Sweater, J. Crew (no longer available in this color) – similar color
Tunic, Target (no longer available) – similar - budget
Jeans, courtesy Karen Kane
Pumps, Etienne Aigner via Ideeli - similar
Watch, Skagen
Earrings, The Wellington Boot
Check it out: I’m wearing white pants after Labor Day and I am not bursting into flames! OK, I kid. This is one of the few fashion “rules” that I followed for ages without questioning it. But with the flood of white and winter white on the AW12 runways, I decided I just didn’t care as much anymore. Especially since it’s been relatively warm and summery-feeling around these parts. White pants year-round!
Do you adhere to the “no white shoes or pants after Labor Day” fashion rule? Any other rules you think you’ll always follow?
**Disclosure: Actions you take from the hyperlinks within this blog post may yield commissions for alreadypretty.com. See Already Pretty’s disclosure statement for more details.
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I actually just got some white jeans that I need to wear before it gets too cold, Labor Day be damned.
Really though, I can’t think of a fashion rule I *do* follow. I wear white whenever I want, mix black and brown, mix black and navy and wear high-heels even though I’m six-foot. Oh, wait, I guess I follow the ‘boobs or legs but never both’ rule. Mostly I keep both under wraps, but certainly wouldn’t break both out at once. Probably.
I love white jeans year-round, and not just in Florida. I only follow the “decency for work” rules: nothing too tight, too short or too low cut.
Love the cobalt blue sweater with the white pants.
I say break all the rules! I plan on wearing a white skirt all year round. It’s got black details, nothing’s gonna stop me from wearing what I love.
Fashion rules are so arbitrary anyway.
I’ve never heard of this rule before, but labour day isn’t until the weekend after next, & not wearing white in summer seems silly
I think this refers to Labor Day in the U.S– which is the first Monday in September.
Tights lighter than shoes – I know other people do it and like it, but it just looks wrong to me, so I don’t. But I don’t know if that’s really a widely held fashion rule.
I don’t adhere to tights lighter than shoes (a lovely pair of burgundy pumps with a paler tight in the same colour family pops into my head and instantly looks lovely) so much as ‘no black tights with white shoes’.
I see a lot of it and I could never go there. It just does look wrong somehow, as if the person picked their shoes out of the wardrobe in the dark and didn’t look to see what they were putting on. Dare I say it – a little tacky?
I don’t own white pants (or skirts, or shirts, etc.), because the first day I wore them I’d end up staining them permanently and hopeless. Yes, I know this from experience.
I did tempt fate last year and I bought a winter-white coat. So I guess I break that rule. And it’s still white, and unstained! Go me!
I don’t generally mix dark brown and black, or navy and black, but I’m not sure if it’s because there’s a rule or because I can’t make those colors look right together. I also don’t mix prints, because whenever I try I end up looking like I just escaped from an institution.
I just can not bring myself to wear white shoes. Ever. I figure if nurses have stopped wearing them, there’s no reason for me to start. I won’t wear velvet before November or after March. While I will wear white denim, I won’t wear white dresses, skirts, or shorts after September. It has more to do with the color of my legs than the date on the calendar. Last of my neurosis: I don’t like wearing any jewelry while working out or participating in any sports. I do wear brown and black though.
You rock those pants, girl!
This outfit is great, and I am loving those white pants!
Regarding Gracey’s comment above, I haven’t heard of the “boobs or legs but never both,” rule, I’ve heard that it’s “boobs, legs, or shoes” (with the implication that “shoes” refers to “sexy shoes”), and that you can pick one for the office, or two for going out. That is a rule that I generally follow, though there have been a few occasions when I have worn “legs and shoes” outfits to the office.
I sometimes wear black shoes with navy clothes, but I don’t think I’d ever wear navy shoes with black clothes.
I have a white dress that is really fancy… When I came upon it in the store it was love at first sight, despite its impracticality. One of the only occasions fancy enough to call for the wearing of a dress like that would be a wedding, but “don’t wear white to a wedding” is another rule that I follow, so I haven’t found an occasion to wear it yet.
Hey Sal,
While I love the idea of this outfit, I find that the execution is a bit lacking. I feel that the button-up is just too long and is throwing off the proportions of the outfit. I also feel the pants are too loose/long – although I hold no stock in the “no white after Labor Day” since it looks so chic in the winter – especially with all of our snow (I’m in WI so I know what winters here look like haha).
Yes, agreed. Just the very bottom of the checked shirt should poke out. Below crotch point is a little too long. Otherwise, it’s a very cute outfit.
Yes, I agree as well. There is too much going on, and the individual pieces don’t go together.
I like it. The shirt is a bit long (matter of taste) but the bold blue with the white is awesome.
I thought the rule was “no white SHOES after labor day”. Oh, well, we live in California so the seasons are not that different anyway. I actually got inspired last year from YOU to not wear black in the summer, so that’s a new rule created! Besides that, either legs or boobs not both.
I don’t wear white or even own white clothes so it’s never an issue for me.
The main reason I’m commenting is because at first glance, the street crack behind you made me think you were leaning on a cane!
I not only wore white pants on Monday, they were white LINEN pants. Take that, antiquated rules! I haven’t worn them with cobalt yet, though–good idea. (If this double-comments, I’m sorry. The internet is being wonky…)
That cobalt blue is one of my favorite colors lately. As I have gotten older, it seems that any “rule” about fashion has disappeared, so I don’t have a problem with white after Labor Day anymore. I also love the pattern mixing trend that has gotten so popular now (in the past it would have been a big no-no).
Well, not casual white too-long jeans and black work pumps! Seriously–the maroon dress was so nice and then this?
Nice cobalt sweater!
As for style rules, I don’t get too worked up about things, but I do believe in a few age-appropriate guidelines. Not showing skin in too many places at once is a good one (actually, it’s a goodie for all ages, but especially women on the far side of forty) — like, if you’ve got cleavage happening, keep the skirt at least to the knee, but if it’s a modest neckline, feel free to break out the gams. Not wearing head-to-toe teenager-wear is another one I’ll stick to, although one item at a time can be fine, if deployed with style.
As for “no white after Labour day”? I’ve always thought that one was silly. I generally don’t wear white pants in the winter because of the impracticality — it’s cold and rainy all the time, and I end up with mud halfway to my knees — but if it’s October 5 and the sun is blazing, why on Earth not?
I have 2 pair of white dress pants and I love to wear them year round. I have a bright red tunic with white stitching that looks fabulous with white pants. Wearing white, for me, can help light up a rather gloomy and icky winter, which happens a lot here in Ohio. They also help elongate my legs and make me look taller and at 5’3 I can use all the help I can get!
I never wear white pants or shoes. I drop food on myself constantly so white pants would last about 30 seconds, and I’m much too lazy to clean shoes all the time. I try to stay away from white shirts for the same reason. Thank goodness for Shout or my wardrobe would have to consist entirely of garbage bags…
“White only after Memorial Day and before Labor Day” was passé in the 1960s, so I’m guessing that no one who matters cares that you have broken that arbitrary fashion “rule.” Do you still wear a hat every time you pass out of your abode? Do you still wear gloves at all public appearances? Do you still take care that the seams of your stockings are straight, and that your garters are holding the tops of those stockings securely to your girdle? No? I didn’t think so. We don’t still follow the rule of wearing only black garments and jewelry for an entire year after the death of a loved one, either. “Pish tosh!” say I, to the White after Labor Day dictators. “Pish tosh to you!”
I did pick up a pair of white AT capris at Goodwill this summer that I wore a lot – but they are now in storage for the winter. I just can’t get myself to rebel against white after Labor Day! I’d love to be able to confirm if the rule really is meant just for shoes, since I do love the capris. And since I only paid $3, I’m not as worried about ruining them, lol.