> > I thought the "no white after Labor Day" rule had its roots in practical conslderations. Fall/winter = wet & cold. White shoes = harder to get clean if you step in a puddle.
>
> See, that makes sense to me. (The jump from the practical concerns of wet days to the arbitrary "Labor Day" delimiter doesn't, but eh.)

Heh. Well, presumably there are more wet days *after* Labor Day than before it...

But really, I think we're talking about a small remnant of a social code from bygone days, Labor day was the delimiter of the social season. too. The summer cotillions are over, buddy, and now we've got the Junior League ball or the winter formal instead...and knowing what to wear was important if you wanted to be accepted as part of that kind of society.

And:
>
> > As a little girl...
>
> This snipped anecdote relates something I don't exactly understand but don't have a problem with either. Hey, if observing seasonal changes with clothing was fun for her, good for her.

Yes, it was fun for us too--made an ordinary day kind of special, in a small way :-)
>
> But when I first heard about that white after Labor Day rule, it was in the context of someone making a comment about what people -- all people -- "should" do. Not oneself, not even one's family, but just a general rule that people "should" follow or meet with disapproval. Which is, of course, a preposterous attitude to have.

I am so not surprised that this is foreign territory to you, or anyone your age. (Even anyone my age). It's hard to understand
the more rigid set of social rules earlier generations (like my parents) grew up with, rules about clothing included. There was definitely a much stronger deliniation between formal and informal occasions, about what was acceptable and what was not.

You commented (in another post) that folks in computer-related job seem to dress more informally. No kidding--it's a field created & dominated by young adults, far removed from the old order of "proper" attire rules.

I'm sure a social anthropologist would say that the "No white after labor day" rule may not have had much real practical value at all, but following the rule showed you knew and understood the tribe's expectations. Or something like that. "Expectations" being the key word. You can wonder about preposterous attitudes, but hey, at least you knew what was expected of you and when. There's security in knowing the rules if you want to play the game.

koala"wears white but never yellow or orange"mom