Who Started the “You Can’t Wear White After Labor Day” Rule

Is not wearing white after Labor Day still a thing?

It’s September 8, the day after Labor Day – are you wearing white?

I must have been in my teens when I first heard the phrase, "You can't wear white after Labor Day". I wasn’t quite sure why that was a thing and to be honest it made no difference to me because 99.9% of my clothes are still black.

But, why was this even a rule – why couldn’t people choose to wear white after Labor Day?

After some online digging, it turns out that it was all about the Benjamin’s – mean girls with old money just trying to psyche out the nouveau riche by manipulating fashion do’s and don’ts that played out in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Another popular reason why people didn’t wear white after Labor Day was because the holiday marks the end of the summer season. As the summer holiday came to an end, families returning from their vacations would put away all of their vacation attire such as airy light tees, dresses, and white clothing, and break out with their darker fall wear.

While no one is sure exactly when or why this fashion rule came into effect - the long-held popular and outdated fashion rules went out the window years ago and wearing white clothes and shoes after Labor Day is totally acceptable, especially if you have some neat white kicks to show off.

In El Paso wearing white after Labor Day is no big thing as summer days and nights linger longer than most places.

(El Paso Fact: We’ve earned the nickname Sun City because on average, there are 297 sunny days per year in El Paso, TX.)

So can you wear white after Labor Day? Absolutely, so break out with your white pants and shoes and get your glow on from head to toe.