Who Says You Can’t Wear White After Labor Day?

When it comes to fashion, we live in a world of unwritten rules. Some of them are good. Some of them are ridiculous.

I don’t know where these rules came from, yet some of us follow them without question because we fear repercussions from the fashion police. Maybe we’ll end up a “Glamour Don’t,“ or at the very least we’ll have to put up with giggles from those snotty, snarky girls who think they know it all.

If you play by their rules, come Labor Day, you’ll retire all your white clothes — pack them away, all pretty and pristine, not to be touched again until Memorial Day.

Listen up: That tired old rule is dated and daft.

Who, exactly, is it meant to help through a fashion crisis? Are there really women who insist on wearing spaghetti-strap linen sundresses and white sandals in December in Wisconsin?

Well, maybe so.

In the South, avoiding white seems silly. If black works in August, why shouldn’t white get some play in winter?

Thank goodness, wearing white after Labor Day is no longer a fashion faux pas. Fashion magazines and designers pretty much thumb their noses at the convention, frequently showcasing white ensembles for fall and winter.

“There’s nothing wrong with wearing white after Labor Day,“ says Maggie Carson, owner of Paradise Island Boutique in Tampa. “White is a transitional color. The rule doesn’t exist in today’s contemporary society.“

You can pair white blouses, scarves and structured skirts with fall plaids, neutral staples and denim, Carson says. Give a hot white dress a cool-weather feel with opaque or dark hose and accessories. And you can never go wrong with the perfect white blouse or ivory tweed blazer, no matter what time of year.

“I’m selling a lot of white jeans right now,“ Carson says. “And they look great with black leather.“

Winter-white bags, coats and boots can be striking additions to cold-weather ensembles. Just make sure the material you wear is appropriate to the season; avoid white linen pants and white shoes in winter, and you’ll be fine. Even then, there are exceptions.

“If I were going to the beach (in Florida) with my kids to pick up shells, I would absolutely throw on my white linen pants and a sweater,“ she says. “I just wouldn’t wear them to a social event.“

If you’re tempted but still nervous about wearing white after Monday, keep this column in your purse as your permission slip.

OWN that outfit, and don’t let what anybody thinks rattle you!

Come to think of it, that’s always a good attitude to have when it comes to what you wear.