If you grew up anything like me, each Easter you'd pull out a new pair of white Sunday shoes and wear them every week with your dresses, until Labor Day came. From then until the next Easter, it was dark shoes only. Decades later, though, you might be asking: What is that rule about no white after Labor Day, and when can you start wearing it again? Can you wear white after Labor Day in the South? Who started this "rule"? And is it still followed today? Here we answer all those questions and more in a primer on the white after Labor Day rule (and even how to break it), with quotes from fashion experts to back it all up.
Look around at movies and celebrities, and you'll see plenty of evidence of a rule broken (and also a rule followed). As you shop those Labor Day sales (there's so much discounted on Amazon for the holiday!) and partake in Labor Day activities like tailgating or taking a road trip, you can also start plotting out your wardrobe for those early fall, still-warm-but-you're-over-your-summer-clothes days with the white rule (or lack thereof) in mind.
What is the rule about no white after Labor Day?
An unwritten etiquette rule followed by many for years held that white garments and shoes were only worn in the summer, which officially came to its a close on Labor Day after the national holiday was established in 1894.
Who started the no white after Labor Day rule?
There is no one person or group who started the practice. Instead, there are a few historical explanations that started in the 1800s.
For one, wearing white was a way to stay cool in hot summer months. “Not only was there no air-conditioning, but people did not go around in T-shirts and halter tops. They wore what we would now consider fairly formal clothes,” Judith Martin, aka etiquette columnist Miss Manners, told TIME. “And white is of a lighter weight.”
White also became fashionable for well-to-do Americans on summer holiday, a contrast from darker hues worn by the working class in urban areas to befit their daily labor. "By the end of the 19th century, upper-class Americans escaped the summer heat of the city by retreating to the countryside or seaside, where white clothing remained free of the inevitable grime of the increasingly industrialized urban centers," Amanda Hallay, the fashion historian behind The Ultimate Fashion History, told Harper's Bazaar. "This was a sartorially social divide—only those who could afford to wear white could wear white. Not only did the wealthy summer in the far-cleaner countryside, but should their beautiful white dresses get dirty, they had servants to launder them."
Whatever the origins, by the mid-20th century no white after Labor Day had become a custom for polite society, and those aspiring upward mobility could, in part, earn their way in by following such rules.
Still, the rule found resistance in high fashion over the years it was followed. Starting in the 1920s, French fashion designer Coco Chanel wore white year-round as a permanent part of her wardrobe.
Coco Chanel in a white suite in the early 1950s
Do you still have to follow the no white after Labor Day rule?
The answer is NO. For most, the rule no longer applies, so you can style white in your outfits into fall and winter and then back into the spring. And the lack of rule applies everywhere, even the South. According to the Emily Post Institute, white can be worn 365 days a year now. What matters more today is fabric than color. Case in point: Marion Cotillard's mermaid-inspired cream dress she sported in 2008 for her Academy Award acceptance speech and the white silk chiffon Jason Wu gown Michelle Obama wore for her husband's first inaugural ball in 2009 in Washington, D.C.
How should you wear white after Labor Day then?
You can wear it however you like! “There are no rules," lifestyle expert and TV host Kathy Buccio told TODAY. "Yes, you can wear all the white in the world if you want.”
As temperatures cool, put away your white linen and spaghetti strap shirts but leave out other white staples to transition them into fall. Pair white sleeved shirts and blouses, white pants and denim, white dresses, white boots, and white sneakers with darker fall essentials and layers—think sweaters and pants and jackets and darker shoes, maybe even some animal print.
And then when it gets real cool outside, there’s winter white—think white knit and cable sweaters, cashmere sweaters, white sneakers, and white turtlenecks—that you can sport until temperatures warm up in the spring.
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Madoline Markham
Assistant Managing Editor
Madoline Markham is the assistant managing editor for Country Living, where she covers shopping, home decor, news, and culture.
FAQs
To wear white was a subtle way of showing you weren't doing the landscaping, cooking, or cleaning—or, well, manual labor at all. When fall came, the wealthy packed their whites away. They didn't need to wear them: the temperatures had cooled, the tennis tournaments had finished. But they also couldn't wear them.
Why can't you wear white after Labor Day Yahoo answers? ›
According to the Farmer's Almanac, the concept of not wearing white after Labor Day started in the 19th century as a way for the upper class to separate themselves from the working class.
What is the superstition about wearing white after Labor Day? ›
Steele suggests that refusing to wear white after Labor Day may have been a sign that the wearer was rich enough to reserve the paler colors for summer retreats. She says: “You're back in the city, back at school, back doing whatever you're doing in the fall — and so you have a new wardrobe.”
What colors should not be worn after Labor Day? ›
The rule to stop wearing white clothing after Labor Day has persisted through generations of tradition, but even so, there are plenty of people who have reinterpreted this old-fashioned standard to wear white all year long.
Who started the No White after Labor Day? ›
If you could wear white, it often was an indication that you had means and that you didn't do manual labor and you could afford a vacation.” But who exactly started this rule and established it? Sinclair said it was the wealthy women who came from old money who wanted to separate themselves from society.
What is the significance of wearing white? ›
White later became the preferred color because it symbolizes cleanliness and purity.
When can you start wearing white again? ›
While there are many who still choose to live by the tradition-based guideline that you must wait until Memorial Day to wear white, there are others who favor a different date: Easter. In fact, Easter is sometimes seen as the true mark of being able to break out your best whites, and it does make sense in some ways.
Can I wear white now in Florida? ›
Etiquette expert Elaine Swann is on board: “It's perfectly fine to wear white after Labor Day whether you are on the West Coast in California or southeast in Florida or in the northern part of our nation in New York.
Why can't you wear white on Memorial Day? ›
By the 1950s, women's magazines started making this “no white after Labor Day” rule more public. Wearing white only between Memorial Day and Labor Day now signified that a lady was part of the in-the-know fashion club.
Why is it a sin to wear white after Labor Day? ›
However, some historians believe that while, on the one hand, it had to do with simply dressing appropriately for the weather, it may have also been a symbol of wealth. According to Farmer's Almanac, wearing white became a visible way to separate the wealthy from the working class in the early 1800s.
Once confined to the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, white jeans—along with their bone, ecru, and ivory cousins—have become year-round staples. We're expecting to see more of them than ever in 2024, considering how much they're popping up in street style.
Can you wear white to a funeral? ›
If you're uncertain about the cultural norms or preferences of the funeral you're attending, sticking to universally accepted colors like black, gray, white or navy is a safe bet. These colors are subdued and respectful, making them suitable for most funeral settings across different cultures.
Why is it rude to wear white after Labor Day? ›
So, what's the history behind this out-of-date decree? It's actually more interesting than you'd think. According to the Farmer's Almanac, the concept of not wearing white after Labor Day started in the 19th century as a way for the upper class to separate themselves from the working class.
What should I stop wearing after Labor Day? ›
Where did the rule of not wearing white after Labor Day come from? USA Today reports found that this fashion rule can be traced all the way back to the turn of the century. The rule was originally quietly spread by the old money elite as to distinguish themselves from the 'nouveau riche,' or newly wealthy.
Can I wear white jeans after Labor Day? ›
Just because Labor Day has come and gone doesn't mean you must pack away your favorite white jeans or slacks. Contrary to the old-fashioned “rule,” we're here to tell you that white pants can absolutely be rocked during the colder months.
How long after Labor Day can you not wear white? ›
The old-fashioned decree bans us from wearing white during the winter and spring, from Labor Day in September till May Day (another day designated to celebrate workers' rights). One popular theory dates back to the early 1900s.
What does it mean to wear white on New Year's? ›
In many different countries, wearing a certain color on New Year's Eve is an age-old tradition. For example, in Brazil, people wear white to bring peace into the new year. In Italy, red is the color to don for success.
When can I start wearing white again? ›
While there are many who still choose to live by the tradition-based guideline that you must wait until Memorial Day to wear white, there are others who favor a different date: Easter.
