FROM THE

BY SARAH NIGBOR

No white after Labor Day!

My grandmother was a stickler when I was younger for not wearing white after Labor Day. She would change from her white purse to her dark-colored purse the minute the calendar changed. Same went for her clothing and shoes she wore to church, which meant I had to follow the same rule. She became more lax about it as she got older, but it used to be a cardinal rule in her house.

My daughter asked me why the rule was in place recently, and I honestly didn’t know what to tell her. I just knew it was what my grandma used to do. I was never one to follow the rule, but then again, I love dark clothing no matter what time of year. Then again, I'm not traipsing through a field baling hay in a black dress.

Carolina’s question inspired me to look up the origin of the no white after Labor Day rule, and what I found was actually interesting.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the rule may have taken shape for practical reasons. Before air conditioning, clothing choices played a big part in keeping cool in summer and warm in winter. Lighter colors and fabrics were worn to stave ou the heat in summer, while heavier fabrics (and presumably darker colors) were used to keep toasty in winter.

Another theory is that wealthy people often wore lightweight, bright clothing (think linen suits and summer dresses) because they had the money to take real vacations. Some historians say wearing white in summer was a way for rich people to separate themselves from the working class, who would stain light-colored clothing if they wore it while working. Darker colors helped hide the dirt and grime of a hard day’s work.

According to Marie Claire magazine, by the 1950s, not wearing white after Labor Day was considered a symbol of refinement and having the ability to adopt the rules of a social circle. Some people thought the rule also separated the “old money” from the “new money” group.

One last theory is that it was simply a way to signal the end of summer: Pack away the light, bright, breezy clothing and get out the heavier, darker sweaters and suits of winter and fall. People were back in the city (from beach vacations, etc.), back in school, back to reality.

Whatever the true reason, I wear white whenever I want to, which most days is nev- er. I've been known to spill couee on myself from time to time. Plus do you think having four kids lends itself to always staying fresh?