Labor Day weekend has come and gone and I am sure most of us are back in the swing of things with life / work / school. And we all know that one rule: don’t wear white after Labor Day! Honestly, growing up, I didn’t understand why and always thought it was an American culture thing because I never heard of it elsewhere, especially not in Chinese cultures. So basically, I always thought that rule was BOGUS! I decided to look into and see why we weren’t suppose to wear white after Labor Day and you all…THERE IS NO REASON! Supposedly, there is no historical context on how this “rule” came into play. There are several theories out there though and I thought it would be fun to share them with you.
Overall, all the theories stated that this “rule” started with the upper class back when Labor Day was enacted. Back in the day, white was mostly worn in the summer to stay cool and since Labor Day marked the end of the summer, white was to be put away because it was more likely to get dirtier in the fall with rain and such. Wearing white in the summer just made sense…apparently not so much in the fall/winter. It was typically the elite class that would stop wearing white after Labor Day as a sign of end of winter and entering into the “darker months ahead”. As time went on, the middle class grew as well as “new money” families and the “old money” class wanted to be more distinct in their wardrobe so they continued to follow this rule. Essentially, this rule used to be made to establish elitism. It was mainly followed by women of that time and only a few hundred! Somehow, it has trickled down to everyone 100+ years later.
I think with recent times, it has been established that this rule does NOT have to be followed. Coco Chanel herself disregarded this rule and wore white ALL YEAR LONG! Because I have never understood this rule, I have never followed it. It’s 2018 guys, we have AC and heat systems — there is no need to wear “darker colors” in the fall/winter haha. And also, that whole elitism thing is complete BS — wear white whenever you want to and don’t let this stupid trend with no concrete history dictate your fashion! I know I am going to continue wearing white allll fall and winter long.
This dress from Lulu’s is my prime example of why you can’t let this rule stand in the way of your shopping and fashion! I love white in the fall//winter because it’s such a beautiful contrast against all the dark of the season like sweaters/weather. I even think that it looks so beautiful against the white snow in the winter! I’ve worn so outfits with white pants/sweaters and have loved all of them. I have always believed that people should wear whatever color/styles/clothes they want! So go and wear that white — stop listening to all that useless BS!
A million and one thanks for reading — until my next lil’ thought then!
xx Jen
45 Comments
I actually don’t remember that rule because I rarely hear it anymore lol, but girl, I wear it all year! Hahaa your outfit so cute, love the heels 🙂
http://www.myclusterofthoughts.com/
hahah i still hear people talking about it when out walking one day! and thank you so much!
xx jen
Loooove the dress girlie <3
xoxo
thank you so much serene!
xx jen
I completely agree with you! I’m ALL for wearing white after Labor Day!
-Emily | http://www.TheEmilyEdition.com
YESSS — in fact I wore white pants today ahah
xx jen
Screw the rules! You look fab in white!!!
Darriyan x
http://www.darriyancateland.co.uk
wooo my thoughts exactly!! and thank you!
xx jen
Oh yes, the rule is definitely worth throwing out the window for dresses like THIS! You look so beautiful in this floral beauty 🙂
aglassofice.com x
ahhh thank you SO MUCH!
xx jen
wow, what an interesting post! I also didn’t know about that before. I mean I’ve heard about the ‘no-white after labor day’ but now I learnt the why. I think nowadays you just gotta wear what you love, and that dress looks absolutely stunning on you!! thank you for sharing x
have a wonderful day!
yesss i totally agree with you grace! I was so surprised when i heard those people talking about continuing to follow that rule! thanks for reading!
xx jen
This dress looks so cute!Wonderful pictures:-)
http://www.lostindaydreams.com/
thank you so much olga!
xx jen
That’s so silly lol. Can wear white all day everyday and your dress is simply amazing. Adore it. Have an amazing day. xx
Andreea,
http://couturezilla.com/
right?? such a dumb rule haha — thank you so much for your sweet words + for commenting!
xx jen
That’s such a cute dress on you dear! Love the neckline, so sexy and flattering on you. Perfect length too!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
thank you so much jessica! I am in love with this dress!
xx jen
I don’t usually wear white, not even on Labour Day, but I say just wear whatever you want whenever you want! Interesting story behind the “no white after Labour Day” myth tho 😛 -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
yesss i think so too! we should wear what we want ahah
xx jen
What a fun read! Love hearing where the rule came from. Super cute dress too!
xx Jenifer
https://www.theevolista.com
haha thank you so much–it was so interesting to read about the history!
xx jen
The labor day is not so loud in my country.
Your dress is pretty
https://www.melodyjacob.com/
thank you so much! and i know it’s mainly in the US!
xx jen
You look super stunning dear
https://www.abdelkhalekleblog.com/
thank you so much!
xx jen
Oh very cute dress darling
xx
thank you so much!
xx jen
Such a great post Jen! So interesting, isn’t it amazing how we follow these ‘rules” and don’t know why! Good for you on questioning that! I had not heard of this rule but I live in Australia but I found it so interesting! This dress is super adorable on you too! xx
http://www.rediscoveringmystyle.com
thank you so much for your kind words janet – i thought this was so interesting too and had to look into it and share with everyone! I swear the USA has so many random ways that we don’t even know the history of! thanks so much for reading!
xx jen
I recently heard of this rule and wondered where it came from, so thanks for sharing! Your dress is really cute 🙂
http://innapishtoy.com
yesss i was so curious!! thank you so much!
xx jen
Such a nice dress honey!! Love it!
thank you so much!
xx jen
Your dress is so pretty! Love that you’re “breaking” the rule!
http://www.fashionradi.com
haha thank you so much!
xx jen
Hi Jen!!
You look adorable 🙂
kisses
Elisa
http://desiresinstyle.com/
thank you!
xx jen
I Love the neckline
I don’t believe in stuff like that, quite superstitious. There is no such thing I think. Just wear whatever you want and have fun with it, that’s it.
StyleSprinter Blog by Katya Bychkova
yes i agree with you 100%!!
xx jen
EXACTLY!! That rule is just plain silly haha. That dress looks stunning on you!
https://jessysfashionbook.com
yesss girl!! and thank you so much!
xx jen
A beautiful summer dress and great pictures … as always 😉
thank you so much babe!
xx jen