A once-firm fashion rule that most people have heard of but few could actually explain the origin of. Is the "no white after Labor Day" rule still worth following?
A fading but not-quite-dead style convention that still gets cited half-seriously every autumn.
What happened
The rule traces back to early-20th-century American social customs distinguishing summer leisurewear from the rest of the year, and has loosened considerably as fashion norms have become less rigid.
Why people disagree
Traditionalists argue seasonal dressing conventions still have a place and white does read as distinctly summery. Others argue the rule was rooted in class signaling from a bygone era and has no real bearing on how people actually dress today.
What's still unclear
Whether any residual adherence to the rule is really about aesthetics at all, or just nostalgia for a more clearly defined dress code.
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