That led to a conversation about the fashion rule about not wearing white after Labor Day in the United States and where it started. By this time his assistant had entered the room, but none of us had an answer to the question. I decided to come home and ask my friend Google if it did. I learned that there was no definitive answer, but several sources provided parts of one.
The Farmer's Almanac had a couple of thoughts. The first was that lightweight fabrics like cotton and linen are neutral-colored in their natural state, and reflect light, so they were cooler in summer heat. Another was that wealthy people were able to vacation in places were light, breezy clothes were appropriate (and have the means to have a second wardrobe when things cooled off). The ability to box up white clothes turned into a sign of sophistication.
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Vogue added that those wealthy people had the means to leave the city for ocean or lakeside locations in the summer. In the early 19th century "uniforms" for popular sports like tennis were always white because it hid sweat. It also did not hide dirt, so wearing white was a way of showing you didn't need to do manual labor. When the weather cooled off and the privileged returned to their cities the dirt streets they had to walk on would quickly soil white clothes, and by the time the streets were paved the habit of putting the white away was ingrained.
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Not only do I never wear white AFTER Labour Day, I never wear white BEFORE it, either. I am a true snob's snob.
ReplyDeleteGood for you!
DeleteWorkers had to wear white shirts to show they had clean clothes on when they showed up for work on the morning.
ReplyDeleteSterile and clean.
DeleteThis is really interesting and it makes a lot of sense. It also made it clear which strata of society you belonged in.
ReplyDeleteYes it did.
DeleteI don't own any white clothes. I am too messy when eating.
ReplyDelete:-)
DeleteInteresting
ReplyDeleteAn interesting little romp. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I own anything white. Oh wait, these cover-ups for work. Wore them last year and never since. They might not make the move, we'll see. Either way, always thought the white rule was silly.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's silly, but (even though I'm trying my best to remove it) ingrained in my brain.
DeleteHmmm, I have had this ingrained into me for years. However just since moving to the south I have seen it done well. Where I grew up it was beginning to cool off after labor day. Not here. Went to dinner in late Sept last year. It was 89degrees that evening as we left. The woman I was with was wearing a pair of white jeans and a light blazer. I thought it looked great. I now see no need to live by that rule. But once you've done it for ages, it's hard to let go but I'm trying like hell.
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