White After Labor Day??

I've always been told that you shouldn't wear white after Labor Day. I now wonder....where did that come from? I was reading about Labor Days past and found that after the civil war, many snobbish upper class women set down some silly rules about fashion. They wanted to be fashionable, and their choices in color would tell them who the people in the know really were. In those days when Sept. came, it might have been more sensible to wear white...because of the extreme heat and no air conditioning, but if you were in the know....you suffered with heavy dark colors. White was for weddings, picnics, outdoor band concerts, and ice cream socials. Labor Day came into being in 1894 and society adopted this date to stop wearing white.

Not everyone followed this rule. Many women in society still wore white...rebels that they were. The famous fashion designer, Coco Chanel wore white year round. This rule was enforced by only a few hundred socialites, but by the 1950's women's magazines got the ball rolling, so to speak, and everyone started to follow.

Today pretty much anything goes, but wearing white after Labor Day is one rule that many adhere to....just because of some uppity women over 100 yrs ago.

I've never worn a lot of white. A pair of white pants, a pair of cropped pants.... is about all I can think of in my wardrobe. I've never liked white shoes. Except for white bucks and saddle shoes in the 1950's.....and then at that time....I followed the trends. After all everyone else had saddle shoes. To tell the truth, I didn't really like them....I would much rather wear a pair of penny loafers. 

So, this is a rule that is not hard for me to follow. 

Tomorrow we move the calendar ahead another month. Time is moving fast and before we know it Christmas will be upon us with all the preparations that holiday imposes on us. Let's try to breathe and relax and have a pleasant fall. The kids are back in school, the cicadas are buzzing, the leaves are falling, the gardens are less work, more time to sit on the porch, cider to sip, those delicious apple cider donuts are at the market, soon pumpkins and gourds at farm stands, fall festivals, comforters on the bed, a cozy fire in the fireplace. Oh, it's a lot to look forward to......but first....put those white shoes back in the closet. 

Balisha