One fashion dilemma that many people, both men and women have is whether they should stand by rule of “Not Wearing White after Labor Day”. Now that Labor Day is here, many people are likely to re-evaluate their wardrobes.
However, to understand why a certain sartorial rule exists or not, one must understand its origins.
First of all, it needs to be said that outside of the United States of America, this rule has not even been heard. Maybe perhaps other countries don’t celebrate “Labor Day” at the beginning of the fall, like Americans do.
The saying “don’t wear white after Labor Day” has come to being in the 1900s and has become more and more popular during the 1910s and 20s in the USA. The complete saying was that one should wear white only between Memorial Day and Labor Day. If you look at the calendar, these two days are cultural marks and limits of the summer season.
The saying, however, dates back to the end of the 19th century.
The Real Housewives of the Turn of the Century
The idea of not wearing white after Labor Day became a rule due to the wives of the very rich men of the late 1800s. After the Civil War, many people were millionaires, but a very large number of people became millionaires overnight, due to different factors. To make it hard to become part of the society of the very rich, the before-mentioned women invented rules that only they knew, which would give them a reason to marginalize the people who did not know them. It was, in a way, a secret code. Of course, this was not the only rule that they had made up, but it was one of them.
White as a Practical Color
Soon after, the idea of wearing white only during the summer became popular among civil society as well. The fashion and lifestyle magazines of the time such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, promoted it as a trend. This trend quickly caught on, as it was not just a fad or a temporary thing, it also had good practical implications as well.
From the 1900s to the 1930s, when summer began, many people would leave their homes and travel to sea shores or other environments such as mountain cabins, where they could cool off. During that time period, air conditioning was not an option and fabrics were not as sophisticated or diverse as they are today either. Moreover, people would not wear shorts and t-shirts as they do today, so the only thing they could wear to keep the heat and the rays of the sun away was clothes in very light colors. And, given that white is the lightest color, it was the best options the people of the 1900-1920s had, when it came to summer wear.
After the summer holidays were over, people would come back and stack their clothes back in the closet. You need to remember that back then, people had very few clothes compared to today, and they were very clear on what “summer clothes” were and what “winter clothes” were. The seasons were also better determined back then, as the climate had not been influenced so much. This is how white clothes became a staple of the summer.
Coal White
One more reason why people would wear light clothes only during the summer was because back in the day, people would use coal to heat up their buildings. Therefore, if you were to work with coal dressed in a bright color, it would have gotten dust all over, which would have been extremely visible. So, once the cold season started, the dark clothes had to come out.
As you can see, there were several factors that made not wearing white after Labor Day a rule in our lives. At first, it was an invented rule, then it was a practical thing and a tradition and only after that, it became a saying with no clear reason behind it. But today, none of these things are that relevant or present in our lives, so one can actually wear white whenever.
To conclude, we can say that the only relevance the “don’t wear white after Labor Day” saying has or should have today is a symbolic one, meaning that, once the fall starts, one should consider switching to clothes that are warmer. But you can wear white anytime.
So, we say wear white whenever you want and, since it is a neutral (other neutrals are beige, gray, khaki, tan, ivory, brown, dark blue, black, etc.), you can wear it with anything, so you have a lot of options to go for!
Fraquoh and Franchomme
P.S. Do you follow the “don’t wear white after Labor Day” rule? Why? Do you enjoy wearing light colors in the cool season? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, don’t forget to subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook or Twitter!
2 replies on “Why You Should (Not) Wear White after Labor Day?”
You are most definitely right, I live im Europe and I’ve never cared about this saying!
Yes, the saying has strong cultural roots, it has little to do with actual style!