by Dawn Rutt

Created on: August 05, 2010

While wearing white after Labor Day is no longer taboo, there once was a time when it was considered a major fashion faux pas. By the 1950’s it was considered an unbendable, unalterable fashion truth. But why? What began the trend in the first place?

One common theory is based in practicality. Before air conditioners were standard in homes and cars, it was much more difficult to stay cool. Dressing was more formal and  the extremely casual summer attire worn today would have been very inappropriate then. It has been suggested that white was worn during summer simply as an added measure to stay cool. A white suit would have been much more comfortable in the soaring summer heat than a navy one would have been. And when the temperature changed, so did the need for cooler clothes. As the seasons changed, the chance of rain and snow increased and with that, so did the likelihood of soiling a immaculate white outfit. Which does make sense.

But as Valerie Steele, director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology was quoted as saying in the 2009 Time article;

“Very rarely is there an actual functional reason for a fashion rule.”

Which leads to the belief that the law may actually be symbolic. Historians believe that, as the most popular color choice for the affluent, white represented the contrast between the wealthy and the less so.  White was the main color of  the leisure look that the rich adopted when they traveled to more comfortable climates to avoid the heat. The less fortunate commoners were not wealthy enough to flee the sweltering drab urban areas during the summer months. It also may have represented the fine line between those who believed themselves to be one of the influential “old money” elite.

Of course, even that theory is not possible to prove and since the 1920s there has been active resistance to the fashion rule. Coco Chanel was one of the first who disregarded the guideline and wore white year round. More and more people are following in her footsteps and even etiquette expert, Emily Post, gives the go-ahead to wear white year round in her 2004 publication of the 17th Edition of Emily Post’s Etiquette.   

While some in the fashion industry still obey the No-White-After-Labor-Day rule, the majority have long stopped storing away their white  for the summer and don it proudly, all year round.

Source:

Time Magazine, Accessed August 5, 2010

Labour Day, Accessed August 5, 2010

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