Labor Day, celebrated in the U.S. on the first Monday of September, marked the traditional end of summer; where it was time to ditch the summer duds and dust off our darker-colored fall clothing. It’s back in the city, back to school, & onto a new fall wardrobe. That line in the “Dukes of Hazzards” always rings in my ear and makes me laugh… “Don’t ya know you’re not supposed to wear white after Labor Day!” It’s funny, but it makes ya think twice… For centuries, wearing white in the summer was simply a way to stay cool and with all the magazines centered in big cities and in northern climates the color white was considered a season! In the hot summer months, white clothing kept New York fashion editors cool, however, moving forward into fall with heavy rain and mud it was too risky for a white ensemble. Harper’s Bazaar & Vogue set the tone for our country and it became a fashion rule “NOT” to wear white after Labor Day!
Then in the 1920’s came along…. Coco Chanel who made white a year-round staple! Fashion rules are meant to be broken by those who can pull it off and white looks really fresh when people aren't expecting it. Today’s fashionista’s get as many ideas from blogs and friends as from magazines and Fashion Week and more people than ever are breaking the rule. Even etiquette author Emily Post gave us the go-ahead for wearing white after Labor Day! So we gave it a new name calling it Winter White! Whether it’s a color, a season, or a fashion statement… “Don’t ya know NOW… it’s ok to wear white after Labor Day!
