I have always been a rule follower, which is why I used to follow the fashion rule “No white after Labor Day.” But It wasn’t until I started attending the Fashion Institute of Technology that my outlook on that rule changed.
Classes always started a week or two before Labor Day; we would then have an extended weekend for the holiday. My first year at FIT I noticed it was after Labor Day and my peers were still wearing white jeans, and white blouses. I remember thinking to myself “All of these fashion students are breaking one of the biggest fashion rules!?”
Shocked, I decided to do some digging. AKA I did what every millennial does and Googled “Can you wear white after Labor Day?” I ended up reading through about 10 articles and even learned the history of how the rule came about.
It all started back in the late 19th century. For those men and women who had the money to leave the city during the Summer months, white was considered vacation attire ONLY. When Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894, society eventually adopted it as the natural endpoint of Summer. White dresses, trousers and linens went away for the colder months, and in exchange the dark clothes came out. Of course September always has those hot days, and wearing white, light-weight clothes made the most sense, but if you wanted to fit in, then you just didn’t wear it.
Needless to say the super-rich high society women ruled during this time and felt it was necessary to create dozens of fashion rules that everyone in the know felt obligated to follow.
However it originated, no one in 2019 should feel the need to follow this rule. This is quite possibly the prettiest blouse in my closet at the moment (Thank you SheIn). Yes, its white, yes its long sleeve, and yes I will be wearing this ALL Fall/Winter long. My point is white clothing is seasonless.
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