# What's the deal with White after Labour Day? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 18, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629 "2004-04-18T03:48:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fluffball86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@fluffball86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluffball86)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/1 "2004-04-18T03:48:36Z")
Fashion Considerations aside, I have seen several references to “Never wearing white after Labour Day”. Does anyone want to explain why someone would say “Never wear white after Labour Day”. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/2 "2004-04-18T03:52:54Z")
Or before Easter. It is a fashion consideration. It is not as rigid today as in the past. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/3 "2004-04-18T03:55:53Z")
The idea is that white is a summer color, and darker colors are for the winter months. It makes no sense whatsoever down here, though. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/4 "2004-04-18T03:59:05Z")
> [@fluffball86](#): > > **Fashion Considerations aside** , I have seen several references to “Never wearing white after Labour Day”. If not fashion, then what else is left to consider? The only other reasons to wear clothing are for protection against the elements and social modesty. Since color has nothing to do with protection against the elements and you can be quite modest in white coat, it’s _all_ about fashion. It’s stupid, too. Wear whatever the hell color you want. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![fluffball86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@fluffball86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluffball86)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/5 "2004-04-18T04:08:21Z")
The last time I saw the reference was in a somewhat recent McCleans. It was the one with a picture of a Gay couple standing in front of Niagra Falls. One of the letter’s to the editor in a following edition went on about Gay marriage, then at the end the women said: “You never wear white after labour day” so I was wondering if there some some meaning beyond just summer/winter colours ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/6 "2004-04-18T04:50:58Z")
Because(for anyone with fashion sense) it looks toally horrible to see someone wear white after labor day. (although those who have no fashion sense wont notice you, and they wont notice you wearing stripes and plaids together, nor your black purse with your white shoes either). Watch the movie Serial Mom for other possible repercussions. ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/7 "2004-04-18T12:34:35Z")
> [@Cinnamon Girl](#): > > If not fashion, then what else is left to consider? The only other reasons to wear clothing are for protection against the elements and social modesty. Since color has nothing to do with protection against the elements and you can be quite modest in white coat, it’s _all_ about fashion. > > It’s stupid, too. Wear whatever the hell color you want. 🆒 Well, other reasons beyond fashion, protection against the elements and social modesty include authority, power and identity. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/8 "2004-04-18T13:00:40Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > Because(for anyone with fashion sense) it looks toally horrible to see someone wear white after labor day. (although those who have no fashion sense wont notice you, and they wont notice you wearing stripes and plaids together, nor your black purse with your white shoes either). Watch the movie Serial Mom for other possible repercussions. Strips and plaids clash and create an effect unpleasing to the eye. Virtually anyone – regardless of what you call “fashion sense” – can see this. Objecting to white after Labor Day is entirely an arbitrary reaction and only those who have been trained to object to it will. Nobody anywhere thinks, “Wow, that white they’re wearing really clashes with the environment, since it IS after Labor Day after all.” ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/9 "2004-04-18T13:08:43Z")
This is one rule that even the esteemably rational Miss Manners (Judith Martin) has hung on to despite having no rational whatsoever. I’ve often wondered if she does this as joke (since she’s very funny and pretends to all sorts Victorian affectations for the sake of humor). I also thought this only applied to women’s shoes. Or is that a different rule? ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/10 "2004-04-18T13:09:59Z")
I meant _rationale_ obviously (second line). Not rational. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/11 "2004-04-18T13:32:34Z")
Wasn’t there a commercial where some supermodel dismissed the myth of white after Labor Day? Kathy Ireland, maybe? I thought it wasn’t the case so much in warmer areas, such as the South, where we can wear shorts into November and pull out the sweaters maybe twice in January. And yes, I will wear white whenever I damn well want to. So there. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/12 "2004-04-18T14:43:50Z")
> [@Alan Smithee](#): > > This is one rule that even the esteemably rational Miss Manners (Judith Martin) has hung on to despite having no rational whatsoever. I’ve often wondered if she does this as joke (since she’s very funny and pretends to all sorts Victorian affectations for the sake of humor). I also thought this only applied to women’s shoes. Or is that a different rule? No, you’re half-correct: the actual rule is “no white **shoes** after Labor Day” (or before Memorial Day, IIRC). That goes both for women’s and men’s shoes (though there are few men left who wear white buckskins as summer casuals anyway). According to Miss Manners, sneakers (trainers for our cousins across the pond), tennis shoes, and bridal wear don’t count. So you can still have your nice winter white outfit in wool or silk crepe or such for November, as long as you’re wearing it with dark accessories (which you probably would prefer anyway). Or a white fur coat if you’re that sort of person, or a white down ski jacket if you’re the other sort. The idea is to rule out for non-summer wear the light summery fabrics (of whatever color, not just white) which are generally thought to go best with white shoes, but which according to traditional fashion dictates are unsuitable for other seasons. I agree that although this rule makes a certain amount of sense in climes where the non-summer seasons tend to be chilly, muddy, snowy and generally shoe-staining, it’s hard to justify it in places that have summer all year round. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/13 "2004-04-18T18:02:47Z")
More to the point, why does Miss Manners care at all? If I wear black shoes and a brown belt (one of the few men’s fashion no-no’s I’m actually aware of) am I being _rude_ or merely unfashionable? Are white shoes any different? Granted, there is _some_ overlap between fashion and etiquette. Wearing a suit and tie to the beach may be merely laughable, but wearing a tank top and flip-flops to a Roman Catholic High Mass is disrespectful. Wearing an overcoat or hat in a home, workplace, or classroom is (still!) considered insulting, because it implies either a hostile environment or the desire to leave quickly. Weaing a mohawk and body piercings to a professional job interview actively communicates ones disregard for professionalism. But are white shoes in the winter a deliberate (or willfully ignorant) flauting of social norms, or just another (possibly misguided) fashion choice? ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/14 "2004-04-18T19:10:07Z")
By the way, since it is a U.S. holiday, I think this is one instance in which we 'murkins can _insist_ that it be spelled “Labor Day,” not “Labour Day!” ---
**Author:** ![swami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@swami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swami)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/15 "2004-04-18T19:45:40Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > By the way, since it is a U.S. holiday, I think this is one instance in which we 'murkins can _insist_ that it be spelled “Labor Day,” not “Labour Day!” Wrong, “Labour day” is correct since it is a **Canadian** Holiday. “Labor day” is the American one. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/16 "2004-04-18T23:09:10Z")
> [@Cinnamon Girl](#): > > Since color has nothing to do with protection against the elements I would disagree with this. Try wearing a black shirt on a hot summer day outside vs. a white shirt – I assure you that you _will_ notice a difference in how the elements affect you! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/17 "2004-04-18T23:22:02Z")
This is one of those things that pop up now and again that people repeat, but most can’t explain. The usual answer when you question them is, “Well, you just don’t.” The wife of a friend of mine fancied herself quite the manners & etiquette expert, but she couldn’t answer this when I challenged her. Of course, it’s all a matter of personal choice, but some people act like it’s holy scripture carved in stone. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/18 "2004-04-18T23:48:26Z")
> [@swami](#): > > Wrong, “Labour day” is correct since it is a **Canadian** Holiday. “Labor day” is the American one. Meh. Bunch of hosers. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/19 "2004-04-19T00:50:13Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > No, you’re half-correct: the actual rule is “no white **shoes** after Labor Day” (or before Memorial Day, IIRC). …or before Easter ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-white-after-labour-day/240629/20 "2004-04-19T05:51:46Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > I would disagree with this. Try wearing a black shirt on a hot summer day outside vs. a white shirt – I assure you that you _will_ notice a difference in how the elements affect you! 'Kay, let’s disagree then. I grant you that if the colors are of the same fabric, then you have a point. Black _does_ absorb light (heat) while white reflects it. However, if I wear a black gauzy shirt and you wear a white polyester shirt, I assure you, I will be more comfortable. 😃