- Joined
- Mar 26, 2006
- Messages
- 15,424
Date: 3/22/2007 3:33:21 PM
Author: poptart
Why is there a white clothing rule anyway? I''ve never understood it. Anyone know?
*M*
ETA: DeeJay, that sounds like a summer purse to me!
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. "
Date: 3/22/2007 3:43:58 PM
Author: monarch64
Poptart, I found this excerpt from a Yahoo article:
''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. ''
Date: 3/22/2007 3:51:18 PM
Author: kcoursolle
I thought the white after labor day thing doesn''t exist anymore. I''ve seen designers make cream and white colored knit skirts for winter use. I think any season besides winter would be fine for a straw purse. I''d say you''d be fine wearing it in 70 degree weather and above.
Awwwww, that visual just had me smiling from ear to ear! Poor little scaredy cat Demon! It''s amazing how animals know when a weather change is coming.Date: 3/23/2007 1:12:27 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
KD, yes indeed, we get PLENTY of thunderstorms. Just ask The Demon -- he hides quaking in the shower stall or the bath tub until they pass. Sometimes we know there''s a thunderstorm *coming* long before it arrives because we''ll go looking for The Demon and find him in one of those places. Poor thing!
Date: 3/23/2007 1:27:30 PM
Author: KristyDarling
Date: 3/23/2007 1:12:27 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
KD, yes indeed, we get PLENTY of thunderstorms. Just ask The Demon -- he hides quaking in the shower stall or the bath tub until they pass. Sometimes we know there''s a thunderstorm *coming* long before it arrives because we''ll go looking for The Demon and find him in one of those places. Poor thing!
Awwwww, that visual just had me smiling from ear to ear! Poor little scaredy cat Demon! It''s amazing how animals know when a weather change is coming.
Date: 3/26/2007 10:36:54 AM
Author: Dee*Jay
Thanks Mrs. S.!
Skippy, I got it from Macy's last week on sale. It was marked down 20% and I couldn't pass it up!