Fall rumors

[bsmith]

A girl I work with told me of a rule of 'no white shoes after Labor Day'. I am wondering on how true this may be. With it here now, I am wondering if I need to rush out and change my fall lineup or ignore the idea.

I am a college student at a midwest school. I feel that I have been very sheltered in the fashion world growing up in the middle of no where. Back home it is jeans, t shirts, and white shoes. I have no clue about what to do about my fall wardrobe and am open to any ideas. I want to try to break into the city atmosphere but not break the pocket book.

 

[Michael]

There a lot of people that will tell you not to wear white shoes/yellow pants after Labor Day. My mom always told me that too, however, if I feel like wearing white after Labor Day, I will. There's no sense in making a drab season... drabber. Of course, if she was discouraging you from wearing white tennis shoes, she's misunderstood the point. Speaking of shoes, I was wondering if anyone could tell me where I could buy or have made a pair of black and Georgia red wingtips.

 

[bengal-stripe]

Michael
Try Allen Edmonds, they make one-off specials. It's not really made to measure; they use their standard lasts and patterns. They probably could make you a pair in the colors of your choice. (By the way: what is Georgia Red? Is this any old red?)

 

[LA Guy]

I think that Michael was right. I'm 99% sure that the "no white shoes after Labor Day" rule was made well before the day tennis shoes became streetwear, and that the aforementioned rule made much more sense when dress was much more homogeneous than it is now. It also makes little sense to follow these rules if you live in, say, Australia (you'd be wearing summer clothing all winter, and winter coats all summer), or if you live in Miami, or LA for that matter, where it's supposed to reach 104 F today. You would be a true fashion masochist if you were is switch to your fall wardrobe tomorrow.

I have (a completely unsubstantiated) theory that white shoes originally symbolized leisure, and that Labor Day marked the end of the summer leisure period.

 

[ulf]

It's always good to know rules so you can choose when to respect or ignore them, I say.

There are so many rules, dogmas and opinions about what to wear with what, where to wear it, when to wear it and how to wear it. The only thing which is certain is that most rules can and will be stretched or broken. Or simply become obsolete as times and fashions change.

Think of it like etiquette; they're very closely related. There are a few basic rules everyone should know and follow. You should try to be polite and considerate, say "hello" and introduce yourself when you meet someone new. If you're sitting down and someone comes over to introduce him/herself: stand up. Use "please" and "thank you" when appropriate.

Simple rules, like the fact that you really shouldn't show up at a funeral in primary colours (unless requested). White shoes after labour day? Doesn't fall into the shocking category. Doesn't even make sense. If it was "don't wear white after summer", it would at least make more sense.

 

[pstoller]

White shoes after labour day? Doesn't fall into the shocking category. Doesn't even make sense.

It depends where you live. The source of the original dictum of "no white shoes after Labor Day (until Memorial Day)" is sketchy, at best, but it's still taken seriously in many parts of the US, especially the South. A gal in Dixie wearing white pumps in October will likely be marked as trailer trash. As far as I know, it was primarily an admonition to women, though I imagine men wearing white shoes at the wrong time of the year would also be considered gauche. Obviously, the "rule" doesn't apply to winter boots or sneakers.

The best explanation I've found for the "rule" is that it's based on the practicality of wearing reflective white in Summer to keep cool, and dark colors in Fall/Winter to absorb more light and thus keep warmer. It mutated from common sense to style dictate over time. It also grew from a directive about shoes to one about various parts of ones wardrobe (dresses and skirts for women, jackets, suits and pants for men).

With our weather being so mercurial, I can certainly see bending those rules during a hot September. However, I think it's a safe bet to leave your white shoes in the closet when dressing for Thanksgiving dinner.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

The source of the original dictum of "no white shoes after Labor Day (until Memorial Day)" is sketchy, at best, but it's still taken seriously in many parts of the US, especially the South. A gal in Dixie wearing white pumps in October will likely be marked as trailer trash.

After living in the South for two years, I learned that the worst sin in the South is to be rude; the second worst sin is to be tacky.

Along the same lines of the rule regarding white shoes, what about the rule that a tuxedo should not be worn before 6 PM?  It seems that most grooms who get married in the morning or midday will wear a tuxedo rather than a morning coat.  Has this rule fallen into disrepute?  Or is there a "wedding" exception?

 

[pstoller]

Along the same lines of the rule regarding white shoes, what about the rule that a tuxedo should not be worn before 6 PM? It seems that most grooms who get married in the morning or midday will wear a tuxedo rather than a morning coat. Has this rule fallen into disrepute? Or is there a "wedding" exception?

I'm breaking this rule myself for my own wedding. I wanted to wear a tux (I'll just feel "more married" that way), and my bride"”herself a near-encyclopædic stickler on matters of grooming and etiquette"”wanted me to wear one, as well. However, having picked a Saturday (the most expensive day to hold a wedding) for the convenience of out-of-town guests, we didn't want to shoulder the additional expense of an evening wedding. So, we decided to dispense with the traditional restrictions.

It has become increasingly common for grooms to wear tuxedos for daytime weddings, although there are still those (some of them here) who frown upon the practice"”to them, it's like wearing pyjamas to a dinner party. Frankly, I don't care. It is, after all, our day, so the important thing is that we wear what we like. I consider this the "wedding exception." I don't think I'd wear a tux during the day for any other reason.

 

[PeterMetro]

Along the same lines of the rule regarding white shoes, what about the rule that a tuxedo should not be worn before 6 PM?  It seems that most grooms who get married in the morning or midday will wear a tuxedo rather than a morning coat.  Has this rule fallen into disrepute?  Or is there a "wedding" exception?

While there may be a wedding exception (I happen to disagree - morning suits were made for a reason), I think we can all agree that there exists no Oscar exception.

It has always baffled me to see movie stars attend pre-Oscar parties at 4-5 in the afternoon decked out in tuxedos. What gives - they don't have time to change? (Maybe they don't have time to change. I think I just answered my own question.)

 

[LA Guy]

Well, I don't know about pyjamas at dinner, but when I was in college not so long ago, it was considered rather de rigueur to wear pyjama bottoms to class, sort of the "I pulled an all nighter and got an hour of sleep and really couldn't be bothered nor could I care less" type of look. It wasn't really my style, but on some girls, it was actually quite cute, and some of the guys could pull it off too. In a case of art imitating life, I saw the same look, in the form of roomy, plaid wool pants show up on runways several seasons later as Marc Jacobs "grunge" look caught fire.

So I say, good for you. Wear a tux. After all, the contrast of the white shirt and the black jacket and pants looks terrific in photographs. And besides, I don't know anyone who is neither a trustfund baby nor a "self-made man" (generally the worst sort), who adheres to the morning dress/evening dress rules anyway.

 

[ulf]

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[pstoller]

It has always baffled me to see movie stars attend pre-Oscar parties at 4-5 in the afternoon decked out in tuxedos. What gives - they don't have time to change? (Maybe they don't have time to change. I think I just answered my own question.)

You did, mostly. The other thing to consider is that, no matter what time these events occur locally, most of the country (if not the world) sees them in a later time zone. The entire Oscars "do" is thus widely perceived as an evening event, even if the earliest festivities begin in the afternoon.

...the contrast of the white shirt and the black jacket and pants looks terrific in photographs. And besides, I don't know anyone who is neither a trustfund baby nor a "self-made man" (generally the worst sort), who adheres to the morning dress/evening dress rules anyway.

I agree about the photographs, which was part of our reasoning. Long after the event itself, we will have only the pictures, and we want to look a certain way in them...even if we look at the pictures in the morning.

Other than in this forum, I don't travel much in social circles where men ever wear morning dress. Most of my friends never wear evening dress, for that matter.

 

[pstoller]

I confess I know of but might not fully understand quite a few US customs intimately. Maybe I should keep my thoughts to myself. I was merely stating my opinion that a certain yearly date for wearing or not wearing items seemed like a rule that should be stretched.

Oh, I agree with you about that being a stretchable rule. I just figured it was worth knowing where the rules came from, because that's usually a helpful guide in deciding when, where and how to break them.

 

[Joe G]

Other than in this forum, I don't travel much in social circles where men ever wear morning dress. Most of my friends never wear evening dress, for that matter.

I doubt anyone here really does, either. I don't. I did once see a gorgeous morning coat in the window of my favourite tailor. The vest (in a grey-and-cream pattern that inverted in the ascot) was art. Had I occasion to wear it, I would've bought it. But it struck me as much more costume than clothes. But it seems that it's not just formal day-dress that's disappearing in the US, but even black-tie. Hollywood's idiocy aside, I seem to remember a different sort of idiot entirely, a certain blue-blooded former Gov. of Texas, having to rent a dinner jacket for his big day. Peace, JG