White After Labor Day?

Today marks the unofficial end of summer, theoretically triggering the No White After Labor Day "rule" which dates back to the the early 20th century and the resort wear worn by the vacationing upper crust: when summer ended, so did the wearing of linen, seersucker, etc. Of course we're believers in breaking the rules and this one is rather antiquated. Climate change has resulted in warmer weather extending way beyond the first weekend in September. After all, it's not unusual in the northeast to enjoy a 90 degree day several weeks into October (sometimes even into November). A couple of years ago I heard someone say the summer whites season should be recalibrated to correspond with the baseball season: early April to early October. For us, it's about what feels right. Although it probably wouldn't make a lot of sense to wear your white linen suit in February, our friends at Valet point out that a pair of white jeans or cords in the fall might work nicely. Just make it work for you. Do you wear white after Labor Day?

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