When it comes to fashion, I love to break the rules. Denim on denim—obsessed. Navy and black—loves it! But until now there was one style “rule” I thought I wouldn’t be able to break, especially on the east coast, you know, the No white after Labor Day rule.
Since I have lived in Los Angeles my entire life, I have naturally embraced the laid back California mentality of wearing flip flops, sundresses, and shorts even in the winter. I mean who wouldn’t when you have 80 degree weather in October? As a result, I have never paid much attention to the rule about no white after Labor Day, because I felt like it simply did not apply to me. However, now that the summer is officially over in Boston, I am still concerned that if I do wear white, that people will think that I am either crazy or that I god forbid do not know a thing about fashion, which is probably one of my worst nightmares!
Luckily, I was reading Lucky Magazine a few weeks ago, and happened to come across an article titled, “How do I Transition my Summer Whites to Fall?” Clearly, this article was written for concerned fashionistas like myself who faced extreme anxiety over the thought of wearing white past Labor Day.
While any Lucky staff member could have written the article and my hesitation would have immediately subsided, I felt even more re-assured because the magazine’s knowledgeable editors who live and work in New York City- aka the fashion capital of the United States did. Major Score!
Here are some of the suggestions they gave in order to wear your whites in the fall.
1. Pair a White Dress with a Thick Patterned Sweater: Break up your all white ensemble by throwing on a warm sweater with a funky print in order to keep you from getting too cold when the weather shifts from beastly hot to cool.
2. Wear a Dark Top and Sweater with Your White Jeans: By doing so you will create a nice contrast between the light color of your pants and the dark color of your shirt and sweater. Doing so will make your bottoms seem much less summery.
3. Layer a Vest on Top of Your White Blazer: Rather than simply wearing a white blazer to finish off your look, try adding a preppy colored vest on top of it to absorb some of the white. Forest green, navy, or red are great color options.
I cannot tell you how relieved I was to find that article and to finally get a rather official sign of approval that it is okay to break that longstanding myth. While I will not tell you to go break every fashion rule that exists, because some really are true and must be adhered to, don’t think twice about wearing white this fall and winter.