White after Labor Day

It's a slow Friday night here and I've found myself sucked into another edition of TLC's What Not to Wear. I must admit I have a tiny fascination with fashion, but wouldn't dare wear half of what I think looks stylish or hip.

Every time I catch the show I sit there and take stock of what I'm wearing and how it stacks up to the participant on the show. Tonight I definitely win! But I wore white shorts today and it dawned on me that it's after Labor Day - oh my, what a faux pas? So I'm curious, just what is the reasoning behind this strange rule? So, like any curious soul, I headed over to Yahoo Answers to find out.

Originally, the rule was more along the lines of "Only wear white shoes between Memorial Day and Labor Day." Furthermore, it mainly applied to white pumps or dress shoes. White tennis shoes and off-white boots seem exempt, as are any shoes worn by a winter bride. "Winter white" clothing (e.g., cream-colored wool) is acceptable between Labor Day and Memorial Day too.

The only logical reasoning we could find cited temperature. Image consultant Nancy Penn suggests that because white reflects light and heat, wearing white would make you cooler in winter, and thus should be avoided. But others suggest the rule stems from a class issue. Acting Director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology Valerie Steele notes that in the late 19th century and the 1950s, more people were entering the middle classes. These nouveau-riche folks were often unaware of the standards of high society, so they were given specific codified rules to follow in order to fit in.

Several sites quoted a charming refrain about G.R.I.T.S. -- girls raised in the South. This bit of folklore states, "Southern girls know bad manners when they see them," and a clear sign of bad manners is wearing white shoes before Easter or after Labor Day. Because fashions in the American South can be a little more formal than elsewhere, perhaps the no-white-shoes rule came from south of the Mason-Dixon Line? Even Star Jones (an otherwise fashion-forward Southern lady) admits that white shoes "are for Easter Sunday and not the dead of winter."

We can only surmise that the point of this rule is to ensure that people only wear summer fashions during the actual summer months. The opposite probably applies as well, but people generally don't need to be reminded to avoid wearing a goose-down parka in 100-degree weather. If you live in a locale with summer temperatures year-round, we can't see the harm in wearing white shoes or a head-to-toe white outfit in October.

I guess that makes sense - and since I find myself in 90-100 degree Las Vegas heat, I'm going to assume my white shorts are okay. Okay, back to my boring Friday night.