breaking the rules
We observe Memorial Day to remember the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Many a female fashion lover also tacks on an additional meaning to the day – the day they can begin wearing white for the Summer. In fact, I’ve heard it all my life – “No white before Memorial Day or after Labor Day.” As my nephew would say “But why, Aunt Susan? Why?” As a conscientious fashion rule-breaker (I’ve been known to wear white in early April if the weather cooperates), I wanted to understand this oft-repeated fashion rule.
There are many explanations – the most practical one being that it was simply a way to keep cool in the summertime. Before the days of air conditioning (and our more casual shorts and tank tops), white clothing was lighter weight and reflected heat.
Others blame the fashion editors of New York City. With their four seasons, white kept them cool in the Summertime but might not make sense in the rainy Autumn months when white could get splashed and muddied by a passing carriage or vehicle. They reflected their sensibilities in the pages of their magazines, which dictated to the rest of the country what they should and should not do from a fashion standpoint.
One of the most popular lines of thought comes from a time when “Summer” was still a verb and the elite class would leave the city at the start of the Summer season. Time Magazine wrote in a 2009 article that the well-to-do vacation wardrobe had white as the uniform of choice. Dark clothing was prominent in cities year round in the 1930s so wearing white after Memorial Day indicated that you had exited the city for a Summer of leisure. By the mid-20th century, the “no white before Memorial Day or after Labor Day” rule had become a hard and fast way to draw class lines and educate the “nouveau riche” on the prevailing etiquette of the time.
But not everyone fell prey to the “wearing white” rule. One of Stylebook’s favorite icons, Coco Chanel, made white a year-round staple as early as the 1920s. Even Emily Post gave the go-ahead in 2004 to wear white in the period after Labor Day and before Memorial Day. If Coco, Emily, AND Alexandria Stylebook tell you it is ok to break the rules, what are you waiting for?
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2 Comments
Growing up my mother drilled in my head, “white was not worn until after Easter and not after Labor Day.” I have always followed this rule. Just a few weeks ago, she tells me no white before Memorial Day and that is the way it has always been. I argued with her about what she had taught me growing up. She was adamant that I was wrong and she had not told me after Easter. Ironic to read your blog today, but I still know what she told all those years ago.
Yes, our mothers told us “no white before Memorial Day or after Labor Day”, BUT in this century we can be flexible and/or sensible and let the weather and our location/situation guide us!