Why can’t you wear white after Labor Day?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — It’s something grandmothers have said for generations: “You can’t wear white after Labor Day.”

But, why?

The origin of the fashion rule may have stemmed from practicality, according to the Farmers’ Almanac and Vogue .

Before the days of air conditioning, a way for some to keep cool during the summer months was to wear white and light-weight fabrics such as linen.

Vogue says the emergence of sportswear also played a role. Wearing white in sports had been a tradition as far back as the 16th century when nobles would wear white playing jeu de paume.

In the early 1900s, tennis became a popular sport among the wealthy class. London’s Wimbledon Club made a strict rule by requiring players to wear white since it masks sweat, which was seen as inappropriate to show at the time. The rule ( for the most part ) remains at the Championships.

Vogue also mentioned that there was a class element. Wearing white at the time was a way to subtly tell someone you were not planning to cook, clean or do any manual labor.

The Farmers’ Almanac said some believed that wearing white after Labor Day meant one had the means to have an end-of-summer vacation.

“By the end of the 19th century, upper-class Americans escaped the summer heat of the city by retreating to the countryside or seaside, where white clothing remained free of the inevitable grime of the increasingly industrialized urban centers,” Amanda Hallay, a fashion historian said told Harper’s Bazaar in 2021. “This was a sartorially social divide — only those who could afford to wear white could wear white. Not only did the wealthy summer in the far-cleaner countryside but should their beautiful white dresses get dirty, they had servants to launder them.”

The Farmers’ Almanac said most fashion rules are made to be broken and many enthusiasts flaunted their light-colored attire even after Labor Day. Coco Chanel revolutionized the fashion industry in the 1920s by keeping white in her wardrobe for every season.

In the 1950s, not wearing white after the holiday was seen as a symbol of refinement and those who adopted the so-called “rule” were seen more favorably as up-and-comers wanted to learn the rules in their social circle.

While some may advise against wearing white after the unofficial end of summer, Vogue says you can do so.

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