By ALEX VAUGHN & ERIC CHRISTIAN
Like many customs past and present, the reason for not wearing white after Labor Day is hard to pinpoint. The rule originally was more ‘Only wear white shoes between Memorial Day and Labor Day’. It applied to white pumps or dress shoes. White tennis shoes and off-white boots seemed to have been exempt, as were any shoes worn by a winter bride. “Winter White” clothing (e.g., cream-colored wool) is acceptable between Labor Day and Memorial Day, too.
The most logical reasoning for the rule that famously infuriated Kathleen Turner in Serial Mom was temperature. Image consultant Nancy Penn suggests that because white reflects light and heat, wearing white would make you cooler in winter, and thus should be avoided. But others suggest the rule stems from a class issue. Acting Director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Valerie Steele, notes that in the late 19th century, and again in the 1950s, more people were entering the middle classes. These nouveau-riche folks were often unaware of the standards of high society, so they were given specific codified rules to follow in order to fit in.
Another bit of folklore states, “Southern girls know bad manners when they see them,” and a clear sign of bad manners is wearing white shoes before Easter or after Labor Day. Because fashions in the American South can be a little more formal than elsewhere, perhaps the no-white-shoes rule came from south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Even Star Jones (an otherwise fashion-forward Southern lady) admits that white shoes “are for Easter Sunday and not the dead of winter.” The rule has been said to have been maintained to ensure that people only wear summer fashions during the actual summer months. The opposite probably applies as well, but people generally don’t need to be reminded to avoid wearing a fur coat in 100-degree weather. As we live in an area with summer temperatures all year-round, there isn’t any harm in wearing white shoes or a head-to-toe white outfit in October. If you are a traditionalist, however, feast your eyes on these top white pieces and enjoy wearing them till Labor Day!
