outfits. Any advice about whether to keep these shoes or not? Should I keep looking for a pair in white? Thanks so much! http://www.zappos.com/n/p/p/7273133.html

September 5, 2007 at 6:06 pm

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