It’s that time of year again. When people are panicking about whether they should wear white after Labour Day.  This is an old fashion rule and most people have no idea where that rule came from.  I’m sure you’ve been caught wondering if you should still wear your white pants or shoes after the last holiday weekend of summer.  Well, I’ll tell you right now that you should just ignore that rule.  It’s so passe.  That rule is meant to be broken.  It’s the 21st century and time to embrace new rules of fashion.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THE HISTORY THAT ‘WHITE AFTER LABOUR DAY’ RULE.

Wearing white after Labour Day was largely a custom that helped people decipher who was wealthy and who wasn’t. After all big wardrobe changes for a new season obviously was not something the poor could do so easily.

So now that you’re so used to obeying this rule, I know it’s going to be difficult for you to break out of it.  That means you might have to go outside of your comfort zone and even defend your decision to some of those who will criticize you for wearing white after labour day.

The first few weeks of September are usually still filled with days of sunshine and lovely weather.  Take advantage of that time to wear your white linens and lightweight cottons in stark white while the weather is still beautiful.  As the season changes, weather often dictates the weight of our fabric choices.

Going into the cooler weather of October switch it up to heavier weights in your fabric choices for more season-friendly comfort.  Pack away your linens, pique and seersucker fabrics for next summer.  Instead choose winter white in cotton/polyester blends, wool blends and knits and even leather.  If you’re not comfortable in white head to toe, break it up with grey, black or another fall colour.  Green is a big colour for fall 2013 and would be a good combination to wear with white.

As for shoes, when the weather starts to get sloppy in rain, sleet or snow, the natural thing to do is shift to darker shoes that can withstand the nasty weather.  Wear your whites for as long as you can but know that Labour Day is not the cut-off for you to enjoy your crisp whites.