Can I still wear white?

Courtesy The Good Life - Houston Chronicle

Happy Labour Day, America!
The first Monday in September is celebrated as Labour Day.

A day set aside to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers.

Labour Day is also viewed here in the USA as the end of summer, as many schools have either reopened after a long summer holiday, or are preparing to reopen.

(It is really very tempting to use this as a launchpad for a conversation on unemployment and the adverse effects of the recession on the workforce - but I don't know enough about this(!) - so I'll just focus on what I do know :-))

I have a different issue with Labour Day.

You see, it's right about this time that I start worrying about what to wear. What is socially acceptable?

Apparently, it's a fashion faux-pas to wear anything White after Labour Day. (Not sure the origins, but it seems to be a fairly well-known fact)

I had a different view about white articles of clothing - they kept you cool on a hot day, they made you look cool (white linen slacks on a cool, breezy day is extremely appealing), they could be worn all summer long (just alternate the other pieces that go with it - pretty much like you would do with a pair of jeans and several basic tees) and finally, nothing says professional and ready for business like a crisp white shirt! Or so I thought...

My local newspaper actually ran an article on whether or not it was acceptable to wear white after Labour Day and I've listed some of the comments from the article below with my remarks. Be kind!

• Avoid head to toe white. (There goes my Skiing-in-the-Alps ensemble, which I usually wear when I go grocery shopping at my local grocery store! Not!) 
• Select appropriate material - white cashmere, luxe sweaters, crisp white shirts. (Out goes the linen and tissue thin fabrics. But the crisp white shirt stays! Seriously though, tissue thin shirts in winter time?!)
• Try outerwear - faux leather, fur, cardigans, jackets. (Ok, this makes sense)
• Use white as an accent - pearls, large white watch, French tip manicure (Will a bright smile with sparkling white teeth work?)
• No white shoes (Oh dear!) 

Fashion victims - take notes and make sure you do not fall short of these commandments!
On the other hand, if you are just happy to find a clean outfit that fits(!) in your closet, then you probably don't care about White after Labour Day!

Summer is definitely over.....