Why You Shouldn’t Wear White After Labor Day
**Secret Revealed**
Labor Day is a popular holiday in the United States and Canada, observed on the first Monday of September.
According to the US Department of labor, it’s “a creation of the labor movement.” Therefore, it only seems fitting that we celebrate by not going to work — it is a Federal holiday in both the US and Canada.
Labor Day also marks the last day people should wear white (until Memorial Day in May). About 10 years ago, I was schooled on this manner of etiquette.
I was walking downtown by myself and it was pretty late. As I turned the corner onto another street I saw two tough guys walking toward me. I noticed that one guy got visibly angry when he saw me. I didn’t know the guy and I didn’t know what problem he could possibly have with me.
I held my ground and I kept walking toward them, trying not to look at them. But, just as we were passing I looked up, either to say “hey” in a friendly way or just to block a punch if that was the case. The one guy yelled at me, “Don’t wear white after labor day.”
I was really surprised. Based on the his outfit, I would not have guessed he was the fashion police, but maybe he was undercover.
That’s a completely true story and I laugh about it now, but at the time I was pretty scared when I saw his reaction to me.
In my defense, I was wearing khaki.
Historically, the rule only applied to white dress shoes and high heels. In the 50s and 60s, the middle class extrapolated this rule to include other clothing.
Some believe it was practical advise, since white clothing would be tough to keep clean in the winter. Others say that white clothing was typical dress for members of high society during summer holidays and was too casual for getting back to serious business when summer had finished. In the 1950s, the middle class was growing and they were given simplified rules of high society to help them fit in, including the rule about white after labor day.
In the latest edition of Emily Post’s Etiquette, the ban was lifted on wearing white after labor day. In fact, some now consider it very fashion forward to do so.
If you’re old fashioned and are shy about trading in this tradition, you should know that cream colored wool has always been exempt. So, go ahead and wear cream (at your own risk).
Chad Upton is the editor-in-chief of Broken Secrets and an official Yahoo Answers contributor.
Thanks for reading,
Sources: Dept of Labor, Wikipedia, Wise Geek, Time, Yahoo
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I wear whatever I want… never followed that “rule”: and have never had anyone comment about it either.
Thanks for the info, I did not knows this!
everyday is after labor day dummy
Depends where you live, sometimes people in Canada wake up to colder temps and the “darker” clothing keeps them warm, especially when it gets later in the summer.
For example, an 80F day in the Midwest might only be a 40F day where I live. By wearing something dark on a sunny day, you feel warmer.
Naturally, living in Cali, you probably wouldn’t get the concept!! LOL!!
I’ll wear what ever I want. I’ll even wear white socks and white underwear if I want to. if people have an issue with it then they really need to get out more
But every day is after a Labor Day until the next Labor Day.
Well it’s after Labor Day and I’m wearing a lovely white t-shirt. Whoops
I here you NC; it iz still hot as hell down here in the south
So if it’s the day before labor day it is also the day after the last labor day? Same with labor day? Can I wear white on labor day since every day is after labor day? Or is it black? Or should I wear creme on the day before labor day. And the days after? What if its the day before, after, and labor day at the same time? What do I wear???
the purpose of freedom, wear what you want where you want.
I only wear white after Labor day.
Im poor so I will wear white t shirts anyways because I dont have money to buy new clothes. so rednecks will not fit in your catagorie.
That “No white after Labor Day” rule, became outdated in the ’80s.
It was “fashion forward” to wear white after Labor Day, 25 years ago (that’s when I started blowing off that antiquated rule).
any good southern girl knows this and *still* abides by it!
Whatever happened to winter white? I look fabulous in my fake fur fuzzy hat, humongous fake fur boots, white winter wool coat, white leggins and white scarf. Yes, I am the Snow Queen and I shall wear an ice blue wig and matching lipstick. Take that Lady Gaga! XD
That is a stupid rule and only sheep follow. Wear whatever color you want.
so?
i’ll wear what i want dear.
and if the gop gets what it wants it’ll still be.. wish i was laboring today but instead i’m recovering my unemployment check.
I never understood this tradition. But then again, I was born within a generation that both doesn’t care nor does it matter.
I have a pair of white shoes… my only pair of shoes. Try and stop me.
Would khaki count as a white? Dumb question, yes but I really would like to know.
There’s really only one fashion question: “Blue Levi’s or black Levi’s?” – unless you’re a traditionalist, in which case it’s always blue Levi’s.
If you’re the grammar police, be aware that “Levi’s” is the correct usage, unlike the majority of cases, in which grammar perps attempt to form a plural using an apostrophe followed by the letter “s.”
I had always assumed that not wearing white after the temperatures start to drop was practical and a way to keep from catching cold. I say this because darker colors absorb more light and thus produce more heat. A side note our use of asphalt on roads is considered by some to contribute to global warming. (it’s an awful lot of black.)
I’m pretty sure this is just an old and outdated fashion rule-of-thumb, not an etiquette issue.
Besides, the upper classes dress like the middle class nowadays, not the other way around. You know who wears business suits nowadays? Lawyers, politicians, salesmen and other keeping-up-appearances types who are trying to come across as authoritative and trustworthy. You know who doesn’t? The CEO of the company I work for. Neither does Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Phil Knight (never seen him in anything but jeans and a blazer)…you know, actual rich people. Celebrities dress like teenagers well into their forties. So no fashion rule could possibly be more outdated than one that tries to mimic old-fashioned high society.
This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard! If my work uniform is white then I shouldn’t wear it because it is an offense? Who cares what people say about fashion!!! Besides I bought a cute white hoodie SPECIFICALLY for the colder wheather; I definetly didn’t buy it for summer… politicians….
What a jerk! I’d be spooked too if some random dude yelled at me over my clothing. And then I would threaten to taze his ass if he so much as looked at me cross-eyed ever again.
Maybe it’s to keep us from getting lost in a snowstorm. Nice article!
I live in the UK, so have never abided by this rule. Which is good cause I’m wearing white right now and its Sept 7th, lol! x
Seriously? Wow. I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal. I will where whatever I damn well please.
As a kid I only knew the no white shoes rule…but I didn’t know we had to wait till May! We always got white shoes for Easter.
It wasn’t until college I learned it was no white totally (no white pants or skirts).
I don’t think khaki counts…else I’m in trouble!
Why in the world would it be easier to keep white clothing clean in the summer? Seems to me that with camping and gardening, etc. that the opposite would be true.
Logic fail either way. Wear what you want, when you want!
I never bothered with the nonsense, as I can see only one practical reason for it. White reflects all energy waves in sunlight and is the excellent color for keeping cool. Black (and other dark colors) absorbs more energy, black absorbing the most frequencies, and therefore absorbs more heat. Therefore you wear black in winter to keep warm and white in summer to keep cool.
This is a load of bollocks. Are you Americans trying to be like the UK again? Face it, it’s going to take more than a few fake traditions to reach our standards.
Complete fabrication.
Makes me want to wear white even more. Where I live in Orange County, CA, there are many conservative people. I love wearing baggy shorts in public for them to see. Not just baggy shorts from Macy’s or whatever. I’m talking about full on ghetto shorts that I get from the Anaheim Indoor Marketplace. I’m a size 34 waist so I got a size 38. I wear them low and often pulled down some at the butt. The shorts reach down to mid calf level. Extra wide all the way down. Some nice ghetto embroidery on the giant back pockets, which are at hamstring level. I even wear boxer shorts over my briefs to complete the look. I wear these things low with a belt to secure it. Halfway down the butt. If I’m going to preppy places like Dana Point Harbor, anywhere in Irvine, places like that, I be sure to wear my ghetto shorts. Walking amidst all the Paul Ryan looking preppies. The more people tell other people what to wear, the more I’m gonna wear clothing that offends them.
I assumed the rule was about white being a special very cool color — wear white during the hot part of the year and not during the cool/cold part of the year.
I was never “trained” to conform.
Today’s temperatures rising well into the 80′s, locals strive toward comfort over conformity.
I wore a cream-color slack w. a navy color dress shirt to church this morning and no one chastigated me.
How long “after” Labor day does THIS RULE apply?
I must admit that when I lived in a cold clime, I wore white one time after Labor Day and felt quite uncomfortable. It was a chilly day, I was wearing white, white slacks and a white shirt and I felt very inappropriately dressed. Except for white wool, I never wore white again after Labor Day. The ‘not until Memorial Day’ is not such a hard and fast rule, after the winter blahs the right white cloths with colorful accents like your shirts or blouses was always a welcome sight once spring had finally come.
What about business attire? The most common color for button up shirt’s for business men is white. Were they suppose to wear different colors then, or was it more for casual attire?
Not wearing white after Labor Day, refers to shoes, purses, & white pants. Not white t-shirts & the like. “Winter white” is exempt.
P.S. Khaki is NOT white.
It’s nobody’s business what you wear or when you wear it at anytime. My daughter wears her pj’s or or scrubs most of the time all day even going to the store. I see lots of people, both men and women in their pj’s in the store especially after evening starts. I see women with curlers in their hair or pinned up out of the way. At least they are more dressed than the majoriety of people out there now in nothing on the top exposing most of their upper front or half their bottoms pulled down exposing the buttox. If that is ok then so is white or any other color someone wishes to wear…. no matter what the season is.
If people are going to be silly about what days occur when and after what occasion, I wish they would do so elsewhere.
anything one think cool to wear any time is not a big deal, dress moderately is the hallmark.
You only shouldn’t wear white in areas it snows. The white color looks dingy and becomes dirty. I don’t see many cars up north either. Nowadays no one cares when you wear white; I just don’t when it snows.