On wearing white after Labor Day

So Labor Day is officially behind us. In the "olden days" this meant packing up all your summer clothes - your madras, linen, seersucker, and whites. It's hard to imagine packing up these items when the temperatures, even here in New England, are still well into the 80s and even the 90s on some days. I believe that it is wiser to dress for the weather than for the season. I also believe that once you learn the rules they are meant to be broken.

As I've gotten older I've learned to be more of a risk taker and rule breaker. It's always important to know the basics - what works and what doesn't work. It takes some time, some trial and error. You have to figure out what works for you and what doesn't. And over time, what once worked for you may no longer do so. When it comes to style it's a matter that is personal and individual.

The rules of fashion are forever changing and evolving. It seems that the "rules" are getting more and more lax. Our lifestyles are becoming more and more casual, the workplace is becoming more and more casual and our lives are busier and busier as we hustle and bustle from one place to another, one activity to another, one meeting to another. Our lifestyle choices both affect and impact our wardrobe choices.

As I sit down to write this, on a very hot and humid day here in Connecticut, some might say that I am defying the Fashion Rules. It would look silly to be dressed in wool or anything warm for that matter. The idea of anything warm or tight-fitting is completely unappealing. And so I sit at my kitchen table - work sprawled out everywhere, wearing not just a little white dress, but a little white sundress. And white flip flops. And my hair is tied up in a knot on top of my head. Because it's hot out. Damned hot. Have I mentioned that? And so for that reason alone, some rules must be broken. I haven't packed up my white jeans for quite some time, and perhaps I never will!