Who tried to tell people we can't wear white after labor day?

Question

Why did they believe they were going to be listened to? Why did anyone actually do what this person said?

Answer 1

For the uninformed, I think the custom originated in the South. After Labor Day the weather starts to cool off and white is more of a summer color.
Back when people actually cared about fashion protocol, it was a HUGE fashion no-no to wear white after Labor Day, unless your uniform directed it. (ie the medical profession)

Here's what a Yahoo Search came up with:
As with many customs and etiquette dictums, it's difficult to pin down the reason behind the prohibition against white after Labor Day. We searched on variations of "wear white after Labor Day" and sifted through the Etiquette and Fashion categories in the Yahoo! Directory. We managed to turn up a bit of information on the fashion dictate.
Originally, the rule was more along the lines of "Only wear white shoes between Memorial Day and Labor Day." Furthermore, it mainly applied to white pumps or dress shoes. White tennis shoes and off-white boots seem exempt, as are any shoes worn by a winter bride. "Winter white" clothing (e.g., cream-colored wool) is acceptable between Labor Day and Memorial Day too.

The only logical reasoning we could find cited temperature. Image consultant Nancy Penn suggests that because white reflects light and heat, wearing white would make you cooler in winter, and thus should be avoided. But others suggest the rule stems from a class issue. Acting Director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology Valerie Steele notes that in the late 19th century and the 1950s, more people were entering the middle classes. These nouveau-riche folks were often unaware of the standards of high society, so they were given specific codified rules to follow in order to fit in.

Several sites quoted a charming refrain about G.R.I.T.S. -- girls raised in the South. This bit of folklore states, "Southern girls know bad manners when they see them," and a clear sign of bad manners is wearing white shoes before Easter or after Labor Day. Because fashions in the American South can be a little more formal than elsewhere, perhaps the no-white-shoes rule came from south of the Mason-Dixon Line? Even Star Jones (an otherwise fashion-forward Southern lady) admits that white shoes "are for Easter Sunday and not the dead of winter."

We can only surmise that the point of this rule is to ensure that people only wear summer fashions during the actual summer months. The opposite probably applies as well, but people generally don't need to be reminded to avoid wearing a goose-down parka in 100-degree weather. If you live in a locale with summer temperatures year-round, we can't see the harm in wearing white shoes or a head-to-toe white outfit in October. And we promise not to tell Miss Manners.

Answer 2

You can wear white any time of the year. Nurses do. I have never heard of there being a dress code for any holiday.

Answer 3

I don't know. I think it's because the color white doesn't correlate with the fall colors. It's not considered an autumn colors such as red or orange.

Answer 4

The fashion police...more than one person. Go ahead, be gauche, it's a free country.

Answer 5

It was probably one of us "stupid" Amercans. Some of us are so bad off that we think English females are hot.

Answer 6

im wearing white right now

Answer 7

'No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American Public'.

Answer 8

i have never, sorry

Answer 9

WTF is this???
I'll wear what I fkn wanna wear!
Can you believe this this Orwellian crap?